github / github/copilot-cli

Options passed to a custom skill invocation are dropped before reaching the model

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area:agents
Dominant language
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Description

Describe the bug

When invoking a custom skill using /skill-name --option value, Copilot CLI records the complete input but omits the option arguments from the prompt dispatched to the skill.

Environment:

  • GitHub Copilot CLI 1.0.81-6
  • Windows
  • Session: 2da2d958-a8cd-4eeb-9760-241fac5b53ed
  • Occurred around 2026-08-21 04:10:27 UTC

The session event log contains the complete command and arguments. However, the model-visible invocation contains only that the skill was explicitly invoked plus its SKILL.md instructions. Because the arguments are absent, the skill follows its no-arguments behavior.

Affected version

1.0.81-6

Steps to reproduce the behavior
  1. Define a repository skill that supports command-line-style arguments and has different behavior when no arguments are supplied.
  2. Invoke it with arguments, for example:
    /evaluate-meeting-prep --slides week-over-week,speed,tokens --current "Model=C:\path\to\cohort"
  3. Observe that the skill loads successfully.
  4. Observe that the skill behaves as if no arguments were supplied and displays its interactive slide-selection menu.
  5. Inspect the session event log: the original user.message contains the complete command, including --slides and --current, but those arguments are absent from the prompt delivered to the model with the skill context.
Expected behavior

When a custom skill is invoked as /skill-name <arguments>, the complete argument text should be included in the model-visible skill invocation. In this example, the skill should receive --slides week-over-week,speed,tokens and the supplied cohort paths, then proceed without asking the user to select slides again.

Additional context
  • Copilot CLI: 1.0.81-6
  • Operating system: Windows x64
  • Shell: PowerShell
  • Session ID: 2da2d958-a8cd-4eeb-9760-241fac5b53ed
  • Timestamp: 2026-08-21 04:10:27 UTC

Diagnostic detail: the session's raw user.message event contains the complete 521-character invocation, including --slides, --current, --prior, and --outdir. The subsequent model-visible skill invocation contains the loaded skill instructions but none of those options. This indicates the options are lost during skill dispatch rather than input parsing.

Contributor guide

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First steps

  1. Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
  2. Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
  3. Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
  4. Open a pull request that references the issue number.

Research direction

Reproduce the custom skill invocation in GitHub Copilot CLI on Windows PowerShell, then compare the raw user.message event with the model-visible skill invocation. Trace the skill dispatch path to find where the option text is dropped; done means the complete arguments, including --slides, --current, --prior, and --outdir, reach the model and the skill skips its no-arguments behavior.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
powershell, shell
Domain
cli
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Active
Clarity
Clearly specified
Newbie friendliness
58/100

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