copilot-surface-audit

Skill: Copilot Surface Audit

A Copilot model recommendation is only as good as its surface scope. "Model X is available in Copilot" is an incomplete claim until the surface (completions vs. chat vs. coding agent vs. cloud agent vs. mobile) and the plan (Free/Pro/Business/Enterprise) are both confirmed. This skill ensures every recommendation is surface-scoped and plan-gated.

Step 1 — Identify the active surface(s)

Ask or infer from context which Copilot surface(s) the developer actually uses:

Surface	Entry point	Model picker location
Completions	IDE inline ghost-text	No picker — org policy or default applies
Chat IDE	IDE sidebar / slash commands	Model picker in chat header
Coding agent	IDE-initiated autonomous run	Separate agent surface — plan-gated
Cloud agent	GitHub.com / Copilot Workspace	Separate cloud picker — may differ from IDE
Mobile	GitHub Mobile app	Mobile-specific subset — narrowest picker

Do not conflate surfaces. A model available in chat IDE may not be available for the coding agent; cloud agent has its own availability list.

Step 2 — Confirm plan tier

Plan	Key capabilities	Notes
Free	Subset of models; monthly usage cap	Narrowest model picker
Pro	Full IDE model picker; no monthly cap	Baseline for professional use
Business	Org policy controls; team seat management	Adds model rules + audit log
Enterprise	Full controls; org model allow/deny list; GHEC required	Broadest governance surface

If the developer is on Business or Enterprise, check whether an org admin has applied a model rules policy before recommending a specific SKU. See ../../agents/copilot-model-strategist.md.

Step 3 — Cross-reference the verified lineup

For each surface × plan combination, confirm model availability in ../../knowledge/cross-tool-model-lineup-2026.md under the Copilot section. Apply the closed-world rule: if a model is not in the verified lineup for that surface, do not confirm availability — offer to research.

For each candidate model:
  1. Is it in the verified Copilot lineup entry?    → if no: closed-world, do not confirm
  2. Is the plan gate met?                           → if no: explain the plan requirement
  3. Is the surface listed?                          → if no: check mobile/cloud-agent sub-lists
  4. Is there an org model rule that blocks it?      → if yes: escalate to security-reviewer

Step 4 — Summarize the audit result

Produce a surface-scoped summary table:

Surface	Plan required	Model available?	Gate	Verified date
Completions	Pro+	[verify-at-use]	Plan gate	[retrieval date]
Chat IDE	Pro+	[verify-at-use]	Plan gate	[retrieval date]
Coding agent	Business/Enterprise	[verify-at-use]	Surface + plan	[retrieval date]

Always include the retrieval date and a [verify-at-use] marker on any availability claim — Copilot picker contents change weekly.

Pitfalls

• Confirming model availability without specifying the surface: "X is in Copilot" is never a complete answer.
• Ignoring plan gates on Free-tier users — the Free sub-list is narrower than the full picker.
• Assuming coding-agent and cloud-agent availability matches the IDE chat picker.
• Forgetting to check org model rules for Business/Enterprise org members.
• Quoting the Copilot picker without a retrieval date — it changes without deprecation notice.

See also

• ../../agents/copilot-model-strategist.md — the agent this skill supports
• ../../knowledge/ai-coding-decision-trees.md — the Copilot surface/plan decision tree
• ../../knowledge/cross-tool-model-lineup-2026.md — the dated Copilot lineup