github-copilot-instructions taming-copilot.instructions.md

Instructions for keeping GitHub Copilot's coding changes controlled and aligned with project rules. Copilot is an AI coding assistant that can suggest or modify code.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it to guide Copilot during code changes, research current technical details, and enforce the repository's interaction and safety rules.
Why use it?
It emphasizes following direct user requests, checking facts that may change, and avoiding uncontrolled edits or unsupported assumptions.

Instructions file for GitHub Copilot

Install

Getting it into your agent

One page per mod, every tool's command on it. A separate URL per tool would split the same page into five that compete with each other.

agentmods
npx agentmods add instructions/antiotaku/github-copilot-instructions/taming-copilot
Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/antiotaku/github-copilot-instructions

Made for: GitHub Copilot.

Per session 972 This file is loaded in full into every session.
When invoked 972 The same file — it is already loaded in full.
Security scan A 0 findings. Scan, not verified.
Origin 100% copy Near-identical to another mod in the catalogue.
Token cost

What it costs to keep this loaded

Counted locally with the o200k_base tokenizer, which is exact for GPT models; Claude uses its own tokenizer and its counts differ. Treat this as one consistent yardstick across the catalogue rather than a bill. Prices are per million input tokens.

ModelPer sessionOnce invoked
Fable 5 $0.00972 $0.00972
Opus 5 $0.00486 $0.00486
Sonnet 5 $0.00194 $0.00194
Haiku 4.5 $0.00097 $0.00097

Measured 2d ago against content hash 72500a422155, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-08-30, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade A, and why

github-copilot-instructions taming-copilot.instructions.md scanned grade A with 0 findings against 26 rules in 11 categories — prompt injection, anti-refusal, data exfiltration, privilege escalation, supply chain, agent snooping, system-prompt leakage, SSRF and excessive agency — measured 2d ago.

A static scan of the body, not an audit. Every finding is printed with the line that produced it so you can judge whether it matters here. A mod is markdown that instructs an agent; that is exactly why what it instructs is worth reading.

Nothing flagged

None of the 26 patterns this scan looks for appear in this file: no shell pipes, no recursive deletes, no credential paths, no hidden text, no instruction-override or anti-refusal phrasing, no agent-config snooping. That is not a guarantee, it is the absence of the things that are checkable.

Origin

This is a copy

100% identical to plugwise-mcp taming-copilot.instructions.md — 0 lines differ, which has more behind it and is treated as the original. This page carries a canonical link to it rather than competing with it.

.github/instructions/taming-copilot.instructions.md · 41 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 41 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

Core Directives & Hierarchy

This section outlines the absolute order of operations. These rules have the highest priority and must not be violated.

  1. Primacy of User Directives: A direct and explicit command from the user is the highest priority. If the user instructs to use a specific tool, edit a file, or perform a specific search, that command must be executed without deviation, even if other rules would suggest it is unnecessary. All other instructions are subordinate to a direct user order.
  2. Factual Verification Over Internal Knowledge: When a request involves information that could be version-dependent, time-sensitive, or requires specific external data (e.g., library documentation, latest best practices, API details), prioritize using tools to find the current, factual answer over relying on general knowledge.
  3. Adherence to Philosophy: In the absence of a direct user directive or the need for factual verification, all other rules below regarding interaction, code generation, and modification must be followed.

General Interaction & Philosophy

  • Code on Request Only: Your default response should be a clear, natural language explanation. Do NOT provide code blocks unless explicitly asked, or if a very small and minimalist example is essential to illustrate a concept. Tool usage is distinct from user-facing code blocks and is not subject to this restriction.
  • Direct and Concise: Answers must be precise, to the point, and free from unnecessary filler or verbose explanations. Get straight to the solution without "beating around the bush".
  • Adherence to Best Practices: All suggestions, architectural patterns, and solutions must align with widely accepted industry best practices and established design principles. Avoid experimental, obscure, or overly "creative" approaches. Stick to what is proven and reliable.
  • Explain the "Why": Don't just provide an answer; briefly explain the reasoning behind it. Why is this the standard approach? What specific problem does this pattern solve? This context is more valuable than the solution itself.

Read the full file on GitHub · 41 lines

Changes

What this file has done since we first saw it

Hashed on every crawl. A supply-chain change to an agent config is a question of when, not whether, so the history is kept rather than the latest state alone.

  1. 2d ago First seen · 41 lines · 972 tokens per session scan A 72500a422155

Subscribe to this mod's changes

github-copilot-instructions taming-copilot.instructions.md is an instructions file published in the GitHub repository antiotaku/github-copilot-instructions (1 stars, last pushed 10mo ago), licensed MIT. It adds 972 tokens to every session, about $0.0049 per session on Opus 5. A static security scan graded it A with 0 findings. It is 100% identical to plugwise-mcp taming-copilot.instructions.md, differing in 0 lines, and is treated as a copy.

Related

Other instructions, from other repositories

vscode buildNext.instructions.md

Working notes and architecture documentation for the new esbuild-based build system in build/next. Use when making changes to the new build pipeline (transpile/bundle commands, NLS plugin, source-map handling, resource copying, or self-hosting watch tasks).

microsoft/vscode · 6,785 tokens

spec-kit AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md instructions for github/spec-kit, covering agents.md, about spec kit and specify, quickstart — add a new integration in 5 steps, integration architecture and integrationmanifest — file tracking.

github/spec-kit · 7,104 tokens

codex AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md instructions for openai/codex, covering rust/codex-rs, the codex-core crate, code review rules, crate api surface and model visible context.

openai/codex · 5,182 tokens

langchain AGENTS.md

AGENTS.md instructions for langchain-ai/langchain, covering global development guidelines for the langchain monorepo, corridor security analysis, project architecture and context, monorepo structure and development tools & commands.

langchain-ai/langchain · 4,345 tokens

vscode oss-third-party-notices.instructions.md

Instructions for microsoft/vscode, covering vs code oss third-party-notices pipeline, architecture, pipeline flow in ci, applying the notice (cutover) and fallback chain (never fail the build).

microsoft/vscode · 5,001 tokens

next.js AGENTS.md

Instructions for vercel/next.js, covering next.js development guide, codebase structure, monorepo overview, core package: packages/next and other important packages.

vercel/next.js · 7,296 tokens