My newest best friend “Microsoft Copilot CLI”

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The command line has always been the fastest way to work—if you already know exactly what to type. Microsoft Copilot CLI changes that equation completely. It brings Generative AI directly into your terminal, turning the shell into an intelligent collaborator instead of a memory test.

This isn’t autocomplete. This isn’t docs-on-the-side.
This is thinking, reasoning, and acting—without leaving your terminal.

Let’s break it down.

1. What Is Copilot CLI?

The Microsoft Copilot CLI is the bridge between terminal efficiency and AI-powered reasoning. Instead of jumping between your terminal, Chat Client, and documentation tabs, you stay focused—and let Copilot do the heavy lifting.

At its core, Copilot CLI lets you:

  • Ask questions in natural language
  • Generate commands you don’t remember
  • Understand commands you inherited
  • Reason over local project files
  • Interact with cloud and DevOps resources

Getting It

Most developers start via the GitHub CLI:

gh extension install github/gh-copilot

Once installed, Copilot becomes a first-class citizen in your shell.

Why This Is a Game-Changer

Context switching kills flow.

Every time you leave the terminal to:

  • Google a flag
  • Find a regex
  • Look up a cloud command

…you pay a productivity tax.

Copilot CLI keeps your hands on the keyboard and your brain in the problem.

2. The Chat Experience (Yes, in the Shell)

Copilot CLI gives you a conversational interface inside your terminal. You ask questions. It answers. You iterate—without breaking flow.

Example 1: Complex Git Command

Ask Copilot: How do I undo the last commit but keep my changes staged?

Copilot responds:

git reset --soft HEAD~1

…and explains why that’s the right choice.

Example 2: Regex Without the Pain

Ask Copilot: Write a sed command to replace all tabs with two spaces in-place

sed -i 's/\t/  /g' filename.txt

Example 3: Disk Usage at a Glance

Ask Copilot: List directories sorted by size

du -h --max-depth=1 | sort -hr

No cheat sheets. No guessing. Just results.

3. “Poor Man’s RAG” (Local Context Magic)

Here’s where things get really interesting.

When you launch Copilot CLI inside a project folder, it can reason over:

  • Your directory structure
  • README files
  • Source code
  • Config files

No vector database. No embeddings pipeline.
Just local context + AI reasoning.

Example Scenarios

Ask Copilot: Summarize the logic in README.md

Or:

Ask Copilot: How do I add a new API endpoint based on the existing structure in /src?

Copilot infers:

  • Folder conventions
  • Naming patterns
  • Existing architecture

This is retrieval-augmented generation without the ceremony—and it’s incredibly effective.

In addition, Copilot respects instructions from these locations:

CLAUDE.md

GEMINI.md

AGENTS.md (in git root & cwd)

.github/instructions/**/*.instructions.md (in git root & cwd)

.github/copilot-instructions.md

$HOME/.copilot/copilot-instructions.md

COPILOT_CUSTOM_INSTRUCTIONS_DIRS (additional directories via env var)

4. Mastering Slash Commands

Slash commands give Copilot intent. They tell it how to help, not just what to help with.

Common Slash Commands

  • /help – Discover what Copilot can do
  • /model – list and select which AI model you want to use
  • /mcp – list or add a mcp server
  • /delegate – send your prompt to GitHum.com and have the server process it
  • /diff – review the changes in the current folder
  • /agent – list and select available agents
  • /share – create and share a gist on GitHub.com
  • /plan – create an implementation plan before coding
  • /skills – manage skills for enhanced capabilities

/model Example

5. Startup Mastery: Flags That Matter

Copilot CLI isn’t just interactive—it’s configurable from launch.

--banner

copilot --banner

Shows a really cool ASCII banner

--yolo (Use Responsibly)

copilot --yolo

This is living on the edge mode.

Copilot will not ask for permission to execute the prompts

⚠️ Professional disclaimer:
Use this only when you fully understand your environment. It’s powerful—and unforgiving.

6. The Mind-Blown Section 🚀

If your mind is not blown now, it will be after this one.

Copilot CLI doesn’t stop at local commands.

Databases

You can query schemas and reason over data using plain English:

Ask Copilot: What columns exist in the Orders table, and which ones look nullable?

Copilot interprets schema metadata and explains it like a senior engineer would.

Azure DevOps

With access to Azure DevOps, you can ask:

Ask Copilot: What work items are assigned to me in the current sprint?

Or:

Ask Copilot: Show all bugs created this week in Project X

No UI hopping. No query builder gymnastics.

Azure Infrastructure

Copilot can reason about your cloud environment:

Ask Copilot: Are there any active alerts on my production App Services?

Ask Copilot: What SKU is this resource group using, and where could we optimize costs?

This is cloud situational awareness at terminal speed.

7. Beyond the Tool: The Copilot CLI SDK

This is where Copilot CLI stops being just a tool—and becomes a platform.

Microsoft provides an SDK that allows you to:

  • Build custom Copilot-powered commands
  • Integrate internal systems
  • Create domain-specific AI workflows

👉 Official samples live here:
https://github.com/microsoft/copilot-sdk-samples

This opens the door to:

  • Internal developer assistants
  • Secure enterprise extensions
  • AI-driven DevOps automation

BOUNUS

You can mix Copilot with terminal features such as:

1.      Use shortcut command

2.      Change the Name of the terminal

3.      Change the color of the tabs

4.      Copilot will place a bell on a tab when it is waiting for a response



Final Thoughts

The terminal has always been the developer’s power tool.
Copilot CLI turns it into a thinking partner.

This isn’t about replacing skill.
It’s about amplifying expertise, preserving flow, and eliminating friction.

Once you experience AI inside the command line, there’s no going back.

Welcome to the command line revolution.

Copilot CLI Official Documentation


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