The way enterprise software gets built is changing fast. Rather than manually piecing together APIs, command-line tools, and custom scripts, developers are increasingly turning to AI agents — describing what they need and letting the agent figure out the execution. But for that shift to work with platforms like Microsoft Dataverse, the platform itself needs to be something agents can actually understand and operate.
That’s exactly what Dataverse Skills delivers. Released as an open-source plugin for GitHub Copilot and Claude Code, Dataverse Skills gives AI coding agents deep, practical knowledge of Dataverse — from connecting and authenticating to building schemas, loading data, and running analytical queries. All of it driven by natural language.
What Are Dataverse Skills, Really?
At its core, Dataverse Skills is a plugin that teaches your coding agent how to work with Dataverse. It doesn’t expose a menu of commands for you to choose from. Instead, you describe your goal in plain English, and the agent decides which skills to apply, in what sequence, using which underlying tools.
Think of it as giving your AI agent a domain expert’s knowledge of Dataverse — without you needing to be that expert yourself.
The underlying engine uses the Power Platform CLI (PAC CLI) for authentication, solution management, and automation tasks, paired with the Dataverse Web API and Python SDK for data operations. But you never have to think about any of that. Natural language is the only interface you need.
Three Phases, One Unified Experience
The plugin’s capabilities are organized around three core phases of any Dataverse project:
1. Connect
The agent discovers your Dataverse environments, authenticates using PAC CLI or Azure CLI, registers the Dataverse MCP server, and sets up a consistent project structure. You don’t configure anything manually — the agent handles the entire discovery and initialization process.
2. Build
Once connected, the agent can scaffold full data models from scratch: tables, columns, choice fields, lookup relationships, many-to-many relationships, forms, and views. It picks the right tool for each task — MCP for quick reads, the Python SDK for bulk operations, and the Web API as needed — and registers every component into your solution automatically.
3. Operate
With the schema in place, the agent can load data, run cross-table analytical queries, and bulk-import records from CSV files. Need 50 realistic sample records with domain-specific content generated on the fly? One prompt is all it takes.
Seeing It in Action
Here’s a real example of what this looks like in practice. You open your terminal, install the plugin with a single command, and type:
“I’m building a logistics and inventory management system for Veloce Apparel. I need tables for Warehouses, Products, Suppliers, Shipments, and Incidents — with lookups, a many-to-many between Products and Suppliers, and a self-referential shipment routing chain (tracking a package’s journey through hub transfers). Create everything in a VeloceLogistics solution, load sample data, and show me which shipments are currently delayed or stuck in transit.”
From that single prompt, the agent autonomously:
- Discovers your Dataverse environment and configures MCP
- Creates the solution using PAC CLI
- Builds five tables with choice columns, lookups, and a many-to-many relationship
- Generates and runs a Python script to bulk-load realistic sample data
- Queries across tables to answer the business question
No toggling between documentation tabs. No manual CLI commands. No context switching. The agent orchestrates everything from end to end.
Works With Both GitHub Copilot and Claude Code
Development teams rarely standardize on a single AI coding tool. Some developers prefer GitHub Copilot; others work with Claude Code. Dataverse Skills was built with this reality in mind. Since the skills are written as plain Markdown files with YAML frontmatter — not compiled binaries or proprietary formats — the same plugin works identically in both environments.
Install it from the plugin marketplace for either agent and you get the same knowledge, the same safety checks, and the same results. One investment, both tools covered.
Open Source and Built to Extend
The project is MIT-licensed and openly available on GitHub. Each skill is a standalone Markdown file — readable, editable, and extensible without any compiled code. Teams can add new skills for their own Dataverse customizations, improve existing ones, or contribute bug fixes back via pull request. The architecture is deliberately approachable for anyone who wants to tailor it to their environment.
A Broader Shift in How Platforms Get Used
Dataverse Skills is more than a productivity tool — it signals a broader direction for enterprise platforms. As AI agents become a standard part of the developer workflow, the platforms they interact with need to be operable through intent, not just through traditional interfaces. Describing what you want and having it built, configured, and queryable in your environment is no longer a future concept. With Dataverse Skills, it’s available today.
Getting Started
Install the plugin with one command:
- GitHub Copilot (VS Code):
/plugin install dataverse@awesome-copilot - Claude Code:
/plugin install dataverse@claude-plugins-official
Then describe your intent and let the agent do the rest.
Original article: Dataverse Skills: Your Coding Agent Now Speaks Dataverse by Suyash Kshirsagar, Microsoft.