edit-agent

✓ Official★ 345

by microsoft · part of microsoft/skills-for-copilot-studio

Edit Copilot Studio agent settings, instructions, or configuration. Use when the user asks to change agent instructions, display name, conversation starters, AI settings, or generative actions toggle.

🔌 This skill ships inside the copilot-studio plugin — install the plugin and you also get 4 sub-agents, hooks.

This is the playbook your agent receives when the skill activates — you don't need to read it to use the skill, but it's here to audit before installing.

Edit Agent Settings/Instructions

Modify agent metadata (agent.mcs.yml) or configuration (settings.mcs.yml).

Instructions

Auto-discover the agent directory:
```
Glob: **/agent.mcs.yml
```
NEVER hardcode an agent name. If multiple agents found, ask which one.
Identify what the user wants to change and read the appropriate file:
- Instructions, display name, conversation starters, AI settings → agent.mcs.yml
- GenerativeActionsEnabled, authentication, recognizer, capabilities → settings.mcs.yml
If the user wants to change the AI model, run the schema lookup tool first:
```
node ${CLAUDE_SKILL_DIR}/../../scripts/schema-lookup.bundle.js models
```
Use the output to determine the correct modelNameHint and provider values. CRITICAL: Do NOT include kind in the model block — the agent-level schema uses CurrentModelsNoKind.
Read the current file before making any changes.
Make the requested changes using the Edit tool.

Editable Fields in `agent.mcs.yml`

Field	Description	Example
`displayName`	Agent's display name	`displayName: My Agent`
`instructions`	System prompt / personality	Multi-line YAML with `\|`
`conversationStarters`	Suggested conversation starters	Array of `{title, text}`
`aISettings.model.modelNameHint`	Model hint (run `models` command for convention)	`Sonnet46`, `GPT5Chat`
`aISettings.model.provider`	Model provider (required for non-OpenAI)	`Anthropic`

Editable Fields in `settings.mcs.yml`

Field	Description	Example
`GenerativeActionsEnabled`	Enable generative orchestration	`true` / `false`
`authenticationMode`	Auth mode	`Integrated`, `None`
`authenticationTrigger`	When to auth	`Always`, `AsNeeded`
`accessControlPolicy`	Access control	`ChatbotReaders`
`configuration.aISettings.*`	AI capabilities	Various booleans
`configuration.settings.*.content.capabilities.webBrowsing`	Web browsing	`true` / `false`

Writing Effective Instructions

For detailed guidance on writing knowledge-aware instructions, grounding directives, citation control, and scope enforcement, see instructions-guide.md.

Fields to NEVER Modify

schemaName — This is the internal Power Platform identifier. Changing it breaks the agent.
publishedOn — Managed by the platform.
template — Managed by the platform.
language — Changing this can corrupt the agent.

If the user asks to change any of these, warn them.

Example: Update Instructions

instructions: |
  You are a customer support agent for Contoso Ltd.

  Guidelines:
  - Be professional and empathetic
  - Always verify the customer's identity first
  - Escalate billing issues to a human agent