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CLI Command Reference & Limitations

Slash Commands

Current Status

The GitHub Copilot CLI does not currently support custom slash commands from external repositories like basecoat.

Attempted Command: /basecoat

/basecoat architect "design factory architecture and document"

Result: 

Unknown command: /basecoat

Root Cause

  • The GitHub Copilot CLI has a fixed set of built-in slash commands (/help, /clear, /exit, etc.)
  • There is currently no mechanism to register custom slash commands from external assets
  • This would require CLI-level plugin support or custom command registration infrastructure

📋 Issue #476: "Feature: Add /basecoat CLI shorthand command" - Status: Enhancement request - Labels: enhancement, feature, enterprise - Awaiting GitHub platform support

Use the agent name directly with @ mention syntax:

@solution-architect design the factory architecture and document

Advantages: - Clean, direct syntax - Works across all agents in basecoat - No special prefix needed - Explicit agent routing

Example: 

@solution-architect: Design a microservices architecture for a SaaS platform with:
- Multi-region deployment
- High availability
- Cost optimization

✅ Option 2: Natural Language Delegation

Describe your request naturally, mentioning the agent:

I need help designing factory architecture. Delegate this to the solution-architect agent 
from basecoat: "design the factory architecture and document"

Advantages: - Flexible phrasing - Works with multiple agents - Natural conversation flow - Full context passed to agent

Example: 

I'm building an event-driven system. Can you delegate to the solution-architect agent 
from basecoat to design an event architecture that handles 100k events/sec with 
multi-region failover?

✅ Option 3: Explicit Agent Invocation

Use the task/tool infrastructure to explicitly invoke agents:

Please invoke the solution-architect agent to: design the factory architecture and document

Advantages: - Explicit control - Works in programmatic contexts - Clear intent - Full agent capabilities available

Example: 

Invoke the solution-architect agent to create a C4 architecture diagram and ADR 
for event sourcing with CQRS pattern

Available Agents (Quick Reference)

Architecture & Design (Use @agent-name)

  • @solution-architect — System design, C4 diagrams, tech selection, ADRs
  • @azure-landing-zone — Enterprise Azure setup, management groups, policy
  • @infrastructure-deploy — IaC deployment, Terraform, Bicep orchestration
  • @containerization-planner — Dockerfiles, Kubernetes, multi-stage builds

Security & Compliance

  • @security-analyst — Vulnerability assessment, threat modeling, OWASP
  • @policy-as-code-compliance — Policy validation, exceptions, audit reports
  • @identity-architect — Azure RBAC, Entra ID, zero trust design

Data & Analytics

  • @data-architect — Medallion architecture, ETL patterns, governance
  • @database-migration — Zero-downtime migrations, schema evolution
  • @mlops — Model lifecycle, experiment tracking, drift monitoring

DevOps & Operations

  • @devops-engineer — CI/CD pipelines, IaC, observability setup
  • @sre-engineer — SLOs, error budgets, incident response, chaos engineering
  • @release-manager — Versioned releases, CHANGELOG, rollback procedures

Development

  • @backend-dev — APIs, services, business logic
  • @frontend-dev — UI components, responsive design, accessibility
  • @code-review — Code quality, performance, security review

Other

  • See AGENTS.md for complete list of 73 agents

Command Syntax Examples

❌ Does NOT Work

/basecoat architect design factory architecture
Error: Unknown command: /basecoat

✅ Works Instead

@solution-architect design the factory architecture and document

✅ Also Works

I need the solution-architect agent from basecoat to: design factory architecture

✅ Programmatic Way

# In code or automation
agent = "solution-architect"
task = "design the factory architecture and document"
# Delegate to agent...

Using Basecoat Assets

Discovery

  1. Review AGENTS.md for all available agents
  2. Check docs/AGENT_SKILL_MAP.md for discipline-indexed search
  3. Read agent .md file for capabilities and requirements

Invocation

@agent-name: Your specific task or question here

With Context

@agent-name 

**Context:**
- Architecture: Microservices
- Scale: 100k requests/sec
- Requirements: Multi-region, HA, cost-optimized

**Task:** Design the complete architecture and create an ADR

Limitations & Constraints

Constraint Impact Workaround
No /basecoat slash command Must use @agent-name syntax Use agent name references
No CLI plugin system Cannot extend CLI commands Use CLI args and piping
Basecoat-specific features Assets reference each other Import basecoat into target repo
Custom domains Requires environment setup Use workspace variables

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Why doesn't /basecoat work?

A: The GitHub Copilot CLI doesn't support custom slash commands from external repos. You need to use @agent-name syntax instead.

Q: Can I use it in VS Code?

A: Yes! Use @solution-architect or other agent names in the Copilot Chat panel in VS Code.

Q: Will this be fixed?

A: That depends on GitHub Copilot CLI roadmap. See issue #476 for updates.

Q: What's the best workaround?

A: Use @agent-name syntax — it's clean, direct, and works everywhere.

Q: Can I script this?

A: Yes, use natural language delegation with explicit agent mentions in automation scripts.

Reporting Issues

If you encounter issues with agents or workarounds:

  1. Check AGENTS.md for agent availability
  2. Try different agent names (exact match required)
  3. Report via GitHub Issues with:
  4. Command attempted
  5. Error message
  6. Expected behavior
  7. Label: bug or enhancement

Last Updated: 2026-05-04
Version: v3.0.0
Related Issue: #476