edit-action

Tunes a connection your chatbot already has to an outside service — what it is told to send, what it gets back, and whose account it runs under.

WHEN TO USE

SCOPE

USE FOR

Pin one field to a fixed value instead of letting the AI decide it each time.
Add a field the service supports but the action was never set up to send.
Switch between running on the builder's account and each person's own account.
Reword what the AI is told this does, so it stops picking the wrong one.

NOT FOR

Not for creating a brand-new action — a new connector or MCP action needs a portal-created connection first.

This is a saved copy of the skill's SKILL.md instructions. It may differ from the upstream file or the version you install.

In this document (4)

Edit Action

Edit an existing action (kind: TaskDialog) in a Copilot Studio agent. Supports both regular connector actions (InvokeConnectorTaskAction) and MCP server actions (InvokeExternalAgentTaskAction). Uses connector definitions to understand the full operation schema (inputs, outputs, types) and action templates as structural reference.

Connector Lookup

Help the user find the right connector and operation before they go to the UI. Use the connector lookup tool. Important: The connector lookup script only covers a subset of connectors (run list to see which ones). If the user's requested connector is not in the list, tell the user they need to find and add the connector action entirely through the Copilot Studio portal, then ask them to pull again the files locally. Once pulled, /copilot-studio:edit-action can still be used to customize the YAML.

When the connector IS available, use the lookup tool to help the user before they go to the UI:

node ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/connector-lookup.bundle.js list                              # List connectors
node ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/connector-lookup.bundle.js operations <connector>            # List operations
node ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/connector-lookup.bundle.js operation <connector> <opId>      # Full input/output details
node ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/connector-lookup.bundle.js search <keyword>                  # Search operations

Use schema lookup for structural properties:

node ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/schema-lookup.bundle.js summary TaskDialog
node ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/schema-lookup.bundle.js summary InvokeConnectorTaskAction
node ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/schema-lookup.bundle.js summary InvokeExternalAgentTaskAction
node ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/schema-lookup.bundle.js summary ModelContextProtocolMetadata

Instructions

Auto-discover the agent directory:
```
Glob: **/agent.mcs.yml
```
If multiple agents found, ask which one.
Find the action file to edit:
```
Glob: <agent-dir>/actions/*.mcs.yml
```
Read the action file. If the user's request is ambiguous and multiple actions exist, list them and ask which one.
Identify the connector and operation:
- Read the action YAML to find action.operationId and the connector API name from connectionreferences.mcs.yml
- Look up the full operation details (if the connector is available in the lookup script):
```
node ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/connector-lookup.bundle.js operation <connector> <operationId>
```
- This gives you the complete list of available inputs and outputs for the operation
- If the connector is not found, try broader terms. If still not found, inform the user and proceed with edits based on the existing action YAML and schema-lookup only
- If the connector is SharePoint (shared_sharepointonline), read the SharePoint-specific reference before making any edits:
```
Read: ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/sharepoint-actions.md
```
  This covers OData filter syntax, the critical "'$filter'" quoting pattern, which inputs should be Manual vs Automatic, and dynamic output handling.
Determine the action type from the YAML:
- If action.kind is InvokeConnectorTaskAction → regular connector action
- If action.kind is InvokeExternalAgentTaskAction → MCP server action
Read the appropriate template for structural reference:
- Connector actions:
```
Read: ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../templates/actions/connector-action.mcs.yml
```
- MCP actions:
```
Read: ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../templates/actions/mcp-action.mcs.yml
```
Use this alongside the connector-lookup output from step 3 to understand the YAML structure and available inputs/outputs.
Make the requested edits using the Edit tool. Common modifications:

Modify Input Descriptions

Update description on AutomaticTaskInput entries to improve how the orchestrator fills them:
```
inputs:
  - kind: AutomaticTaskInput
    propertyName: body
    description: The email body content in HTML format   # <-- edit this
```
Add or Remove Inputs

Cross-reference the connector definition to see all available input properties. Add new ones or remove unnecessary ones:
```
# Add a new input from the connector definition
- kind: AutomaticTaskInput
  propertyName: importance
  description: The importance level of the email (Low, Normal, High)
```
Switch Between AutomaticTaskInput and ManualTaskInput
- AutomaticTaskInput: The orchestrator fills this dynamically based on the conversation
- ManualTaskInput: A hardcoded value (string only)
```
# Change from automatic to manual (hardcode a value)
- kind: ManualTaskInput
  propertyName: timeZone
  value: "(UTC+01:00) Amsterdam, Berlin, Bern, Rome, Stockholm, Vienna"
```
Modify Outputs

Add or remove output properties. Cross-reference the connector definition for available outputs:
```
outputs:
  - propertyName: id
    description: The unique ID of the created item
```
Change modelDisplayName / modelDescription

These control how the orchestrator understands and routes to this action:
```
modelDisplayName: Send a Teams message
modelDescription: Posts a message to a Teams chat or channel on behalf of the user
```
Change Connection Mode
```
action:
  connectionProperties:
    mode: Invoker    # or Maker
```
- Maker: Uses the developer's credentials (shared connection)
- Invoker: Each end user authenticates with their own credentials
MCP Actions — Editable Fields

MCP actions (InvokeExternalAgentTaskAction with ModelContextProtocolMetadata) have a simpler structure than connector actions. The MCP protocol handles tool discovery, so there are no explicit inputs/outputs.

Safe to edit:
```
modelDisplayName: Microsoft Learn Docs MCP Server   # display name for the orchestrator
modelDescription: MCP Server to search Microsoft Learn content   # routing description
action:
  connectionProperties:
    mode: Invoker    # or Maker
```
MCP actions may also have ManualTaskInput entries for passing context to the MCP server (e.g., user identity as a header):
```
inputs:
  - kind: ManualTaskInput
    propertyName: userid
    value: =System.User.Email
```
This is fine — ManualTaskInput with Power Fx expressions can pass user context. But do NOT add AutomaticTaskInput entries — MCP handles tool parameter discovery dynamically.

Do NOT edit on MCP actions:
- action.operationDetails.operationId — identifies the MCP operation
- action.connectionReference — links to the authenticated connection
- Do NOT add AutomaticTaskInput entries — MCP handles tool discovery dynamically
- Be cautious with modelDescription — keep it on a single line; multi-line descriptions have been reported to break MCP tool registration after push (see #91)

Validate the edited file:

node ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/schema-lookup.bundle.js validate <action-file-path>

Inform the user about next steps:
- The action has been edited
- Push changes via the Copilot Studio VS Code Extension
- If connection mode was changed, the user may need to reconfigure the connection in the portal

Important Rules

Never change action.operationId (connector) or action.operationDetails.operationId (MCP) — this identifies which operation runs. Changing it breaks the action.
Never change action.connectionReference — this links to the authenticated connection. Changing it breaks the action.
Property names must match the connector definition — use connector-lookup operation to verify exact property names.
ManualTaskInput values are strings only — if the value needs to be a number, enum, or complex type, warn the user that it may need UI configuration.
Output propertyName values must match the connector definition's output schema — use connector-lookup operation to see available output properties.
MCP actions must not have AutomaticTaskInput entries — the MCP protocol handles tool parameter discovery dynamically. ManualTaskInput entries are OK for passing context (e.g., user identity via Power Fx expressions like =System.User.Email).
MCP modelDescription should be single-line — multi-line descriptions have been reported to break MCP tool registration after push.

This skill ships inside the Copilot Studio YAML Toolkit plugin. Listed package contents include 4 agents and hooks. Installed components and skill versions may vary by AI tool.

Install the whole plugin

This route installs the Copilot Studio YAML Toolkit plugin package selected for your AI tool.

Add Microsoft's marketplace, then install the plugin

Type both lines inside a Claude Code session, not at your shell prompt. They add Microsoft's marketplace, which is this repository, and the copilot-studio plugin, with its Copilot Studio skills and four sub-agents.

Install checklist

Microsoft lists Node.js 18 or later, and VS Code with the Copilot Studio extension for cloning, pushing and pulling agents.

/plugin marketplace add microsoft/skills-for-copilot-studio

/plugin install copilot-studio@skills-for-copilot-studio

Installation and loading

Claude Code installs it once you pick an install option.

Good to know

A hook that runs whenever a session starts adds Microsoft's Copilot Studio instructions; one tells Claude to lean towards reading your requests as Copilot Studio requests unless there are clear signs otherwise.
The option that installs it for you in every project brings the hook's instructions into every project; to keep them to one Copilot Studio repository, pick the option for this repo only.
On first run, and after an update that changes its dependencies, the session-start hook runs npm install in the plugin's data folder; every session it also writes ~/.copilot-studio-cli/plugin-paths.json.

Add Microsoft's marketplace, then install the plugin

Type both lines in an interactive GitHub Copilot CLI session, not at your shell prompt. The first adds Microsoft's marketplace, which is this repository; the second installs the copilot-studio plugin.

Install checklist

Microsoft lists Node.js 18 or later, and VS Code with the Copilot Studio extension for cloning, pushing and pulling agents.

/plugin marketplace add microsoft/skills-for-copilot-studio

/plugin install copilot-studio@skills-for-copilot-studio

Good to know

The plugin also carries a hooks/hooks.json file with SessionStart hooks, a path GitHub's plugin reference lists as a hooks file for plugins in this format; read the file in the repository before you install.

Open plugin page ↗

Install without the plugin (incomplete)

What's missing

Installing just this skill adds only its own folder. Its instructions also call for other plugin components, such as shared scripts, reference files or other skills, which aren't included. Installing the whole plugin avoids this gap.

Run this outside your AI tool, using Node.js 22.20.0 or newer. Skills CLI 1.7.2 skips skill selection; prompts cancel installation without an interactive terminal. If choosing Project when asked about installation scope, open your project's folder before running this.

Install checklist

Check selected tools if a picker appears; Claude Code may be unchecked under Additional agents. ↑/↓ moves, Space toggles selections, Enter confirms.
Without a tool picker, check Installing to: for your intended tool. Stop if it names a different tool.
If asked, choose Symlink (Recommended) for shared files or Copy to all agents for separate copies; review the summary before confirming installation.
Install the find-skills skill? defaults to Yes, adding another skill for all projects. Choose No if you don't want that extra installation.

Skills CLI 1.7.2 sends install data to skills.sh by default, including the source, skill names, target tools and file details; GitHub sources are reported only when GitHub confirms the repository is public, while other remote sources can also be reported. Confirmed-public GitHub sources also trigger a security-audit request. Before installing, set the environment variable DO_NOT_TRACK=1 or DISABLE_TELEMETRY=1 to disable both.

npx skills add microsoft/skills-for-copilot-studio --skill "edit-action" --full-depth

After installing for Claude Code, open it in the installation project if you chose Project; Global makes the skill available across projects on this computer. Once Claude Code loads the skill, its description helps Claude decide when to use it.

If installation created a top-level skills folder that did not exist when your Claude Code session started, run /reload-skills in that session. Run it again after later changes in that folder.

View on GitHub

Edit Action

Connector Lookup

Instructions

Modify Input Descriptions

Add or Remove Inputs

Switch Between AutomaticTaskInput and ManualTaskInput

Modify Outputs

Change modelDisplayName / modelDescription

Change Connection Mode

MCP Actions — Editable Fields

Important Rules

Local tool required

Install the whole plugin

Add Microsoft's marketplace, then install the plugin

Add Microsoft's marketplace, then install the plugin

More skills

add-action

add-adaptive-card

add-generative-answers

add-global-variable

add-knowledge

add-node