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title Adding repository custom instructions
shortTitle Add repository instructions
intro Create repository custom instructions files that give {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} additional context on how to understand your project and how to build, test and validate its changes.
versions
feature
copilot
topics
Copilot
contentType how-tos

This version of this article is for using repository custom instructions with the {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} CLI. Click the tabs above for instructions on using custom instructions in other environments.

Creating custom instructions

{% data variables.product.prodname_copilot %} supports three types of repository custom instructions.

  • Repository-wide custom instructions, which apply to all requests made in the context of a repository.

    These are specified in a copilot-instructions.md file in the .github directory of the repository. See Creating repository-wide custom instructions.

  • Path-specific custom instructions, which apply to requests made in the context of files that match a specified path.

    These are specified in one or more NAME.instructions.md files within or below the .github/instructions directory in the repository. See Creating path-specific custom instructions.

    If the path you specify matches a file that {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %} is working on, and a repository-wide custom instructions file also exists, then the instructions from both files are used. You should avoid potential conflicts between instructions as {% data variables.product.prodname_copilot_short %}'s choice between conflicting instructions is non-deterministic.

  • Agent instructions are used by AI agents.

    {% data reusables.copilot.custom-instructions-agents %}

    Alternatively, you can use a single CLAUDE.md or GEMINI.md file stored in the root of the repository.

Creating repository-wide custom instructions

  1. In the root of your repository, create a file named .github/copilot-instructions.md.

    Create the .github directory if it does not already exist.

  2. Add natural language instructions to the file, in Markdown format.

    Whitespace between instructions is ignored, so the instructions can be written as a single paragraph, each on a new line, or separated by blank lines for legibility.

Creating path-specific custom instructions

{% data reusables.copilot.custom-instructions-path %}

{% data reusables.copilot.custom-instructions-note %}

Further reading