GitHub Copilot app for Beginners: How to build custom workflows with canvases

GitHub published guidance for beginners on building custom workflows with canvases in the GitHub Copilot app. According to the post, a canvas — also called a canvas extension — is a customizable interface shared by the user and the agent, and can take forms such as a kanban board, issue triage board, release checklist, dashboard, form, or spreadsheet.

The post states that because the canvas is bidirectional, the agent can update it as it works, and users can make changes through buttons, cards, filters, and other controls. To create one, GitHub says users open an agent session and enter the /create-canvas skill, describing the desired workflow in plain English. The post advises covering three things in the prompt: the workflow the canvas should support, what the user should be able to do in the interface, and what the agent should be able to do.

GitHub says the first version is a starting point that can be refined — for example, by asking the agent to add a column or filter, pull in open pull requests, or turn the canvas into a checklist. It notes there is no fixed menu of layouts. Once created, a canvas is saved as an extension, and can be kept with a project for team sharing or saved as a personal extension.

The post describes collaboration as simultaneous: when a user clicks a button, updates a field, or moves a card, the canvas' shared state changes immediately and the agent sees the same update without a separate send or sync step. Users can also ask the agent to use the canvas' own capabilities to add a release note or move a card. GitHub points to ready-made canvas extensions shared by the community through Awesome Copilot, including release notes tools, kanban boards, and issue triage workflows.