compat: align Inquiry with VS Code Agents and Copilot CLI workflows

[ccisnedev]

Problem

Inquiry is structurally compatible with VS Code Agents (custom agent and skill formats, plus documented user-level locations), but the current packaging and deployment model creates real friction in the modern VS Code Agents workflow.

Verified friction points

1. iq target get deletes ~/.copilot/agents and ~/.copilot/skills before deploying, so it can wipe unrelated personal customizations.
2. Inquiry's main scheduler agent is deployed at ~/.copilot/agents, but current VS Code documentation says that Copilot CLI sessions in VS Code currently expose only workspace-defined custom agents.
3. issue-start is an Inquiry-internal operational protocol that creates the working branch and cleanroom (git checkout -b ..., mkdir cleanrooms/<NNN>-<slug>/analyze/), but it is currently shipped as a normal globally visible skill.
4. Several other Inquiry runtime-private skills are also deployed globally to ~/.copilot/skills; with default skill semantics they remain slash-invocable and auto-loadable across unrelated projects.
5. The repository does not currently auto-shape ordinary VS Code Agents sessions through repo-scoped customization surfaces such as AGENTS.md, .github/copilot-instructions.md, .github/instructions/**/*.instructions.md, .github/agents/, or .github/skills/.
6. The VS Code extension and onboarding copy still describe the workflow in terms of selecting @inquiry and reloading the window so Copilot detects the agent, while the current VS Code Agents model is centered on the Agents window, agent/session targets, and the Agent Customizations editor.

Goal

Make Inquiry coexist cleanly with the current VS Code Agents model, especially for:

• VS Code Agents window
• Copilot CLI sessions with worktree isolation
• repo/worktree-scoped customizations
• existing personal .copilot customizations
• Inquiry-internal operational skills that should not leak into unrelated sessions

Proposed direction

1. Stop destructive deploys to ~/.copilot
   • iq target get should update only Inquiry-owned files or use a namespaced installation strategy.
2. Provide workspace/repo-scoped customizations
   • Add or generate workspace-level custom agent and skill surfaces (.github/agents/, .github/skills/).
   • Add repo-level instructions where appropriate (AGENTS.md and/or .github/copilot-instructions.md, plus .github/instructions/ when needed).
3. Make VS Code Copilot CLI sessions work without relying on user-level-only custom agent deployment
   • Align Inquiry with the documented workspace-defined custom agent discovery path for Copilot CLI sessions.
4. Move operational Inquiry-only protocols behind Inquiry-controlled access
   • issue-start should not be a globally surfaced skill.
   • It should be exposed only through an Inquiry-controlled interface (for example an iq skill list / iq skill get issue-start workflow, or equivalent internal dispatch).
5. Prevent other Inquiry-private runtime skills from leaking globally
   • Scope them to the workspace, or mark them non-user-invocable / non-auto-load where appropriate.
6. Refresh VS Code extension and docs for the current Agents UX
   • Update wording and flow around Agents window, session targets, customizations, and worktree isolation.
7. Preserve worktree bootstrap for .inquiry/ state
   • Keep or improve the current self-init behavior so fresh worktrees remain usable.

Acceptance criteria

• Running iq target get no longer deletes unrelated personal .copilot agents or skills.
• A fresh VS Code Copilot CLI session can use Inquiry through documented workspace/repo-scoped customization surfaces.
• issue-start does not appear as a globally discoverable or auto-loadable skill in unrelated sessions.
• Inquiry-private runtime skills do not appear or auto-load in unrelated projects.
• Inquiry onboarding and VS Code-facing docs match the current VS Code Agents model.
• Fresh worktree sessions still initialize or recover .inquiry/ state predictably.

Related

• feat: iq auth — GitHub-backed user profile with inquiry-profile repo #151 — GitHub-backed user profile with inquiry-profile repo (some future profile/customization work may overlap, but this issue is specifically about removing current friction with VS Code Agents).

Basis

This issue is based on a bounded-corpus compatibility audit against:

• the current Inquiry repository snapshot
• official VS Code documentation for Agents, Copilot CLI in VS Code, custom agents, custom instructions, and agent skills
• official GitHub Copilot documentation for CLI instructions/skills and support matrices