Edit Agent Agent Skill

Edit Copilot Studio agent settings, instructions, or configuration. Use when the user asks to change agent instructions, display name, conversation starters, AI settings, or generative actions toggle.

2k tokens

context cost

the whole folder, loaded on every use

files

instructions only

copies elsewhere

how many repositories repackaged it

386

stars on the repo

on the repository, not the skill itself

Install

one command, takes just this skill from the repository

npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/skills-for-copilot-studio --skill edit-agent

What comes with it

2 746 bytes besides the instruction

instructions-guide.md

What it tells the agent to use

found in the instruction text

Bash runs shell commands — read the instruction before connecting

Edit edits files in place

The instruction itself

7 sections, as written by the author

Edit Agent Settings/Instructions

Modify agent metadata (agent.mcs.yml) or configuration (settings.mcs.yml).

Instructions

Auto-discover the agent directory:

   Glob: **/agent.mcs.yml

NEVER hardcode an agent name. If multiple agents found, ask which one.

Identify what the user wants to change and read the appropriate file:
Instructions, display name, conversation starters, AI settings → agent.mcs.yml
GenerativeActionsEnabled, authentication, recognizer, capabilities → settings.mcs.yml

If the user wants to change the AI model, run the schema lookup tool first:

   node ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/schema-lookup.bundle.js models

Use the output to determine the correct modelNameHint and provider values.

CRITICAL: Do NOT include kind in the model block — the agent-level schema uses CurrentModelsNoKind.

Read the current file before making any changes.

Make the requested changes using the Edit tool.

Editable Fields in `agent.mcs.yml`

| Field | Description | Example |

|-------|-------------|---------|

| displayName | Agent's display name | displayName: My Agent |

| conversationStarters | Suggested conversation starters | Array of {title, text} |

| aISettings.model.modelNameHint | Model hint (run models command for convention) | Sonnet46, GPT5Chat |

| aISettings.model.provider | Model provider (required for non-OpenAI) | Anthropic |

Editable Fields in `settings.mcs.yml`

| Field | Description | Example |

|-------|-------------|---------|

| GenerativeActionsEnabled | Enable generative orchestration | true / false |

| authenticationMode | Auth mode | Integrated, None |

| authenticationTrigger | When to auth | Always, AsNeeded |

| accessControlPolicy | Access control | ChatbotReaders |

| configuration.aISettings.* | AI capabilities | Various booleans |

| configuration.settings.*.content.capabilities.webBrowsing | Web browsing | true / false |

Writing Effective Instructions

For detailed guidance on writing knowledge-aware instructions, grounding directives, citation control, and scope enforcement, see instructions-guide.md.

Fields to NEVER Modify

schemaName — This is the internal Power Platform identifier. Changing it breaks the agent.
publishedOn — Managed by the platform.
template — Managed by the platform.
language — Changing this can corrupt the agent.

If the user asks to change any of these, warn them.

Example: Update Instructions

instructions: |
  You are a customer support agent for Contoso Ltd.

  Guidelines:
  - Be professional and empathetic
  - Always verify the customer's identity first
  - Escalate billing issues to a human agent

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