github / github/copilot-cli

`skillDirectories` setting from `settings.json` is not honored in ACP mode (`copilot --acp`)

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area:configuration area:non-interactive
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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
  1. Add a skillDirectories entry 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.

  1. Run interactive copilot, then copilot skill list (or /skills list).
    Result: skills from all skillDirectories entries 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).

  2. Independently, spawn copilot.exe --acp as a subprocess and drive it
    directly over stdio with raw JSON-RPC (bypassing any client like Zed
    entirely, to rule out client-side filtering):

    • initializesession/new (with the same cwd) → 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 from skillDirectories, 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.json and config.json are 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 the skillDirectories custom-path mechanism.
  • Reproduced twice: once via a live Zed → copilot --acp session, and once
    via a standalone hand-rolled ACP client script, ruling out a
    client-specific (Zed) cause.

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

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

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

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