[2025-07-02] Playwright and 3P custom instructions support for Copilot coding agent (#56444)

Author: timrogers

content/copilot/how-tos/agents/copilot-coding-agent/best-practices-for-using-copilot-to-work-on-tasks.md

@@ -102,11 +102,12 @@ This is a Go based repository with a Ruby client for certain API endpoints. It i
 3. Use dependency injection patterns where appropriate
 4. Write unit tests for new functionality. Use table-driven unit tests when possible.
 5. Document public APIs and complex logic. Suggest changes to the `docs/` folder when appropriate
-```
+
+If you choose not to include a `.github/copilot-instructions.md` file in your repository, {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} will fall back to pre-existing custom instructions including `CLAUDE.md`, `AGENTS.md` and `GEMINI.md`.
 
 ## Using the Model Context Protocol (MCP)
 
-You can extend the capabilities of {% data variables.copilot.copilot_coding_agent %} by using MCP. This allows {% data variables.copilot.copilot_coding_agent %} to use tools provided by local MCP servers. The {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server is enabled by default. For more information, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/using-github-copilot/coding-agent/extending-copilot-coding-agent-with-mcp).
+You can extend the capabilities of {% data variables.copilot.copilot_coding_agent %} by using MCP. This allows {% data variables.copilot.copilot_coding_agent %} to use tools provided by local and remote MCP servers. The {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server and [Playwright MCP server](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp) are enabled by default. For more information, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/using-github-copilot/coding-agent/extending-copilot-coding-agent-with-mcp).
 
 ## Pre-installing dependencies in {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %}'s environment
 
@@ -117,7 +118,3 @@ If {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} is able to build, test an
 To do that, it will need your project's dependencies. {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} can discover and install these dependencies itself via a process of trial and error - but this can be slow and unreliable, given the non-deterministic nature of large language models (LLMs).
 
 You can configure a `copilot-setup-steps.yml` file to pre-install these dependencies before the agent starts working so it can hit the ground running. For more information, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/customizing-copilot/customizing-the-development-environment-for-copilot-coding-agent#preinstalling-tools-or-dependencies-in-copilots-environment).
-
-## Further reading
-
-* **Hands-on practice**: Try the [Expand your team with {% data variables.copilot.copilot_coding_agent %}](https://github.com/skills/expand-your-team-with-copilot/) Skills course for practical experience with {% data variables.copilot.copilot_coding_agent %}.

content/copilot/how-tos/agents/copilot-coding-agent/extending-copilot-coding-agent-with-mcp.md

@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ redirect_from:
 
 {% data reusables.copilot.coding-agent.mcp-brief-intro %}
 
-The agent can use tools provided by local MCP servers. For example, the [Playwright MCP server](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp) provides tools to interact with web pages and pull in additional context when executing on the requested task. Some MCP servers are configured by default to provide the best experience for getting started.
+The agent can use tools provided by local MCP servers. Some MCP servers are configured by default to provide the best experience for getting started.
 
 For more information on MCP, see [the official MCP documentation](https://modelcontextprotocol.io/introduction). For information on some of the currently available MCP servers, see [the MCP servers repository](https://github.com/modelcontextprotocol/servers/tree/main).
 
@@ -37,6 +37,9 @@ The following MCP servers are configured automatically for {% data variables.cop
 * **{% data variables.product.github %}**: The {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server gives {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} access to {% data variables.product.github %} data like issues and pull requests. To learn more, see [AUTOTITLE](/copilot/customizing-copilot/using-model-context-protocol/using-the-github-mcp-server).
   * By default, the {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server connects to {% data variables.product.github %} using a specially scoped token that only has read-only access to the current repository. You can customize it to use a different token with broader access. For more details, see [Customizing the built-in {% data variables.product.github %} MCP server](#customizing-the-built-in-github-mcp-server) below.
 
+* **Playwright**: The [Playwright MCP server](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp) gives {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} access to web pages, including the ability to read, interact and take screenshots.
+  * By default, the Playwright MCP server is only able to access web resources hosted within {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}'s own environment, accessible on `localhost` or `127.0.0.1`.
+
 ## Setting up MCP servers in a repository
 
 > [!WARNING]
@@ -50,7 +53,7 @@ Once MCP servers are configured for use within a repository, the tools specified
 
 ### Creating your JSON MCP configuration
 
-You configure MCP servers using a special JSON format. The JSON must contain an `mcpServers` object, where the key is the name of the MCP server (for example, `playwright`), and the value is an object with the configuration for that MCP server.
+You configure MCP servers using a special JSON format. The JSON must contain an `mcpServers` object, where the key is the name of the MCP server (for example, `sentry`), and the value is an object with the configuration for that MCP server.
 
 ```json copy
 {
@@ -75,29 +78,13 @@ The configuration object can contain the following keys:
 * `command` (`string`): The command to run to start the MCP server.
 * `args` (`string[]`): The arguments to pass to the `command`.
 * `tools` (`string[]`): The tools from the MCP server to enable. You may be able to find a list of tools in the server's documentation, or in its code. We strongly recommend that you allowlist specific read-only tools, since the agent will be able to use these tools autonomously and will not ask you for approval first. You can also enable all tools by including `*` in the array.
-* `type` (`string`): Optional field. {% data variables.copilot.copilot_coding_agent %} only accepts `"local"`.
+* `type` (`string`): {% data variables.copilot.copilot_coding_agent %} only accepts `"local"`.
 * `env` (`object`): The environment variables to pass to the server. This object should map the name of the environment variable that should be exposed to your MCP server to either of the following:
   * The name of a {% data variables.product.prodname_actions %} secret you have configured, beginning with `COPILOT_MCP_`.
   * A string value.
 
 ### Example configurations
 
-#### Example: Playwright
-
-The [Playwright MCP server](https://github.com/microsoft/playwright-mcp) provides tools which allow {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} to browse the internet.
-
-```json copy
-{
-  "mcpServers": {
-    "playwright": {
-      "command": "docker",
-      "args": ["run", "-i", "--rm", "--init", "mcp/playwright"],
-      "tools": ["*"]
-    }
-  }
-}
-```
-
 #### Example: Sentry
 
 The [Sentry MCP server](https://github.com/getsentry/sentry-mcp) gives {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} authenticated access to exceptions recorded in [Sentry](https://sentry.io).
@@ -192,7 +179,7 @@ To use the Azure MCP with {% data variables.copilot.copilot_coding_agent %}, you
 1. In your repository’s {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} environment, add secrets for your `AZURE_CLIENT_ID`, `AZURE_TENANT_ID` and `AZURE_SUBSCRIPTION_ID`.
 1. Configure the Azure MCP server by adding an `azure` object to your MCP configuration.
 
-   ```json copy
+  ```json copy
    {
      "mcpServers": {
        "Azure": {