Repository Wiki Q&A
Answers codebase questions by tracing behavior directly to source files.
The skill restricts answers to source-file analysis and requires citations; no malware, credential theft, covert exfiltration, or destructive default is evident, supporting a moderate trust score. Deductions apply because it mandates git remote/branch commands and user repository disclosure without explaining sensitive-repository handling, permission boundaries, failure recovery, or data flows.
The main procedure is coherent: resolve context, search files, read evidence, and synthesize an answer. Deductions apply because it gives no diagnostic path for command failure, missing remotes, detached HEAD, inaccessible repositories, or citation-generation failure; static review also lacks executable evidence specific to this skill, so the score remains at or below the static ceiling of 10.
Activation conditions are clear and include repository behavior, files, functions, and codebase navigation; it also requests the user's language. Deductions apply because non-fit ranges, input/output boundaries, and handling across hosting platforms are unspecified; remote citations depend on external GitHub/Azure DevOps URLs, with little discussion of mainland-China reachability or constrained-network use.
The SKILL.md has a name, description, MIT license, author, version, and readable sections. Deductions apply because it lacks examples, FAQs, troubleshooting, known limitations, a changelog, and explicit skill-level maintenance ownership or update path; its output requirements are heavy and do not explain progressive disclosure for complex answers.
The core goal—answering repository questions from source evidence—is clear, and citations plus a key-files table could produce usable results. Deductions apply because mandatory Mermaid diagrams, tables, and specific Markdown formatting are unsuitable for every question, representative outputs are absent, and unresolved context can block otherwise answerable tasks; under static calibration the score cannot exceed the near-7 range.
The source-only rule and inline citation requirement provide some auditability, and the repository includes general CI and test material. Deductions apply because the supplied tests do not cover wiki-qa key paths and there is no skill-specific evaluation, independent review, or execution evidence; static evidence therefore supports only a limited score.
- The skill blocks answering until git remote and branch context are resolved, but does not define fallbacks for no remote, detached HEAD, command failure, or unreachable networks.
- Mandatory remote links, Mermaid diagrams, and tables may increase friction for Chinese users and constrained-network environments.
- Repository-level CI and tests do not establish correctness or citation reliability for this specific wiki-qa skill.
What it does & when to use it
Repository Wiki Q&A is a software-development Agent Skill for understanding how an existing codebase works. It resolves the repository context first, then searches and reads relevant source files before composing an evidence-based answer. Responses follow the question’s language and include line-level citations. It fits developers navigating unfamiliar repositories, locating definitions, or explaining implementation behavior.
Runs git remote get-url origin to inspect the repository remote and git rev-parse --abbrev-ref HEAD to determine the branch; asks whether the repository is local-only or has a source URL; searches and reads relevant source files; synthesizes the findings into an answer with linked remote citations or local file-and-line citations; and identifies missing evidence when the available files are insufficient.
- A developer joining an unfamiliar project wants to understand how a component works.
- A maintainer needs to find where a particular file, function, or behavior is defined.
- A teammate asks how a feature works and needs an answer grounded in implementation evidence.
- A technical writer needs a source-cited repository explanation with key files and, where relevant, an architecture diagram.
Pros & cons
- Requires repository remote and branch context to be resolved first.
- Explicitly grounds answers in source-code evidence.
- Supports linked remote citations or local path-and-line citations.
- Targets practical code understanding, definition lookup, and repository navigation.
- Requires the agent to run Git commands and read repository files.
- The user must resolve the repository context before the analysis proceeds.
- The SKILL.md does not provide a test suite or specify supported programming languages.
- The source does not document behavior for inaccessible remotes or unavailable source files.
How to install
Install the collection with npx skills add microsoft/skills, then select the required skill in the wizard. In Copilot CLI, you can also run /plugin marketplace add microsoft/skills, followed by /plugin install deep-wiki@skills. The source material does not document a standalone installation command for .github/plugins/deep-wiki/skills/wiki-qa/SKILL.md.
How to use
After installation, ask a concrete repository question such as: “How does authentication work in this codebase, and where is it defined?” Before answering, provide a source repository URL or confirm that the repository is local-only.