copilot-repo-template: Instructions file for GitHub Copilot

.github/copilot-instructions.md

copilot-repo-template copilot-instructions.md is an instructions file for GitHub Copilot from franklesniak/copilot-repo-template. It costs 8,147 tokens per session, scanned A, original, MIT.

A repository-wide set of instructions for GitHub Copilot, the coding assistant, covering project rules, metadata, authoritative documents, protected instruction files, and template adoption. It acts as the main rulebook that other instruction files should follow.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it to establish repository conventions, identify the documents agents must read, protect agent configuration files, and guide adoption of a repository template.
Why use it?
It gives coding agents one stated source of truth when a repository has many instruction files. This reduces conflicting rules and protects important project guidance from accidental changes.

Instructions file for GitHub Copilot

Written for GitHub Copilot: a Copilot instructions file. Also seen: mentions CLAUDE.md; mentions Claude Code; mentions AGENTS.md.

This is franklesniak/copilot-repo-template's own configuration. It tells GitHub Copilot how to work on copilot-repo-template itself, so it is not a mod to install elsewhere. Copy it as a starting point and replace the rules that are about this project. Everything copilot-repo-template configures →

Needs its repository: it reads a path above its own folder, which exists only inside the repository. The line is **Schema example tests.** The contract that valid example fixtures pass and invalid example fixtures fail is exercised by [`tests/test_schema_examples.py`](../t.

Reuse

Borrowing it

Nothing to install: this file belongs to franklesniak/copilot-repo-template. Take a copy, put it at the same path in your own repository, and replace the rules that are about this project with yours.

Copy the file
curl -O https://raw.githubusercontent.com/franklesniak/copilot-repo-template/main/.github/copilot-instructions.md
Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/franklesniak/copilot-repo-template

Made for: GitHub Copilot.

Wrote this? Show the measurements

A badge with what this costs and how it scanned, read live from this page, so it follows the numbers instead of freezing them. Markdown for a README, HTML for a documentation site or a project page.

agentmods badge for copilot-repo-template copilot-instructions.md

README.md
[![agentmods](https://agentmods.dev/badge/instructions/franklesniak/copilot-repo-template/copilot-instructions/github.svg)](https://agentmods.dev/instructions/franklesniak/copilot-repo-template/copilot-instructions)
Your own site
<a href="https://agentmods.dev/instructions/franklesniak/copilot-repo-template/copilot-instructions"><img src="https://agentmods.dev/badge/instructions/franklesniak/copilot-repo-template/copilot-instructions/github.svg" alt="Measured on agentmods" height="20"></a>

Or the 80×15 button, for a site that already has a row of RSS and ATOM ones. Only the verdict fits; the numbers stay here.

agentmods 80×15 button for copilot-repo-template copilot-instructions.md

Your own site · 80×15
<a href="https://agentmods.dev/instructions/franklesniak/copilot-repo-template/copilot-instructions"><img src="https://agentmods.dev/badge/instructions/franklesniak/copilot-repo-template/copilot-instructions.svg" alt="Reviewed on agentmods" width="80" height="20"></a>
Per session 8,147 This file is loaded in full into every session.
When invoked 8,147 The same file — it is already loaded in full.
Security scan A 0 findings. A grade says what 26 rules found in the file — not that it is safe.
Origin original No closer match found 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 5.1 $0.08147 $0.08147
Opus 5 $0.04074 $0.04074
Sonnet 5 $0.01629 $0.01629
Haiku 4.5 $0.00815 $0.00815

Measured 9d ago against content hash 96301330b6c2, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-09-09, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade A, and why

copilot-repo-template 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 9d 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.

.github/copilot-instructions.md · 538 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 538 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

Repository Copilot Instructions (Repo-Wide Constitution)

Version: 1.6.20260629.0

Metadata

  • Status: Active
  • Owner: Repository Maintainers
  • Last Updated: 2026-06-29
  • Scope: Repo-wide canonical instructions ("constitution") that govern all changes in this repository. This file is the authoritative source of truth for repository rules; all language-specific instruction files and agent entry points defer to it.

These instructions are authoritative for all changes in this repository.

Source of Truth

Customize this section for your project. Point to your authoritative specification or design document. Example:

  • Read docs/spec/requirements.md before making changes.
  • If any instruction here conflicts with the spec, the spec wins.

Protected Instruction Files

Instruction files and style guides are protected governance files. This rule applies to:

  • The repo-wide constitution: .github/copilot-instructions.md
  • Root agent entry points: .hermes.md, AGENTS.md, CLAUDE.md, and GEMINI.md
  • Cursor project rules under .cursor/rules/
  • Modular instruction files under .github/instructions/

Agents MUST NOT create, edit, delete, rename, or otherwise change protected instruction files unless the repository owner or maintainer has directly and explicitly authorized the specific instruction-file change in the current task. Implied consent is insufficient.

Authorization MUST NOT be inferred from:

  • An agent-generated plan, rubric, option analysis, or implementation strategy.
  • A request to fix code, resolve review feedback, update documentation as needed, or keep files in sync.
  • Pre-commit, formatting, linting, validation, or other cleanup work.
  • An automated review loop, reusable prompt, or generic permission to make repository changes.

Read the full file on GitHub · 538 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. 9d ago First seen · 538 lines · 8,147 tokens per session scan A 96301330b6c2

Subscribe to this mod's changes

copilot-repo-template copilot-instructions.md is an instructions file published in the GitHub repository franklesniak/copilot-repo-template (8 stars, last pushed 23d ago), licensed MIT. It adds 8,147 tokens to every session, about $0.0407 per session on Opus 5. A static security scan graded it A with 0 findings. No closer match exists in the catalogue, so it is treated as the original; first seen 2026-08-31.

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