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[bot] Add /pr command, Extensions, preCompact hook, and devcontainer MCP support (CLI v1.0.3–v1.0.5) #13

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[bot] Add /pr command, Extensions, preCompact hook, and devcontainer MCP support (CLI v1.0.3–v1.0.5) #13

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122 changes: 121 additions & 1 deletion README.md
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Original file line number Diff line number Diff line change
Expand Up @@ -39,6 +39,7 @@ For detailed documentation, see the [Further Reading](#further-reading) section
│ Hooks Automate lifecycle events (format, lint, startup) │
│ Custom Agents Named specialists with personas │
│ Plugins Bundle all of the above into one package │
│ Extensions Code-based CLI tools (experimental) │
│ │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ │
Expand All @@ -47,6 +48,7 @@ For detailed documentation, see the [Further Reading](#further-reading) section
│ Running Parallel Auto-delegates work; /fleet for explicit │
│ Tasks & /fleet parallel execution via subagents │
│ Autopilot Mode Hands-off autonomous task completion (CLI) │
│ /pr Command PR lifecycle from CLI (create, fix CI, merge) │
│ Coding Agent Autonomous cloud agent — issues in, PRs out │
│ Agentic Workflows Automate repo tasks via GitHub Actions + AI │
│ Mission Control Dashboard to manage coding agents at scale │
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -91,9 +93,11 @@ For detailed documentation, see the [Further Reading](#further-reading) section
- [Hooks](#hooks)
- [Custom Agents](#custom-agents)
- [Plugins](#plugins)
- [Extensions](#extensions)
- [Agentic Features](#agentic-features)
- [Running Parallel Tasks](#running-parallel-tasks)
- [Autopilot Mode](#autopilot-mode)
- [The /pr Command](#the-pr-command)
- [Copilot Coding Agent](#copilot-coding-agent)
- [Agentic Workflows](#agentic-workflows)
- [Mission Control](#mission-control)
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -266,7 +270,7 @@ When creating or modifying database tables.

> **When you need it:** Your app needs to interact with other systems, ex: query PostgreSQL, check GitHub issues, or interact with cloud storage. Without MCP, you'd have to copy-paste data into chat.

**📁 Location:** `.vscode/mcp.json` (VS Code) or `~/.copilot/mcp-config.json` (CLI)
**📁 Location:** `.vscode/mcp.json` (VS Code), `~/.copilot/mcp-config.json` (CLI), or `.devcontainer/devcontainer.json` (dev containers)

<details markdown>
<summary>Example configuration</summary>
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -332,6 +336,9 @@ Custom scripts that run automatically at specific lifecycle events — like pre-
},
"startup": {
"prompt": "/compact Summarize recent changes in RecipeShare"
},
"preCompact": {
"command": "npm run export-session-log"
}
}
}
Expand All @@ -346,6 +353,7 @@ Custom scripts that run automatically at specific lifecycle events — like pre-
| `post-edit` | After Copilot edits a file |
| `pre-commit` | Before a git commit |
| `startup` | When a CLI session starts — auto-submits a prompt or slash command |
| `preCompact` | Before context compaction begins — run cleanup or archiving scripts |

**Config notes:**

Expand Down Expand Up @@ -454,6 +462,65 @@ Enable plugins automatically at startup by listing them in your CLI config:

---

### Extensions

Code-based tools that extend Copilot CLI with custom capabilities — written in JavaScript and loaded at runtime so Copilot can discover and call them during a session.

> **When you need it:** You need tooling that goes beyond what hooks and skills can provide — for example, a custom API client, a project-specific code analyzer, or any tool that requires logic rather than just shell commands.

**Status:** Experimental — enable with `/experimental on`

Ask Copilot to generate an extension for you using the Copilot SDK:

```
> Write an extension that queries the RecipeShare analytics API and returns
daily active user counts.
```

Copilot creates an `extension.js` (or `extension.cjs`) file backed by `@github/copilot-sdk`. Once loaded, Copilot can call the extension's tools automatically when relevant.

**Managing extensions:**

```bash
# View, enable, and disable loaded extensions in the current session
/extensions
```

<details markdown>
<summary>Minimal extension structure</summary>

```js
// extension.js — loaded by the Copilot CLI
import { defineTool } from "@github/copilot-sdk";

export default {
tools: [
defineTool({
name: "get_daily_active_users",
description: "Returns daily active user counts from the RecipeShare analytics API",
parameters: { date: { type: "string", description: "ISO 8601 date" } },
async execute({ date }) {
const res = await fetch(`https://api.recipeshare.example/dau?date=${date}`);
return res.json();
},
}),
],
};
```

</details>

| | |
|---|---|
| **Status** | Experimental (CLI v1.0.3+) |
| **Format** | `extension.js` or `extension.cjs` (CommonJS) |
| **Discovery** | `/extensions` slash command — view, enable, disable |
| **Difference from plugins** | Plugins bundle markdown/JSON configs; extensions are executable code tools |
| **Difference from hooks** | Hooks run shell commands at events; extensions expose callable tools to the model |
| **SDK** | [@github/copilot-sdk](https://github.com/github/copilot-sdk) |

---

## Agentic Features

> Runtime capabilities — how Copilot delegates work, runs in parallel, and operates autonomously.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -603,6 +670,57 @@ Autopilot and `/fleet` are independent features that combine well. A common work

---

### The `/pr` Command

Manage the full pull request lifecycle from within a Copilot CLI session — create PRs, view their status, automatically fix failing CI, address review feedback, and resolve merge conflicts.

> **When you need it:** You're in a CLI session and want to take a branch from code to merged PR without switching context — including handling CI failures and reviewer comments.

**Usage:**

```
> /pr # Create a PR from the current branch (or open existing)
> /pr view local # Show PR status, CI results, and reviewer comments
> /pr view web # Open the PR in your browser
```

#### What Copilot can do with `/pr`

- **Create a PR** — generates a title, description, and labels from your commits and branch context
- **Fix failing CI** — reads CI logs, diagnoses failures, and applies fixes autonomously
- **Address review feedback** — reads reviewer comments and makes the requested changes
- **Resolve merge conflicts** — detects conflicts and proposes resolutions

<details markdown>
<summary>Typical workflow example</summary>

```bash
# After finishing a feature in the RecipeShare app:

> /pr
# Copilot reads your commits, creates a PR titled
# "feat: add recipe rating endpoint with Drizzle migration"

> /pr view local
# Shows: 2 CI checks failing, 1 reviewer comment

> Fix the CI failures and address the review comment
# Copilot reads the CI logs + comment, makes the fixes, pushes

> /pr view local
# Shows: all checks passing, comment resolved
```

</details>

| | |
|---|---|
| **Where** | Copilot CLI only (v1.0.5+) |
| **Trigger** | `/pr` slash command — on-demand during a session |
| **Difference from Coding Agent** | `/pr` is interactive in your current session; Coding Agent runs autonomously in the cloud |

---

### Copilot Coding Agent

GitHub's autonomous agent that picks up issues, creates branches, and opens PRs — **without a chat session**. It runs on GitHub's cloud infrastructure, not your machine.
Expand Down Expand Up @@ -969,8 +1087,10 @@ Based on [lessons from 2,500+ repositories](https://github.blog/ai-and-ml/github
| **Hooks** | Lifecycle automation | `.github/hooks/` or `~/.copilot/hooks/` | When you want auto-formatting/linting/startup prompts |
| **Agents** | Named specialist personas | `.github/agents/{name}.agent.md` | When you need dedicated workflow owners |
| **Plugins** | Bundled agent toolkits | `plugin.json` manifest | When sharing agent setups across repos |
| **Extensions** | Code-based CLI tools | `extension.js` / `extension.cjs` | When you need callable tools beyond shell commands |
| **Running Parallel Tasks / `/fleet`** | Auto-delegates or explicitly fans out work to subagents | *(runtime capability)* / `/fleet` slash command | When your request has multiple independent jobs |
| **Autopilot Mode** | Hands-off autonomous task completion | Copilot CLI (`--autopilot` / Shift+Tab) | When you want Copilot to work to completion without interaction |
| **`/pr` Command** | PR lifecycle from CLI | Copilot CLI — `/pr` slash command | When you want to create, fix, and merge PRs without leaving the terminal |
| **Coding Agent** | Autonomous cloud agent | GitHub infrastructure | When you want async issue automation |
| **Agentic Workflows** | AI + GitHub Actions automation | GitHub Actions | When you want automated repo maintenance |
| **Mission Control** | Multi-agent dashboard | GitHub.com / VS Code | When managing agents at scale |
Expand Down