Where to go next if you want to keep learning.
Exercise 3 walks you through turning a workflow you repeat into a reusable Copilot CLI skill. Once you have one skill that saves you 10 minutes a week, you’ll see the pattern everywhere.
If your work touches the Frontier Consultancy tracks, the track-specific exercise pushes deeper on the commercial side:
More track exercises (AIBS, Security) are on the backlog.
| Resource | What it is | Time |
|---|---|---|
| This course | The four-lesson consultant version you’re already in | 70 min |
| Copilot CLI for Beginners on Learning Hub | The full GitHub deep-dive. Developer-focused. Eight chapters. Python sample app. | ~2 hours |
| Course repo (Codespaces-ready) | Code, exercises, and a sample app to practice with. The repo this course is adapted from. | Self-paced |
Try these in your first week after the course:
Run /init in a project folder. Copilot scans the folder and generates instruction files (AGENTS.md, .github/copilot-instructions.md) tailored to your work there. This teaches Copilot the conventions of that folder so every future conversation starts with context.
Try the beginner course chapter on agents. It walks through creating a custom .agent.md file in ~/.copilot/agents/ for a task you repeat often. Chapter 5 covers skills. Chapter 6 covers MCP servers in detail.
Build one custom skill. Pick a workflow you do every week. Use Exercise 3 to wrap it in a skill. Use it once. Then improve it.
| Resource | What it covers |
|---|---|
| GitHub Copilot CLI docs | Full documentation. Setup, usage, skills, MCP, agents. |
| CLI command reference | Every slash command and keyboard shortcut |
| About agent skills | How skills extend Copilot CLI |
| Adding MCP servers | Connect Copilot CLI to external tools and APIs |
| Custom instructions | Teach Copilot CLI your conventions |
The MCP catalog grows weekly. A few good starting points:
| Resource | What it is |
|---|---|
| Model Context Protocol homepage | Official MCP project site |
| MCP servers directory | Curated list of community and official MCP servers |
| Filesystem MCP | The one we recommend installing first |
| GitHub MCP (built in) | Already there, no install needed |
| Plan | Best for |
|---|---|
| Free | Most of this course. CLI included. Generous monthly allowance. |
| Pro / Pro+ | Heavy users. More requests, more models. |
| Business / Enterprise | Provided by your employer. Admin controls and bigger quotas. |
More on plans: github.com/features/copilot/plans
| Material | What it is |
|---|---|
| Cheat sheet | Quick reference. Commands, workflow shapes, shortcuts. |
| Troubleshooting | Top eight stuck-points and fixes. |
| The four lessons | The course itself, browsable. |
| Exercises | Hands-on practice. Customer briefing, scenario pick, build a skill. |
If you build the solutions (architects, engineers, developers), the Frontier Consultancy materials cover the technical AI-first delivery tracks (CAIP, AIBS, Security). This course is the commercial counterpart.
Adapted from GitHub’s Copilot CLI for Beginners (MIT). Re-skinned for partner consultants in business-oriented roles. Community and partner enablement material. Not an official Microsoft or GitHub product.