`skillDirectories` setting from `settings.json` is not honored in ACP mode (`copilot --acp`)
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Description
Describe the bug
~/.copilot/settings.json supports a skillDirectories array for registering
additional custom skill source directories. These directories' skills are
correctly discovered and listed when running the interactive copilot CLI,
but do not show up when the same user/config runs in ACP mode
(copilot --acp, e.g. via the Zed editor's ACP integration).
Affected version
Copilot CLI 1.0.82
Environment
- OS: Windows
- ACP client: Zed editor (
copilot --acp) - Windows Terminal:
copilot.exe --acp
Steps to reproduce
-
Add a
skillDirectoriesentry to~/.copilot/settings.json, e.g.:{ "skillDirectories": [ "C:\\Users\\<user>\\ai_space\\skill_groups\\workflow_skills", "C:\\Users\\<user>\\ai_space\\skill_groups\\shorthand_skills", "C:\\Users\\<user>\\ai_space\\skill_groups\\ddstack_skills" ] }
Each directory contains one or more <skill-name>/SKILL.md skills.
-
Run interactive
copilot, thencopilot skill list(or/skills list).
Result: skills from allskillDirectoriesentries appear under a
"Custom skills:" heading, alongside project (.github/skills/) and
personal (~/.copilot/skills/) skills. Confirmed working — e.g.
workflow-design,shorthand-crew,principle-fix-root-causes, etc. all
listed (43 custom skills total in our test). -
Independently, spawn
copilot.exe --acpas a subprocess and drive it
directly over stdio with raw JSON-RPC (bypassing any client like Zed
entirely, to rule out client-side filtering):initialize→session/new(with the samecwd) →session/prompt
asking the agent to "list every skill name available to you right now,
grouped by category, without invoking any tool."
Result: the agent's response only lists project (12 skills),
user/personal (5 skills), and builtin (2 skills) categories. The
custom category empty, none of the 43 skills sourced fromskillDirectories, does
not appear in its own self-reported system context.
Expected behavior
ACP mode should discover and expose the same skill set as interactive mode,
including all directories configured via skillDirectories in
settings.json, since both entry points read the same global config file.
Actual behavior
ACP mode does not surface any skillDirectories-sourced skills, with no
error, warning, or other indication that the setting was skipped.
Additional context
settings.jsonandconfig.jsonare unmodified between the two runs —
same file, same user, same machine.- Personal (
~/.copilot/skills/) and project (.github/skills/) skills
do load correctly in ACP mode, so this isn't a total skill-loading
failure — it's specific to theskillDirectoriescustom-path mechanism. - Reproduced twice: once via a live Zed →
copilot --acpsession, and once
via a standalone hand-rolled ACP client script, ruling out a
client-specific (Zed) cause.
Contributor guide
First steps
- Read the whole issue, then the project's contributing guide.
- Comment on the issue to say you are picking it up — it saves two people doing the same work.
- Fork the repository and make your change on a branch.
- Open a pull request that references the issue number.
Research direction
Start at the copilot --acp entry point and compare its skill discovery with interactive copilot, using the skillDirectories setting in ~/.copilot/settings.json as the input. Reproduce with initialize, session/new, and session/prompt; done means ACP exposes the configured custom skills alongside project, personal, and builtin skills.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- shell
- Domain
- cli
- Issue type
- Bug
- Difficulty
- 3/5
- Estimated time
- 1-2 days
- Activity status
- Active
- Clarity
- Clearly specified
- Newbie friendliness
- 72/100