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GitHub Copilot introduces Agent Plugins 1.0 for cross-client development

aiawsgaengineer
feature announcement

GitHub Copilot has launched Agent Plugins 1.0, an open standard that allows developers to build a single plugin and use it across compatible agent clients like VS Code, Copilot CLI, and the GitHub Copilot app. This update eliminates the need for duplicated packaging, streamlining the development of agent skills and tool integrations. The standard, developed with partners including AWS, Anysphere, Microsoft, OpenAI, Vercel, and Google, is generally available for all Copilot plans. For enterprise customers, existing managed settings can now govern plugin availability and marketplace access.

  • →Unified Agent Plugin Standard for Cross-Client Use
  • →Enterprise Governance for Plugins
  • →Streamlined Plugin Development and Compatibility
  • →Guidance for Building and Migrating Plugins
Features (2) ›
  • Unified Agent Plugin Standard for Cross-Client Use

    Agent Plugins 1.0 is an open standard enabling developers to build a single plugin that functions across compatible agent clients, including VS Code, Copilot CLI, the GitHub Copilot SDK, and the Copilot app. This eliminates the need for maintaining separate manifests and directory layouts for each client.

  • Enterprise Governance for Plugins

    Copilot Business and Enterprise customers can now use existing enterprise managed settings to control which plugins are available to developers across VS Code, Copilot CLI, the GitHub Copilot app, and Copilot cloud agent. These settings allow for automatic installation or blocking of plugins, and management of approved marketplaces.

Enhancements (1) ›
  • Streamlined Plugin Development and Compatibility

    The new standard consolidates the packaging of agent skills and MCP servers, simplifying plugin creation. Developers can find plugins in marketplaces like Awesome Copilot, while existing GitHub Copilot plugins that don't target Agent Plugins 1.0 remain fully supported without requiring migration.

Notes (1) ›
  • Guidance for Building and Migrating Plugins

    Adopting the Agent Plugins 1.0 specification primarily involves manifest work, such as adding a schema, organizing skills and MCP configurations, and moving Copilot-specific files into a namespaced directory. This ensures portability without sacrificing client-specific behaviors like custom agents or commands.

Read the original announcement →

https://github.blog/changelog/2026-08-12-agent-plugins-1-0-in-vs-code-copilot-cli-and-the-copilot-app

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