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docs: add Learning Hub article on installing and using plugins
- New article covering plugin concepts, finding/installing/managing plugins, marketplace browsing, and how this repo serves as a plugin marketplace - Add 'installing-and-using-plugins' to fundamentalsOrder in index.astro and ArticleLayout.astro - Add Plugin entry to terminology glossary Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
This commit is contained in:
Aaron Powell
@@ -215,6 +215,20 @@ The autonomous GitHub Copilot agent that works on issues in a cloud environment
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---
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### Plugin
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An installable package that extends GitHub Copilot CLI with a bundled set of agents, skills, hooks, MCP server configurations, and LSP integrations. Plugins provide a way to distribute and share custom capabilities across projects and teams, with versioning, discovery, and one-command installation via marketplaces.
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**Example**: Installing `database-data-management@awesome-copilot` to get a database specialist agent, migration skills, and schema validation hooks in a single command.
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**When to use**: When you want to share a curated set of Copilot capabilities across multiple projects or team members, or when you want to install community-contributed tooling without manually copying files.
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**Learn more**: [Installing and Using Plugins](/learning-hub/installing-and-using-plugins/)
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**Related terms**: [Agent](#agent), [Skill](#skill), [Hook](#hook)
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---
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### Tools
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Capabilities that GitHub Copilot can invoke to perform actions or retrieve information. Tools fall into two categories:
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249
website/src/content/learning-hub/installing-and-using-plugins.md
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249
website/src/content/learning-hub/installing-and-using-plugins.md
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@@ -0,0 +1,249 @@
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---
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title: 'Installing and Using Plugins'
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description: 'Learn how to find, install, and manage plugins that extend GitHub Copilot CLI with reusable agents, skills, hooks, and integrations.'
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authors:
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- GitHub Copilot Learning Hub Team
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lastUpdated: '2026-02-26'
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estimatedReadingTime: '8 minutes'
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tags:
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- plugins
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- copilot-cli
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- fundamentals
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relatedArticles:
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- ./building-custom-agents.md
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- ./creating-effective-skills.md
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- ./automating-with-hooks.md
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prerequisites:
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- GitHub Copilot CLI installed
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- Basic understanding of agents, skills, and hooks
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---
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Plugins are installable packages that extend GitHub Copilot CLI with reusable agents, skills, hooks, and servers, all bundled into a single unit you can install with one command. Instead of manually copying agent files and configuring MCP servers across every project, plugins let you install a curated set of capabilities and share them with your team.
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This article explains what plugins contain, how to find and install them, and how to manage your plugin library.
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## What's Inside a Plugin?
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A plugin bundles one or more of the following components:
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| Component | What It Does | File Location |
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|-----------|-------------|---------------|
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| **Custom Agents** | Specialized AI assistants with tailored expertise | `agents/*.agent.md` |
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| **Skills** | Discrete callable capabilities with bundled resources | `skills/*/SKILL.md` |
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| **Hooks** | Event handlers that intercept agent behavior | `hooks.json` or `hooks/` |
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| **MCP Servers** | Model Context Protocol integrations for external tools | `.mcp.json` or `.github/mcp.json` |
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| **LSP Servers** | Language Server Protocol integrations | `lsp.json` or `.github/lsp.json` |
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A plugin might include all of these or just one — for example, a plugin could provide a single specialized agent, or an entire development toolkit with multiple agents, skills, hooks, and MCP server configurations working together.
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### Example: What a Plugin Looks Like
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Here's the structure of a typical plugin:
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```
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my-plugin/
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├── .github/
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│ └── plugin/
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│ └── plugin.json # Plugin manifest (name, description, version)
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├── agents/
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│ ├── api-architect.agent.md
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│ └── test-specialist.agent.md
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├── skills/
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│ └── database-migrations/
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│ ├── SKILL.md
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│ └── scripts/migrate.sh
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├── hooks.json
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└── README.md
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```
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The `plugin.json` manifest declares what the plugin contains:
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```json
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{
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"name": "my-plugin",
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"description": "API development toolkit with specialized agents and migration skills",
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"version": "1.0.0",
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"agents": [
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"./agents/api-architect.md",
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"./agents/test-specialist.md"
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],
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"skills": [
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"./skills/database-migrations/"
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]
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}
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```
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## Why Use Plugins?
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You might wonder: why not just copy agent files into your project manually? Plugins provide several advantages:
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| Feature | Manual Configuration | Plugin |
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|---------|---------------------|--------|
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| **Scope** | Single repository | Any project |
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| **Sharing** | Manual copy/paste | `copilot plugin install` command |
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| **Versioning** | Git history | Marketplace versions |
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| **Discovery** | Searching repositories | Marketplace browsing |
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| **Updates** | Manual tracking | `copilot plugin update` |
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Plugins are especially valuable when you want to:
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- **Standardize across a team** — Everyone installs the same plugin for consistent tooling
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- **Share domain expertise** — Package a Rails expert, Kubernetes specialist, or security reviewer as an installable unit
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- **Encapsulate complex setups** — Bundle MCP server configurations that would otherwise require manual setup
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- **Reuse across projects** — Install the same capabilities in every project without duplicating files
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## Finding Plugins
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Plugins are collected in **marketplaces** — registries you can browse and install from. Copilot CLI comes with two marketplaces registered by default:
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- **`copilot-plugins`** — Official GitHub Copilot plugins
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- **`awesome-copilot`** — Community-contributed plugins from this repository
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### Browsing a Marketplace
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List your registered marketplaces:
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```bash
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copilot plugin marketplace list
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```
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Browse plugins in a specific marketplace:
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```bash
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copilot plugin marketplace browse awesome-copilot
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```
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Or from within an interactive Copilot session:
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```
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/plugin marketplace browse awesome-copilot
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```
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> **Tip**: You can also browse plugins on this site's [Plugins Directory](/plugins/) to see descriptions, included agents, and skills before installing.
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### Adding More Marketplaces
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Register additional marketplaces from GitHub repositories:
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```bash
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copilot plugin marketplace add anthropics/claude-code
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```
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Or from a local path:
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```bash
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copilot plugin marketplace add /path/to/local-marketplace
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```
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## Installing Plugins
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### From a Registered Marketplace
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The most common way to install a plugin — reference it by name and marketplace:
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```bash
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copilot plugin install database-data-management@awesome-copilot
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```
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Or from an interactive session:
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```
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/plugin install database-data-management@awesome-copilot
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```
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## Managing Plugins
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Once installed, plugins are managed with a few simple commands:
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```bash
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# List all installed plugins
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copilot plugin list
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# Update a plugin to the latest version
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copilot plugin update my-plugin
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# Remove a plugin
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copilot plugin uninstall my-plugin
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```
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### Where Plugins Are Stored
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- **Marketplace plugins**: `~/.copilot/installed-plugins/MARKETPLACE/PLUGIN-NAME/`
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- **Direct installs**: `~/.copilot/installed-plugins/_direct/PLUGIN-NAME/`
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## How Plugins Work at Runtime
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When you install a plugin, its components become available to Copilot CLI automatically:
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- **Agents** appear in your agent selection (use with `/agent` or the agents dropdown)
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- **Skills** are loaded automatically when relevant to your current task
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- **Hooks** run at the configured lifecycle events during agent sessions
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- **MCP servers** extend the tools available to agents
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You don't need to do any additional configuration after installing — the plugin's components integrate seamlessly into your workflow.
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## Plugins from This Repository
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This repository (`awesome-copilot`) serves as both a collection of individual resources _and_ a plugin marketplace. You can use it in two ways:
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### Install Individual Plugins
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Browse the [Plugins Directory](/plugins/) and install specific plugins:
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```bash
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copilot plugin install context-engineering@awesome-copilot
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copilot plugin install azure-cloud-development@awesome-copilot
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copilot plugin install frontend-web-dev@awesome-copilot
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```
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Each plugin bundles related agents and skills around a specific theme or technology.
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### Use Individual Resources Without Plugins
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If you only need a single agent or skill (rather than a full plugin), you can still copy individual files from this repo directly into your project:
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- Copy an `.agent.md` file into `.github/agents/`
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- Copy a skill folder into `.github/skills/`
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- Copy a hook configuration into `.github/hooks/`
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See [Using the Copilot Coding Agent](../learning-hub/using-copilot-coding-agent/) for details on this approach.
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## Best Practices
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- **Start with a marketplace plugin** before building your own — there may already be one that fits your needs
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- **Keep plugins focused** — a plugin for "Rails development" is better than a plugin for "everything"
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- **Check for updates regularly** — run `copilot plugin update` to get the latest improvements
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- **Review what you install** — plugins run code on your machine, so inspect unfamiliar plugins before installing
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- **Use plugins for team standards** — publish an internal plugin to ensure every team member has the same agents, skills, and hooks
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- **Remove unused plugins** — declutter with `copilot plugin uninstall` to keep your environment clean
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## Common Questions
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**Q: Do plugins work with the coding agent on GitHub.com?**
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A: Plugins are specific to GitHub Copilot CLI and the VS Code extension (currently Insiders). For the coding agent on GitHub.com, add agents, skills, and hooks directly to your repository (via a plugin if you prefer!). See [Using the Copilot Coding Agent](../learning-hub/using-copilot-coding-agent/) for details.
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**Q: Can I use plugins and repository-level configuration together?**
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A: Yes. Plugin components are merged with your repository's local agents, skills, and hooks. Local configuration takes precedence if there are conflicts.
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**Q: How do I create my own plugin?**
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A: Create a directory with a `plugin.json` manifest and your agents/skills/hooks. See the [GitHub docs on creating plugins](https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/copilot-cli/customize-copilot/plugins-creating) for a step-by-step guide.
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**Q: Can I share plugins within my organization?**
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A: Yes. You can create a private plugin marketplace in an internal GitHub repository, then have team members register it with `copilot plugin marketplace add org/internal-plugins`.
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**Q: What happens if I uninstall a plugin?**
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A: The plugin's agents, skills, and hooks are removed from Copilot. Any work already done with those tools is unaffected — only future sessions lose access.
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## Next Steps
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- **Browse Plugins**: Explore the [Plugins Directory](/plugins/) for installable plugin packages
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- **Create Skills**: [Creating Effective Skills](../learning-hub/creating-effective-skills/) — Build skills that can be included in plugins
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- **Build Agents**: [Building Custom Agents](../learning-hub/building-custom-agents/) — Create agents to package in plugins
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- **Add Hooks**: [Automating with Hooks](../learning-hub/automating-with-hooks/) — Configure hooks for plugin automation
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---
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@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ const fundamentalsOrder = [
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'understanding-mcp-servers',
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'automating-with-hooks',
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'using-copilot-coding-agent',
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'installing-and-using-plugins',
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'before-after-customization-examples',
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];
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@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ const fundamentalsOrder = [
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'understanding-mcp-servers',
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'automating-with-hooks',
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'using-copilot-coding-agent',
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'installing-and-using-plugins',
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'before-after-customization-examples',
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];
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