Why This Matters

The manifest is the Extension's contract with Copilot. Wrong fields, over-scoped permissions, or invalid structure break installation and trust.

Concept Explained

Manifest is a JSON file describing the Extension: name, display name, description, hooks (participant name), OAuth config, endpoints, icons.

How It Works

Create manifest.json. Required fields: name, display_name, description, hooks.participant, endpoints.base_url. Optional: oauth (client_id, scopes), icons.

Step-by-Step Tutorial

1. Create manifest.json

2. Set participant name

3. Configure OAuth

4. Set endpoints

5. Add icons

6. Validate

Real-World Example

A team's manifest had over-scoped OAuth (write:repos when only read:catalog was needed). Users rejected install. Fixed scope; adoption increased. Lesson: minimal scopes build trust.

Example Prompts / Commands / Code

{
  "name": "service-catalog",
  "display_name": "Service Catalog",
  "description": "Query the internal service catalog from Copilot Chat.",
  "hooks": {
    "participant": "@catalog"
  },
  "endpoints": {
    "base_url": "https://catalog-extension.corp.example.com"
  }
}

"""{
  "name": "service-catalog",
  "display_name": "Service Catalog",
  "description": "Query the internal service catalog.",
  "hooks": {
    "participant": "@catalog"
  },
  "oauth": {
    "client_id": "Iv1.abc123",
    "scopes": ["read:catalog"]
  },
  "endpoints": {
    "base_url": "https://catalog-extension.corp.example.com"
  },
  "icons": {
    "default": "https://catalog-extension.corp.example.com/icon.png"
  }
}
"""

Common Mistakes

• Over-scoped OAuth — users reject install.
• Missing required fields — install fails.
• Vague description — users don't understand value.
• Invalid JSON — install fails silently.

Best Practices

• Set minimal scopes (least privilege).
• All required fields present.
• Clear, specific description.
• Valid JSON (validate before publishing).
• Test install end-to-end before sharing.

Troubleshooting

Practical Exercise

Professional Challenge

Frequently Asked Questions

Further Reading

• Extension manifest reference

Official References

• Building Extensions

Related lessons: PR-21, PR-22