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Copilot AI commented Dec 9, 2025

Adds .github/copilot-instructions.md and .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml to reduce coding agent exploration overhead and CI failures through comprehensive repository documentation and automated environment setup.

Changes

Added .github/copilot-instructions.md (1,400+ words)

  • Critical commands: Complete validation sequence (npm cinpm testnpm run spellingnpm run api:testnpm run build) with timing expectations
  • Project structure: Directory layout, configuration files, Nextra 3 navigation conventions (_meta.ts not _meta.json)
  • CI/CD pipelines: All GitHub Actions workflows with required checks
  • Common pitfalls: 6 documented issues with validated workarounds (spelling errors, deprecated URLs, Node version mismatches, Nextra 3 breaking changes)
  • Validation checklist: Pre-commit verification steps with expected outputs
  • Environment setup: Reference to automated setup workflow

Added .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml

  • Required job name: copilot-setup-steps (per GitHub Copilot specification)
  • Node.js 20 setup: Uses actions/setup-node@v5 with npm caching
  • Dependency installation: Clean install with npm ci
  • OpenAPI pre-build: Generates openapi/out/*.json files before agent starts
  • Minimal permissions: contents: read only
  • Auto-trigger: Runs on workflow file changes for automatic updates

Modified cspell.json

  • Added frontmatter to custom dictionary (alphabetically sorted)

Key Patterns Documented

Technology stack

  • Next.js 14.2.32 with Nextra 3.3.1 (not v2)
  • Node.js 20.x required (strict version constraints)
  • TypeScript 5.9.3, Tailwind CSS, Vercel deployment

Nextra 3 breaking changes

// Correct imports for Nextra 3
import { Tabs, Cards } from 'nextra/components'
<Tabs.Tab>...</Tabs.Tab>  // Not <Tab>
<Cards.Card>...</Cards.Card>  // Not <Card>

Build artifacts to never commit

  • node_modules/, .next/, .vercel/, openapi/out/, *.env*.local

All documented commands validated successfully across the full build pipeline. The copilot-setup-steps workflow ensures agents have a fully configured environment with dependencies and generated files ready before starting work.

Original prompt

Your task is to "onboard" this repository to Copilot coding agent by adding a .github/copilot-instructions.md file in the repository that contains information describing how a coding agent seeing it for the first time can work most efficiently.

You will do this task only one time per repository and doing a good job can SIGNIFICANTLY improve the quality of the agent's work, so take your time, think carefully, and search thoroughly before writing the instructions.

- Reduce the likelihood of a coding agent pull request getting rejected by the user due to generating code that fails the continuous integration build, fails a validation pipeline, or having misbehavior. - Minimize bash command and build failures. - Allow the agent to complete its task more quickly by minimizing the need for exploration using grep, find, str_replace_editor, and code search tools. - Instructions must be no longer than 2 pages. - Instructions must not be task specific.

Add the following high level details about the codebase to reduce the amount of searching the agent has to do to understand the codebase each time:

  • A summary of what the repository does.
  • High level repository information, such as the size of the repo, the type of the project, the languages, frameworks, or target runtimes in use.

Add information about how to build and validate changes so the agent does not need to search and find it each time.

  • For each of bootstrap, build, test, run, lint, and any other scripted step, document the sequence of steps to take to run it successfully as well as the versions of any runtime or build tools used.
  • Each command should be validated by running it to ensure that it works correctly as well as any preconditions and postconditions.
  • Try cleaning the repo and environment and running commands in different orders and document errors and and misbehavior observed as well as any steps used to mitigate the problem.
  • Run the tests and document the order of steps required to run the tests.
  • Make a change to the codebase. Document any unexpected build issues as well as the workarounds.
  • Document environment setup steps that seem optional but that you have validated are actually required.
  • Document the time required for commands that failed due to timing out.
  • When you find a sequence of commands that work for a particular purpose, document them in detail.
  • Use language to indicate when something should always be done. For example: "always run npm install before building".
  • Record any validation steps from documentation.

List key facts about the layout and architecture of the codebase to help the agent find where to make changes with minimal searching.

  • A description of the major architectural elements of the project, including the relative paths to the main project files, the location
    of configuration files for linting, compilation, testing, and preferences.
  • A description of the checks run prior to check in, including any GitHub workflows, continuous integration builds, or other validation pipelines.
  • Document the steps so that the agent can replicate these itself.
  • Any explicit validation steps that the agent can consider to have further confidence in its changes.
  • Dependencies that aren't obvious from the layout or file structure.
  • Finally, fill in any remaining space with detailed lists of the following, in order of priority: the list of files in the repo root, the
    contents of the README, the contents of any key source files, the list of files in the next level down of directories, giving priority to the more structurally important and snippets of code from key source files, such as the one containing the main method.
- Perform a comprehensive inventory of the codebase. Search for and view: - README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, and all other documentation files. - Search the codebase for build steps and indications of workarounds like 'HACK', 'TODO', etc. - All scripts, particularly those pertaining to build and repo or environment setup. - All build and actions pipelines. - All project files. - All configuration and linting files. - For each file: - think: are the contents or the existence of the file information that the coding agent will need to implement, build, test, validate, or demo a code change? - If yes: - Document the command or information in detail. - Explicitly indicate which commands work and which do not and the order in which commands should be run. - Document any errors encountered as well as the steps taken to workaround them. - Document any other steps or information that the agent can use to reduce time spent exploring or trying and failing to run bash commands. - Finally, explicitly instruct the agent to trust the instructions and only perform a search if the information in the instruction...

💬 We'd love your input! Share your thoughts on Copilot coding agent in our 2 minute survey.

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docs Ready Ready Preview Comment Dec 12, 2025 6:31pm

Copilot AI and others added 2 commits December 9, 2025 18:46
Co-authored-by: jaredmixpanel <10504508+jaredmixpanel@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: jaredmixpanel <10504508+jaredmixpanel@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Add Copilot instructions for coding agent onboarding Add copilot-instructions.md for coding agent onboarding Dec 9, 2025
Copilot AI requested a review from jaredmixpanel December 9, 2025 18:55
@jaredmixpanel jaredmixpanel marked this pull request as ready for review December 9, 2025 18:56
@jaredmixpanel jaredmixpanel requested a review from a team as a code owner December 9, 2025 18:56
@jaredmixpanel jaredmixpanel requested review from Tofufu and removed request for a team December 9, 2025 18:56
@jaredmixpanel
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@copilot Study the documentation for customizing the GitHub Copilot Coding Agent environment here: https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-cloud@latest/copilot/how-tos/use-copilot-agents/coding-agent/customize-the-agent-environment

Then create an optimal .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml file for this repository

Co-authored-by: jaredmixpanel <10504508+jaredmixpanel@users.noreply.github.com>
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Copilot AI commented Dec 9, 2025

@copilot Study the documentation for customizing the GitHub Copilot Coding Agent environment here: https://docs.github.com/en/enterprise-cloud@latest/copilot/how-tos/use-copilot-agents/coding-agent/cu...

Created .github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yml following GitHub's official specification.

The workflow includes:

  • Required job name: copilot-setup-steps (recognized by Copilot)
  • Node.js 20.x setup with npm caching for faster runs
  • Clean dependency installation using npm ci
  • OpenAPI spec pre-building to generate openapi/out/*.json files
  • Minimal permissions: contents: read only
  • Auto-trigger on workflow file changes

This ensures the Copilot Coding Agent has a fully configured environment with all dependencies and generated files ready before starting work.

Commit: 6a2eca1

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

  • otel.cloud.redocly.com
    • Triggering command: /usr/local/bin/node node /home/REDACTED/work/docs/docs/node_modules/.bin/redocly bundle --config=./openapi/openapi.config.yaml (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

Copilot AI and others added 3 commits December 9, 2025 19:03
Co-authored-by: jaredmixpanel <10504508+jaredmixpanel@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: jaredmixpanel <10504508+jaredmixpanel@users.noreply.github.com>
Co-authored-by: jaredmixpanel <10504508+jaredmixpanel@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI changed the title Add copilot-instructions.md for coding agent onboarding Add copilot-instructions.md and setup workflow for coding agent onboarding Dec 9, 2025
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2 participants