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.github/copilot-instructions.md

Copilot instructions for .NET

GitHub Copilot reads `.github/copilot-instructions.md` and applies it across the repository. It is the place for build commands, review rules, and stack conventions Copilot should not invent. This copy is written for a .NET project. This repository is a .NET application. Nullable reference types stay enabled. Match minimal APIs or controllers, whichever the project already uses, and ship schema changes as migrations.

The example uses a balanced, readable style, pragmatic tests, and comments only where the intent is not obvious. Open the generator to make the agent stricter, switch to test-first, quiet the comments, or pick a different file.

The example assumes modern .NET with nullable enabled. It does not assume MVC versus minimal APIs, or EF Core versus another store. Follow the host that is already in Program.cs.

Example file

Balanced strictness, readable style, pragmatic tests. Download name: copilot-instructions.md

# GitHub Copilot instructions

These instructions apply to the whole .NET repository. Copilot reads them from `.github/copilot-instructions.md`.
Prefer the commands and layout below over guesses.

## Stack

This repository is a .NET application. Nullable reference types stay enabled. Match minimal APIs or controllers, whichever the project already uses, and ship schema changes as migrations.

## Layout

- Endpoints or controllers stay next to the feature folder the repo uses.
- EF Core DbContext and configurations stay in the data project if there is one.
- Do not add a second hosting model.

## Commands

- Test: `dotnet test`
- Run: `dotnet run`
- Format: `dotnet format`

Use the script the repo already defines when it differs from the command above.

## Conventions

- Respect nullable annotations. Do not silence them with `!` unless the value was just checked.
- Validate input with the project's data annotations or fluent validation.
- Use async all the way. Do not block on `.Result`.
- Migrations ship with model changes. Do not hand-edit a snapshot to hide a mistake.
- Inject dependencies through the constructor. Do not service-locate in a loop.
- Log with ILogger. Do not use Console.WriteLine for request failures.

## Testing

Add or update tests when behavior changes.

Add an xUnit, NUnit, or MSTest test matching the repo. Cover the validation failure.

## Style

- Optimize for the next reader over the shortest diff.
- Comment only when the why is non-obvious.
- Name things the way neighboring files already do.
- Do not reformat code you did not change.

## Errors

- Fail at the boundary. Do not swallow errors.
- Return a ProblemDetails or the project's error type for expected failures. Unexpected exceptions hit the exception handler.

## Scope

- Do the requested task. Do not refactor unrelated code.
- Match the rigor already in the repo. Fix what you touch.
- Ask one clarifying question only when the task cannot be finished without it. Otherwise state the assumption and continue.

## Avoid

- Do not catch Exception and return Ok.
- Do not use dynamic to dodge a type.
- Do not query inside a serializer loop. Shape the response in the handler.
- Do not store secrets in appsettings that are committed.

## Done when

- The requested behavior works.
- `dotnet test` passes and `dotnet format` leaves the diff clean.
- The diff stays inside the task.
- You list anything you could not run.

## Review checklist

- The change matches the commands and layout in this file.
- No new dependency was added without a reason already present in the repo.
- Authorize with the existing policy. Do not check a role string ad hoc in one action.
- Do not log tokens or connection strings.
- Keep secrets in user-secrets or the environment, not in a committed appsettings file.

Add it to the project

  1. 01

    Copy a starting file

    Copy the example Copilot instructions on this page, or open the generator if you want different testing, strictness, or comment rules.

  2. 02

    Save it at .github/copilot-instructions.md

    Save it as `.github/copilot-instructions.md` in the .NET repo. Create the `.github` folder if it is missing. Commit the file so Copilot sees it for every collaborator.

  3. 03

    Start a fresh agent session

    Rules files are read when a session starts. A chat that is already open may still be using the old instructions.

  4. 04

    Give it one small task

    Ask for one change a .NET agent often gets wrong, such as an endpoint that returns a validation problem for a bad body instead of throwing. If it ignores the file, confirm the path and start a new session.

Questions about this file

Where do I put Copilot instructions in a .NET repo?

Save it as `.github/copilot-instructions.md` in the .NET repo. Create the `.github` folder if it is missing. Commit the file so Copilot sees it for every collaborator.

Which tools read this Copilot instructions?

GitHub Copilot in VS Code, Visual Studio, and Copilot cloud agents read this file. Other agents will not load it automatically, so keep an AGENTS.md too if more than one tool edits the repo.

What does the .NET example assume?

The example assumes modern .NET with nullable enabled. It does not assume MVC versus minimal APIs, or EF Core versus another store. Follow the host that is already in Program.cs.

Does VibeSpell upload my repository?

No. Recipe pages are static, and the generator builds the file in your browser from the options you pick. Your source code never leaves the machine.

Other files for .NET

Copilot instructions for other stacks