Workspace instructions, per-path rules, and reusable prompt files for GitHub Copilot — 5 stack templates + per-language style rules + ready-made prompts. Drop into .github/ and stop teaching Copilot your stack every session.
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Without a workspace instructions file, Copilot has no idea what your stack is. It picks libraries by popularity, not by what you actually use. It writes tests that check implementation details. It creates files in generic locations. Drop in a .github/copilot-instructions.md and Copilot starts making decisions that fit your project, not a hypothetical one.
Copilot also supports .instructions.md per-path files and .prompt.md reusable prompts — a newer customization surface that is only fully exposed if you know it exists. This kit makes all three layers work together.
Drop-in .github/copilot-instructions.md files for: React / Next.js, Python / FastAPI, Node.js / Express, React Native / Expo, and Data Science / ML. Each covers stack, conventions, file structure, testing approach, and what Copilot should never do.
Scoped .github/instructions/*.instructions.md files with applyTo: frontmatter for TypeScript style + test rules, Python style + test rules, and SQL conventions. Each includes a working glob pattern so the right rules load only for the right files.
User-invokable .github/prompts/*.prompt.md files for code review, debug (scientific method), refactor (no behavior change), write-tests (Testing Trophy), and security-check (OWASP Top 10). Available in VS Code, Visual Studio, and JetBrains. Prompt files are in public preview.
20 high-signal Copilot Chat prompts plus a GUIDE.md covering model selection (GPT-5 / Claude / Gemini in Copilot), how repository vs personal vs organization instructions stack, and common pitfalls — token bloat, conflicting rules, and trying to use org instructions in an IDE where they don't apply.
Here's a preview of what the Next.js workspace template looks like:
# Next.js project
## Stack
Next.js 15, App Router, TypeScript strict, Tailwind CSS
## Code conventions
- Server Components by default — "use client" only for interactivity, browser APIs, or useState
- Named exports for components; default export only for pages
- No inline styles — Tailwind only
- No useEffect for data fetching — use server components or Route Handlers
## Never do
- Never hardcode URLs, API keys, or env-specific values
- Never commit console.log statements
- Never touch files outside the current task scope
## Testing
- Vitest + React Testing Library
- Test what users see — not implementation internalsThe full template is three times longer and covers file structure, error handling, commit conventions, and accessibility.
New to Copilot? See our Claude Code vs Cursor comparison for context on how these tools differ in practice. Already using Claude Code? Our CLAUDE.md guide covers the same workflow for Claude Code users.
.ts files, not your Python code/code-review returns consistent output, not ad-hoc prose every time.github/copilot-instructions.md?.github/copilot-instructions.md is a Markdown file that lives inside the .github/ folder at your repository root. GitHub Copilot reads it automatically and prepends it to every Chat request in that workspace. It's Generally Available today across VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, Xcode, and GitHub.com. Eclipse status is ambiguous as of April 2026 — GitHub's overall Copilot support-matrix page lists Eclipse without a preview qualifier, but GitHub's Eclipse-specific Copilot docs still describe custom instructions as public preview. Check both doc pages against your Eclipse Copilot version before relying on it. Use the file to tell Copilot your stack, code conventions, and what it should never do — so you stop correcting it every session.
.github/copilot-instructions.md, .instructions.md files, and .prompt.md files?Three layers. .github/copilot-instructions.md is a single workspace file loaded into every Copilot Chat request. NAME.instructions.md files (under .github/instructions/) are per-path rules with an applyTo: glob — the TypeScript rules only load for .ts files. .prompt.md files (under .github/prompts/) are reusable prompts you invoke on demand, not auto-applied. The workspace file is Generally Available. Per-path instructions are supported in Copilot Chat across VS Code, Visual Studio, JetBrains, and Xcode, plus code review and cloud agent on GitHub.com — check GitHub's current support matrix for the exact GA-vs-preview status in your IDE. Prompt files are still in public preview.
It depends on which vendor doc you follow. GitHub's April 2, 2026 rollout doc scopes organization-level custom instructions to GitHub.com surfaces only — Copilot Chat on github.com, Copilot code review, and Copilot cloud agent. Microsoft's VS Code customization docs describe a setting that pulls organization-level instructions into VS Code chat requests. The two vendor docs are inconsistent as of April 2026, so do not assume either answer without checking your specific organization + IDE setup. Either way, keeping a repository-level .github/copilot-instructions.md gives your IDE reliable workspace coverage regardless of how organization instructions are surfaced.
Multiple instruction files combine automatically — repository-level, per-path, and personal instructions all get included when they apply. The VS Code docs explicitly note the combining order is "without guaranteed order" at the workspace level, so do not design your rules assuming deterministic precedence. Keep each file focused on its scope (workspace-wide rules in the main file, language rules in per-path files), and avoid rules that contradict across layers.
github/awesome-copilot is free?The github/awesome-copilot repository is a community-contributed collection hosted under GitHub's github/ organization namespace — valuable, but it is not an official GitHub product, and you have to hunt through 500+ contributors' picks to assemble a kit. This Starter Kit is curated: 5 stack-specific workspace templates, 3 per-path language files, 5 reusable prompt files, 20 power prompts, and a short guide explaining how the three customization layers stack. Drop-in ready; no hunting.
Related reading: CLAUDE.md guide for Claude Code's equivalent workspace file, and .cursorrules guide for Cursor users.
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