Assign custom agent to issue via assign_copilot_to_issue

[lossyrob]

Describe the feature or problem you’d like to solve

I want to assign a Copilot coding agent with a custom agent to an issue via assign_copilot_to_issue

Proposed solution

Add a parameter to the tool that enables passing in the name of the custom agent to assign to the issue.

Example prompts or workflows (for tools/toolsets only)

"Assign the Contoso Implementation Planner agent to Issue #32"

[almaleksia]

You can assign anyone to an issue via MCP, We have issue_write tool with assignees parameter. You can tell LLM to assign your bot to the issue by specifying its username on GitHub.

[lossyrob]

@almaleksia the custom agents feature for GitHub Copilot coding agents doesn't have a specific username.

For instance if I assign copilot to an issue

I can select a custom agent

and the copilot user is still the one assigned to the issue.

So as far as I can tell, using issue_write with assignees won't be able to assign a custom agent prompt to the coding agent.

[almaleksia]

True, thanks for clarification. I'll discuss it with our product team and get back to you.

[raresaxpo]

@almaleksia also the base branch would be a key input parameter for the AssignCopilotToIssue tool, and it seems like it is currently missing as well.

[D1M1TR10S]

I like this idea! Would this need a read custom agents permission too? This way the user or agent mode can ask about which custom agents are available, and info about each, before selecting one. Just want to make sure it's easy to use.

[lossyrob]

@D1M1TR10S - Good point! For my use case, I'm less focused on discovery and more on orchestration scenarios where custom agent names are predetermined (e.g., passed as configuration to an automated workflow).

In these orchestration patterns, each step knows which specialized agent it needs to assign to accomplish a particular phase of work. The workflow coordinates multiple agents sequentially, with each agent handling its designated task.

For this pattern, the main need is just the ability to pass the agent name parameter when calling assign_copilot_to_issue. Also, the base branch would be important to my use case as well, thanks @raresaxpo for pointing that out.

That said, a read custom agents permission could definitely be valuable for validation purposes - confirming an agent exists before assignment.