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Copilot AI commented Nov 1, 2025

Adds comprehensive onboarding documentation to reduce agent exploration time, command failures, and PR rejections.

What's Added

.github/copilot-instructions.md - Single-source reference covering:

  • Tech stack & versions: Next.js 15.2.3, TypeScript 5, Node 20.19.5, Supabase, OpenAI, Shadcn/UI, Jest, Playwright
  • Build commands: All npm scripts with measured timings (install ~2min, test ~15s, lint ~5s)
  • Pre-existing issues: TypeScript build error in lib/supabase/client.ts, 4 failing tests, 7 JSDoc warnings - all documented to prevent false positives
  • Project layout: Complete directory structure with /app (Next.js App Router), /components (70+ Shadcn/UI), /lib (Supabase clients, AI generation)
  • Architecture: Supabase auth flow via middleware, OpenAI gift suggestions, TailwindCSS theming
  • Code requirements: JSDoc on all functions, copyright headers, strict ESLint rules (no console.log, curly braces, strict equality)
  • Configuration files: Locations and purposes of tsconfig, jest, eslint, tailwind, playwright configs
  • Validation checklist: Pre-commit steps with expected pass/fail states
  • Learning from Past PRs: Instructions to review the 10 most commented closed PRs using gh pr list and gh pr view commands to understand common review patterns, mistakes caught during review, and team expectations

Key Features

Environment variables required for dev server (crashes without Supabase credentials). Custom port 4000 via cross-env. Path aliases (@/components, @/lib) enforced. Tests use NODE_ENV=development. Build currently fails on pre-existing type error - documented to ignore.

Instructions explicitly tell agents to trust the document and only explore when encountering new errors or needing business logic context. Agents are directed to review historical PR feedback to avoid repeating common issues.

[!WARNING]

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.

Copilot AI self-assigned this Nov 1, 2025
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Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Add Copilot instructions for efficient onboarding docs: add copilot-instructions.md for agent onboarding Nov 1, 2025
Copilot AI requested a review from shashilo November 1, 2025 03:11
Copilot finished work on behalf of shashilo November 1, 2025 03:11
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shashilo commented Nov 1, 2025

@copilot Add in the instructions to look back at the 10 most commented PRs closed. This will give the context of what we usually catch in our PRs.

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Copilot AI commented Nov 1, 2025

@copilot Add in the instructions to look back at the 10 most commented PRs closed. This will give the context of what we usually catch in our PRs.

Added a "Learning from Past PRs" section with instructions to review the 10 most commented closed PRs using gh pr list and gh pr view commands. This helps agents understand common review patterns, mistakes, and team expectations before starting work. (commit 0b16bf0)

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