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Do not automatically install arcade-skills plugins#54136

Merged
lbussell merged 6 commits intodotnet:mainfrom
lbussell:copilot-settings
Apr 29, 2026
Merged

Do not automatically install arcade-skills plugins#54136
lbussell merged 6 commits intodotnet:mainfrom
lbussell:copilot-settings

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@lbussell
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@lbussell lbussell commented Apr 29, 2026

Background

The existing Copilot settings were actively harming my work in this repo and other repos. Having 3-4 MCP servers and extra skills enabled by default was bloating the context by a few thousand tokens when they aren't needed for every task. Additionally, the plugin is not disabled when leaving the repo.

Changes

This PR changes the following:

  • Removed the setting to automatically install the dotnet-dnceng plugin. The marketplace stays, so the plugin is still easy to install. If you already have the plugin installed, then it doesn't get uninstalled or disabled.
  • Added an MOTD/announcement explaining how to easily install the plugin. This pops up when you start copilot in the repo.
  • Added dotnet/skills as another known plugin.
  • Deleted .claude/settings.json. It was duplicated code that we aren't getting benefit from. In the last month in this repo:
    • Commits made Copilot CLI: 44
    • Commits made by Claude Code: 0
  • Removed leftover symlink
  • Added Copilot local settings to .gitignore so all of this can be overridden locally if desired.

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings April 29, 2026 02:32
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Pull request overview

Removes automatic installation/enabling of the dotnet-dnceng Copilot plugin to avoid unnecessary context/tooling overhead by default, while keeping plugin discovery and install guidance in-repo.

Changes:

  • Removed the Copilot enabledPlugins default that auto-enables dotnet-dnceng@dotnet-arcade-skills.
  • Added a Copilot CLI announcement (MOTD-style) telling users how to install the plugin on demand.
  • Added dotnet/skills as an additional known marketplace and updated .gitignore for user-local agent settings; removed duplicated Claude settings file.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 3 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated no comments.

File Description
.gitignore Adds ignore entries for user-local Claude/Copilot CLI settings files.
.github/copilot/settings.json Removes auto-enabled plugin config; adds known marketplace and an install announcement.
.claude/settings.json Deletes duplicated Claude settings configuration.

@lbussell
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@MichaelSimons, you are most likely the heaviest user of the dotnet-dnceng plugin in this repo, so that is why I requested your review here.

@lbussell
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/ba-g docs-only change.

@lbussell lbussell merged commit 2bbd50d into dotnet:main Apr 29, 2026
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3 participants