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.github/copilot-instructions.md

Copilot instructions for Remix

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 Remix project. This repository is a Remix app. Data loads in loaders, mutations happen in actions, and forms work without a custom client fetch.

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 Remix with loaders and actions. It does not assume Vite versus the classic compiler, or a particular CSS system. Follow the remix.config or vite.config the repo has.

Example file

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

# GitHub Copilot instructions

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

## Stack

This repository is a Remix app. Data loads in loaders, mutations happen in actions, and forms work without a custom client fetch.

## Layout

- Route modules live in the routes directory the project already uses.
- Shared UI lives next to routes or in a components folder the repo has.
- Server-only modules stay out of client imports.

## Commands

- Dev server: `npm run dev`
- Typecheck: `npm run typecheck`
- Tests: `npm test`

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

## Conventions

- Load data in a `loader`. Mutate in an `action`.
- Use Form or the project's fetcher. Do not hand-roll fetch for a mutation the action can do.
- Return `json` or the typed response helper the version of Remix in the repo uses.
- Validate form data on the server. The client check is a convenience.
- Keep nested route boundaries. Do not lift every loader to the root.
- Match the existing session and cookie helpers.

## Testing

Add or update tests when behavior changes.

Call the loader or action with a Request in a unit test. Cover the invalid form case.

## 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 4xx Response or the typed error the app uses for bad input. Unexpected errors hit the error boundary.

## 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 fetch the route's own loader data from useEffect.
- Do not import server code into a file that ships to the browser.
- Do not throw a bare string. Use the project's error response.
- Do not add a global client cache for data the loader already owns.

## Done when

- The requested behavior works.
- The route loader and action typecheck, and the form still works without JavaScript if it did before.
- 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.
- Check the session inside the action. Do not trust a hidden user id field.
- Validate and authorize before writing.
- Keep secrets out of client bundles and out of PUBLIC_ env vars.

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 Remix 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 Remix agent often gets wrong, such as a loader that returns data the route renders without useEffect. 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 Remix repo?

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

The example assumes Remix with loaders and actions. It does not assume Vite versus the classic compiler, or a particular CSS system. Follow the remix.config or vite.config the repo has.

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 Remix

Copilot instructions for other stacks