Expert guidance for creating VSCode Copilot custom instructions, prompt files, and AGENTS.md files. Use when user wants to create, modify, or understand .github/copilot-instructions.md, .instructions.md, AGENTS.md, or .prompt.md files. Includes YAML frontmatter structure, variable syntax, tool references, and best practices for each file type.
Expert guidance for creating and managing VSCode Copilot customization files including custom instructions, prompt files, and agent configurations.
Activate this skill when:
.github/copilot-instructions.md files.instructions.md files with applyTo patternsAGENTS.md configurations.prompt.md reusable prompts${variable})#tool:toolName) or files in instructions.github/copilot-instructions.mdAlways-on workspace instructions — Applied automatically to all chat requests in the workspace.
When to use: General coding guidelines, team conventions, project-specific rules that apply throughout the project.
Location: .github/copilot-instructions.md at workspace root
Example:
# Project Guidelines
- Use TypeScript for all new code
- Follow functional programming patterns
- Write tests using Jest
- API responses must use our standard error format
📄 Complete Guide: references/copilot-instructions-guide.md
.instructions.md FilesConditional, targeted instructions — Apply to specific file types, locations, or tasks using applyTo glob patterns.
When to use: Language-specific guidelines, framework-specific patterns, file-type-specific rules.
Location: .github/instructions/ folder or user profile
Example:
---