code-copilot-team: Instructions file for GitHub Copilot

Team Lead Efficiency

Rules for the lead agent when coordinating sub-agents to minimize waste and maximize throughput.

Task Scoping

Right-Size the Work

• 2-3 teammates is the sweet spot for most features. More than 3 increases coordination overhead without proportional speedup.
• Each teammate task should take 5-30 minutes. If a task takes over an hour, it's too large — break it up.
• If a task would touch fewer than 3 files, the lead should do it directly instead of delegating.

Non-Overlapping Ownership

Every file must have exactly ONE owner for a given phase:

Bad:

Agent A: Implement product service (touches product model, router, UI)
Agent B: Implement order service (also touches product model for inventory)

Good:

Agent A: Implement product service (owns product.service, product.router)
Agent B: Implement order service (owns order.service, order.router)
Lead: Handles shared code (product model changes for inventory) after both complete

The lead handles shared/cross-cutting code after teammates return — not in parallel.

Clear Boundaries in the Delegation Prompt

Every delegation must include:

1. Exact files to create or modify (not "implement the feature").
2. Read-only context files — schema, types, design docs the agent should reference but NOT modify.
3. Interface contracts — what inputs/outputs must match.
4. What NOT to do — explicit exclusions prevent scope creep.

Polling Discipline

Do Not Busy-Wait on Teammates

After launching sub-agents, the lead should:

1. Launch all independent agents at once (parallel, not sequential).
2. Work on non-overlapping tasks while waiting (documentation, tests, review plans).
3. Check status periodically — not continuously. Polling once per minute is sufficient.
4. Never re-do teammate work. If a teammate is slow, wait or stop them — don't duplicate their output.

When to Stop a Teammate

Stop a running teammate if:

• Its task is no longer needed (requirements changed).
• The lead has already completed the work (this means the task was mis-delegated).
• The agent has been running over 2x the expected duration with no progress.