.github/copilot-instructions.md
Copilot instructions for Spring Boot
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 Spring Boot project. This repository is a Spring Boot service. Controllers stay thin, transactions sit on the service the project already uses, and configuration comes from the environment.
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 Spring Boot with Maven or Gradle, whichever wrapper is in the repo. It does not assume WebFlux versus MVC, or a particular database. Follow the stack that is already on the classpath.
Example file
Balanced strictness, readable style, pragmatic tests. Download name: copilot-instructions.md
# GitHub Copilot instructions
These instructions apply to the whole Spring Boot repository. Copilot reads them from `.github/copilot-instructions.md`.
Prefer the commands and layout below over guesses.
## Stack
This repository is a Spring Boot service. Controllers stay thin, transactions sit on the service the project already uses, and configuration comes from the environment.
## Layout
- Controllers, services, and repositories follow the package split the project already has.
- DTOs are separate from JPA entities when the project already separates them.
- Configuration lives in application config and env vars. Do not hard-code a profile.
## Commands
- Test: `./mvnw test`
- Run: `./mvnw spring-boot:run`
- Package: `./mvnw package`
Use the script the repo already defines when it differs from the command above.
## Conventions
- Validate request bodies with Bean Validation. Do not parse maps by hand.
- Keep `@Transactional` on the service boundary the project uses, not on the controller.
- Use constructor injection. Do not add field injection.
- Return the response type the controller already declares. Do not leak lazy entities.
- Match MVC or WebFlux. Do not block inside a reactive chain.
- Use the existing test slice: `@WebMvcTest`, `@DataJpaTest`, or `@SpringBootTest` only when you need the whole context.
## Testing
Add or update tests when behavior changes.
Add a sliced test for the controller or service. Do not boot the entire context for a validation rule.
## 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.
- Use the project's exception handler for expected failures. A validation failure is 400, a missing row is 404.
## 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 200.
- Do not use the open-in-view pattern as an excuse to lazy-load in the controller.
- Do not commit `application-local` files that contain passwords.
- Do not add a new bean of a type that is already defined.
## Done when
- The requested behavior works.
- The module's tests pass. Use the Maven wrapper if it is present, otherwise the Gradle wrapper.
- 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 method security or security filter rules the project already uses.
- Do not log Authorization headers.
- Bind request DTOs explicitly. Do not bind straight onto an entity.
Add it to the project
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.
02
Save it at .github/copilot-instructions.md
Save it as `.github/copilot-instructions.md` in the Spring Boot repo. Create the `.github` folder if it is missing. Commit the file so Copilot sees it for every collaborator.
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.
04
Give it one small task
Ask for one change a Spring Boot agent often gets wrong, such as a request DTO with Bean Validation that returns 400 on a bad body. 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 Spring Boot repo?
Save it as `.github/copilot-instructions.md` in the Spring Boot 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 Spring Boot example assume?
The example assumes Spring Boot with Maven or Gradle, whichever wrapper is in the repo. It does not assume WebFlux versus MVC, or a particular database. Follow the stack that is already on the classpath.
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.
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