XS✔ ◾ Convert dependency agent to skill

[Muiris Woulfe (muiriswoulfe)]

Summary

Convert dependency maintenance into an explicitly invoked skill. Support a shared agent directory and correct the release guidance so users can run the skill directly.

Testing

Test Types

• Unit tests
• Manual tests

Unit Test Coverage

Not run. This change affects instructions and release guidance, not application behavior.

Other Test Details

• git --no-pager diff --check: passed.
• copilot skill list --json: passed; the project skill is enabled.
• Additional YAML and invocation checks passed. The maintenance skill was not executed.

Screenshots

Not applicable.

[microsoft-pr-metrics]

PR Metrics

✔ Thanks for keeping your pull request small.
✔ Thanks for adding tests.

	Lines
Product Code	-
Test Code	-
Subtotal	-
Ignored Code	17
Total	17

Metrics computed by PR Metrics. Add it to your Azure DevOps and GitHub PRs!

[github-actions]

Super-linter summary

Language	Validation result
CHECKOV	Pass ✅
EDITORCONFIG	Pass ✅
GITHUB_ACTIONS	Pass ✅
GITHUB_ACTIONS_ZIZMOR	Pass ✅
GITLEAKS	Pass ✅
GIT_MERGE_CONFLICT_MARKERS	Pass ✅
JSCPD	Pass ✅
JSON_PRETTIER	Pass ✅
MARKDOWN	Pass ✅
MARKDOWN_PRETTIER	Pass ✅
NATURAL_LANGUAGE	Pass ✅
POWERSHELL	Pass ✅
PRE_COMMIT	Pass ✅
SPELL_CODESPELL	Pass ✅
TRIVY	Pass ✅
TYPESCRIPT_PRETTIER	Pass ✅
XML	Pass ✅
YAML	Pass ✅
YAML_PRETTIER	Pass ✅

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[Copilot]

Warning

• Copilot's review of this pull request may be incomplete because some of the changed files are excluded by your Copilot content exclusion settings. See Excluding content from Copilot for details.

Copilot review overview

🔵 Needs a closer look

The invocation-control setting currently prevents the documented direct skill invocation in Copilot CLI.

Review effort: Balanced
Findings: None

What changed in this PR

Converts dependency maintenance into an explicitly invoked shared skill and updates release guidance.

Changes:

• Moves skill metadata to the shared .agents format.
• Documents direct /refresh-ci-dependencies invocation.

File	Description
.agents/​skills/​refresh-ci-dependencies/​SKILL.md	Converts the dependency agent into an explicit skill.
.github/​workflows/​release-initiate.yml	Updates release guidance; contents excluded by policy.

Files excluded by content exclusion policy (1)

• .github/workflows/release-initiate.yml

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