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.github/copilot-instructions.md

Copilot instructions for Node.js

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 Node.js project. This repository is a TypeScript program on Node.js. Use ESM if the package already does, and prefer `node:` imports for built-in modules. The default test runner, when one is needed, is node:test.

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 TypeScript on modern Node. It does not assume Express, Fastify, or a database. Do not add a framework if the repo is a library or a small script.

Customize in the generatorBrowse the library

Example file

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

# GitHub Copilot instructions

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

## Stack

This repository is a TypeScript program on Node.js. Use ESM if the package already does, and prefer `node:` imports for built-in modules. The default test runner, when one is needed, is node:test.

## Layout

- Source lives in `src/`. Tests sit next to the code or in `test/`, matching the repo.
- The package entry and exports field are the public API. Do not add a second entrypoint casually.
- Scripts stay in `package.json`. Do not document a command the package does not define.

## Commands

- Dev: `npm run dev`
- Typecheck: `npx tsc --noEmit`
- Tests: `npm test`
- Lint: `npm run lint`

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

## Conventions

- Import Node built-ins with the `node:` prefix.
- Keep the module system the package already uses. Do not mix require and import in new files.
- Parse untrusted input at the edge. The rest of the code should see typed values.
- If there is no test runner yet and tests are requested, use node:test with node:assert.
- Async functions return promises. Do not wrap them in a manual Promise constructor.
- Do not add a framework, ORM, or validator that is not already a dependency.

## Testing

Add or update tests when behavior changes.

Use the existing runner. If the repo has none, add a node:test file for the behavior you changed.

## 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.
- Throw an Error, or return a Result-style value if the file already does. Include the operation that failed.

## 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 swallow a rejected promise with an empty catch.
- Do not read `process.env` in dozens of files. Read it once at the boundary.
- Do not change the published export map unless the task is the public API.
- Do not add `@ts-ignore` to get past a type you can name.

## Done when

- The requested behavior works.
- `npx tsc --noEmit` passes for the project, and `npm test` passes when tests exist.
- 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.
- Read process.env once at the boundary. Do not scatter secrets through the tree.
- Validate untrusted JSON before it reaches business logic.
- Do not log authorization headers or request bodies that may contain tokens.

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 Node.js 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 Node.js agent often gets wrong, such as a function that validates its input and returns a typed error instead of throwing a string. 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 Node.js repo?

Save it as `.github/copilot-instructions.md` in the Node.js 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 Node.js example assume?

The example assumes TypeScript on modern Node. It does not assume Express, Fastify, or a database. Do not add a framework if the repo is a library or a small script.

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 Node.js

Copilot instructions for other stacks