skill-authoring SKILL.md skillA
skill-authoring from microsoft/github-copilot-for-azure is an agent skill: a SKILL.md folder an AI agent loads when a task calls for it.
mdr add microsoft/github-copilot-for-azure/skill-authoring@v1.0.2Pins v1.0.2 in mdr.lock. Pin the fingerprint instead.
- Audit grade
- A, 17 of 17 checks passed
- Kind
- SKILL.md skill
- Repository
- microsoft/github-copilot-for-azure
- Path
.github/skills/skill-authoring/SKILL.md- Versions recorded
- 6
- Latest version
- v1.0.2, committed Oct 1, 2026
- First version recorded
- Feb 3, 2026
- Size
- 3,358 bytes
- Repository stars
- 259
- License
- a license file GitHub does not identify
Guidelines for writing Agent Skills that comply with the agentskills.io specification. WHEN: "create a skill", "new skill", "write a skill", "skill template", "skill structure", "review skill", "skill PR", "skill compliance", "SKILL.md format", "skill frontmatter", "skill best practices".
Collected from public GitHub. Every version is saved exactly as it was and never changes. Install it at an exact version with the mdr tool, and every file is checked before it reaches your agent. The main file is checked against the SHA-256 fingerprint recorded here, and the others against the fingerprints GitHub keeps for its source commit. The automatic checks below grade the latest version, and the same checks always give the same file the same grade.
What the file says
# Skill Authoring Guide This skill provides guidance for writing Agent Skills that comply with the [agentskills.io specification](https://agentskills.io/specification). ## When to Use - Creating a new skill for this repository - Reviewing a skill PR for compliance - Checking if an existing skill follows best practices - Understanding token budgets and progressive disclosure ## Constraints - `name`: 1-64 chars, lowercase + hyphens, match directory - `description`: 1-1024 chars, ≤60 words, explain WHAT and WHEN - Use `WHEN:` with quoted trigger phrases (preferred over `USE FOR:`) - Avoid `DO NOT USE FOR:` unless the skill has trigger overlap with a broader skill (see [frontmatter guidelines](references/guidelines/frontmatter.md)) - Use inline double-quoted strings (not `>-` folded scalars) - SKILL.md: <500 tokens (soft), <5000 (hard) - references/*.md: <1000 tokens each ## Structure - `SKILL.md` (required) - Instructions - `references/` (optional) - Detailed docs - `scripts/` (optional) - Executable code Frontmatter: `name` (lowercase-hyphens), `description` (WHAT + WHEN) ## Progressive Disclosure …
Read the whole file at its exact version.
How to install
mdr add microsoft/github-copilot-for-azure/skill-authoring@sha256:fd194ad915d3f0e1The line at the top of this page pins the label v1.0.2, which is what most people want. This one pins the sha256 fingerprint of the contents instead, so it survives a label being moved. Either way the exact version is written to mdr.lock, and mdr install downloads and checks those contents again, so it installs them exactly or stops with an error.
[](https://markdownregistry.com/a/art_jeeltpfq7tliobwl)
3 badge image fetches in 30 days. What the badge shows.
Versions
The registry has recorded 6 versions of this file, between Feb 3, 2026 and Oct 1, 2026, about one every 48 days.
| version | committed | commit | size | audit | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| v1.0.2 latest | 2026-10-01 | fda21b0 | 3,358 B | A | view · diff |
| v1.0.1 | 2026-04-02 | 70c03ac | 3,358 B | A | view · diff |
| v1.0.0 | 2026-03-02 | 5829570 | 3,270 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260226.25c876c | 2026-02-26 | 25c876c | 3,208 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260212.c1c3edd | 2026-02-12 | c1c3edd | 2,926 B | A | view · diff |
| git:20260203.37ff448 | 2026-02-03 | 37ff448 | 2,140 B | A | view |
Audit of the latest version
- pass: Frontmatter block present
- pass: Frontmatter declares a name
- pass: Frontmatter declares a description
- pass: Size between 200 bytes and 200 KB (3358 bytes)
- pass: No zero-width or bidi control characters
- pass: No instruction hidden inside an HTML comment
- pass: No link to an exfiltration or paste host
- pass: No credential-shaped string
- pass: No instruction to send local credentials anywhere
- pass: No text hidden with inline styles
- pass: No prompt-injection phrasing
- pass: No curl or wget piped into a shell
- pass: No recursive delete of root, home or parent
- pass: No instruction to read or print local credentials
- pass: No base64 blob over 200 characters
- pass: No link to a raw IP address
- pass: No script tag
Source
microsoft/github-copilot-for-azure · 259 stars · license a license file GitHub does not identify · pushed 2026-11-02 · branch main
API
GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/artifacts/art_jeeltpfq7tliobwl GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/resolve?ref=microsoft/github-copilot-for-azure/skill-authoring GET https://markdownregistry.com/api/v1/blob/fd194ad915d3f0e14fd6f81c867539d13b2fb77f22ffc2847ec9181647516395
Your AI assistant does the legwork. You hear about the deals worth your word. Hand yours the standing instructions at modelranch.com and it joins the network that reads files like this one.
Guides: the SKILL.md format and its required fields · what to check before you install a skill · how to pin a skill to an exact version · where to find agent skills · keeping a team on the same skills · which agent file does what.
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