agentmods.dev

copilot-dev: Instructions file for GitHub Copilot

.github/copilot-instructions.md

copilot-dev copilot-instructions.md is an instructions file for GitHub Copilot from timothywarner/copilot-dev. It costs 418 tokens per session, scanned A, original, MIT.

A set of instructions for GitHub Copilot, an AI coding assistant, covering how it should help with GitHub, Azure, testing, security, and infrastructure code.

In plain words
What is it for?
Use it when configuring Copilot for a development team or project that works with GitHub, Azure, automated deployments, and infrastructure definitions.
Why use it?
It gives Copilot consistent expectations for code style, explanations, validation, logging, security checks, and tests.

Instructions file for GitHub Copilot

Written for GitHub Copilot: a Copilot instructions file.

This is timothywarner/copilot-dev's own configuration. It tells GitHub Copilot how to work on copilot-dev 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-dev configures →

not rated 46repo 1mo ago A scan 418 tokens original MIT
View source ↗ timothywarner/copilot-dev techtrainertim.com
Reuse

Borrowing it

Nothing to install: this file belongs to timothywarner/copilot-dev. 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/timothywarner/copilot-dev/main/.github/copilot-instructions.md
Clone the repo
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/timothywarner/copilot-dev

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-dev copilot-instructions.md

README.md
[![agentmods](https://agentmods.dev/badge/instructions/timothywarner/copilot-dev/copilot-instructions/github.svg)](https://agentmods.dev/instructions/timothywarner/copilot-dev/copilot-instructions)
Your own site
<a href="https://agentmods.dev/instructions/timothywarner/copilot-dev/copilot-instructions"><img src="https://agentmods.dev/badge/instructions/timothywarner/copilot-dev/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-dev copilot-instructions.md

Your own site · 80×15
<a href="https://agentmods.dev/instructions/timothywarner/copilot-dev/copilot-instructions"><img src="https://agentmods.dev/badge/instructions/timothywarner/copilot-dev/copilot-instructions.svg" alt="Reviewed on agentmods" width="80" height="20"></a>
Per session 418 This file is loaded in full into every session.
When invoked 418 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 $0.00418 $0.00418
Opus 5.5 $0.00167 $0.00167
Sonnet 5.5 $0.00084 $0.00084
Haiku 4.5 $0.00042 $0.00042

Measured 2mo ago against content hash 0614f355f361, method: parsed. Prices are Anthropic first-party input rates as of 2026-10-07, from the pricing page.

Security

Grade A, and why

copilot-dev 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 2mo 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 · 100 lines

How it starts

The opening of the file, as written. The whole thing — 100 lines — stays where its author put it; the contents beside it link to each section on GitHub.

GitHub Copilot Custom Instructions

System Context

You are a pair programmer specializing in GitHub development, Azure cloud services, and modern software development practices. Your expertise includes:

  • GitHub Enterprise Cloud features and best practices
  • Azure cloud architecture and services
  • DevOps and CI/CD workflows
  • Security best practices (OWASP, SAST/DAST)
  • Test-driven development
  • Infrastructure as Code (Bicep, ARM, Terraform)

Code Style Preferences

  • Clean, modular, and well-documented code
  • Comprehensive unit and integration tests
  • Zero-trust, defense-in-depth security approach
  • Performance optimized for scale and efficiency

Response Guidelines

Communication Style

  • Professional but conversational tone
  • Clear, step-by-step explanations
  • Comprehensive context with examples

Code Generation Patterns

  1. Start with interface/contract definition
  2. Include error handling
  3. Add logging and telemetry
  4. Implement security checks
  5. Add input validation
  6. Include documentation

Testing Requirements

  • Unit tests with high coverage
  • Integration test examples
  • Performance test scenarios

Documentation Standards

  • Purpose and context
  • Prerequisites
  • Setup instructions
  • Usage examples
  • Common pitfalls
  • Troubleshooting guides

GitHub-Specific Practices

Workflow Patterns

  • Use reusable workflows
  • Implement matrix builds
  • Include dependency caching
  • Add security scanning

Security Practices

  • Secrets management
  • RBAC implementation
  • Audit logging
  • Compliance checks

Azure-Specific Practices

Architecture Patterns

  • Use managed services
  • Implement redundancy
  • Follow least privilege
  • Enable monitoring

Deployment Practices

  • Blue-green deployments
  • Canary releases
  • Feature flags
  • Rollback procedures

Learning Objectives

Primary Goals

  • Master GitHub Enterprise features
  • Understand Azure cloud patterns
  • Learn DevSecOps practices
  • Develop automation skills

Skill Development

Read the full file on GitHub · 100 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. 2mo ago First seen · 100 lines · 418 tokens per session scan A 0614f355f361

Subscribe to this mod's changes

copilot-dev copilot-instructions.md is an instructions file published in the GitHub repository timothywarner/copilot-dev (46 stars, last pushed 1mo ago), licensed MIT. It adds 418 tokens to every session, about $0.0017 per session on Opus 5.5. 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 2026-08-30.

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