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REFERENCE

Copilot CLI cheat sheet

For partner consultants. Print this or keep it open during and after the course.
For partner consultants. Print this or keep it open during and after the course.

The #1 rule

Just talk to it. You don't need to memorize commands or syntax. Type what you want in plain English:

  • Help me prep for the meeting with Acme tomorrow
  • What went wrong with that last command?
  • How do I add a new MCP server?
  • Explain what you just did

The prompts and commands below are useful shortcuts. Natural language always works. If you're stuck, ask: How do I...

The CLI mental model

Piece What it is Why you care
Copilot The AI that ties everything together The thing you talk to
MCP servers Adapters that plug Copilot into other systems Reach: filesystem, GitHub, M365, Notion, your own
Instructions Rules that shape every output automatically Write once, always active
Skills Reusable workflows that trigger on phrases Same job, repeat reliably
Agents Scoped helpers for specific kinds of work A "writing reviewer" or "deal shaper" you can summon

You don't need to understand every piece on day one. Start with Copilot plus one or two MCP servers. Skills and agents come naturally as you spot work you repeat.

Essential commands

Inside Copilot CLI (after running copilot):

Command What it does
/mcp See your connected MCP servers
/model Switch AI model
/plan Create a structured plan before executing
/research Deep investigation with web search + citations
/resume Pick up a previous session with full context
/compact Summarize the conversation to free up context
/skills Browse your available skills
/restart Reload Copilot CLI so new MCP servers or skills register
/help Show all commands
/exit Leave Copilot CLI

Referencing files and folders

The @ symbol points Copilot at files. It reads the file and uses it as context for the conversation.

Syntax What it does Example
@file Single file @notes.txt analyze these workshop notes
@folder/ All files in a folder @customer-notes/ give me an overview
@file1 @file2 Multiple files @rfp.txt @capability.md draft a response
#number GitHub issue or PR #42 what is this about?
!command Run a shell command !dir
💡 Tip: You don't need @ for everything. If you're asking a question or working with data from MCP tools, plain language works. Use @ when you have a specific file you want Copilot to read.

Reusable workflow shapes

Customer briefing

@customer-notes.txt Build me a structured customer briefing:
- One-line customer summary
- Real pain (not surface ask)
- Buying group with each person's stake
- Deal-stopping risks
- Three sharp questions for the next call
- Recommended next step
Be opinionated. Don't pad.

Document analysis

@document.txt You're a senior reviewer. Tell me:
- The three things that matter most
- The two things that will sink us if we ignore them
- The single sentence I should quote when I share this with my team
Take a position.

Post-meeting recap

@meeting-notes.txt Build me a clean recap:
- Two-line factual summary
- Decisions and actions with owners and dates
- Open questions
- Relationship temperature (honest)
- A short follow-up email I can send today

Pipeline review (on a CSV or notes)

@pipeline.csv Sort these opportunities by where they're stuck.
For each stuck deal:
- The one thing that unblocks it
- Whether I should kill, defer, or accelerate
- A specific next-step

MCP power-up prompts (if you have these MCPs installed)

Filesystem MCP

Read every .txt file in this folder and find the three biggest themes across all of them.
Find the most recent customer notes file in ~/Documents/customers and build me a briefing from it.

GitHub MCP (built in)

Show me the open issues on JW-Sthlm/ai-operator-intro tagged "bug". For each, suggest a fix.
Read the README of microsoft/semantic-kernel and tell me, in 200 words, what this is and whether it fits a partner I'm working with.

M365 MCP (optional, tenant-gated)

What meetings do I have today? For each, find any relevant emails from the past two weeks.
Draft a follow-up email to the people on yesterday's 14:30 call. Reference the action items we agreed.

Four properties that make CLI different

Property What it means
Tool-connected Calls real systems through MCP servers. Not guesses.
Repeatable Same workflow, different input. Reusable patterns.
Inspectable Output is an artifact (file, plan, doc), not a chat bubble that scrolls away.
Persistent /resume continues where you left off, across days.

Self-study resources

Keyboard shortcuts

Shortcut Action
Shift+Tab Cycle modes (suggest into autopilot)
Ctrl+C Cancel current action
Ctrl+C times 2 Exit
Ctrl+L Clear screen

See also