README.md

GitHub Copilot Instructions

Repository-specific guidelines that GitHub Copilot automatically applies when editing files. Instructions ensure consistent code style and conventions across the codebase.

How Instructions Work

1. Instruction files declare which file patterns they apply to using applyTo in frontmatter
2. GitHub Copilot reads instructions when editing matching files
3. Suggestions follow the documented standards automatically

Custom agents and the prompt-builder agent respect these instructions and can create new ones. See Contributing Instructions for authoring guidance.

Available Instructions

Language and Technology

File	Applies To	Purpose
coding-standards/bash/bash.instructions.md	**/*.sh	Bash script implementation standards
coding-standards/bicep/bicep.instructions.md	**/bicep/**	Bicep infrastructure as code patterns
coding-standards/code-review/diff-computation.instructions.md	Code review agents	Diff computation for code review
coding-standards/code-review/review-artifacts.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/reviews/code-reviews/**	Code review artifact persistence
coding-standards/csharp/csharp.instructions.md	**/*.cs	C# implementation and coding conventions
coding-standards/csharp/csharp-tests.instructions.md	**/*.cs	C# test code standards
coding-standards/powershell/powershell.instructions.md	**/*.ps1, **/*.psm1, **/*.psd1	PowerShell scripting conventions
coding-standards/powershell/pester.instructions.md	**/*.Tests.ps1	Pester testing conventions
coding-standards/python-script.instructions.md	**/*.py	Python scripting implementation
coding-standards/python-tests.instructions.md	**/*.py	Python test code standards
coding-standards/rust/rust.instructions.md	**/*.rs	Rust development conventions
coding-standards/rust/rust-tests.instructions.md	**/*.rs	Rust test code standards
coding-standards/terraform/terraform.instructions.md	**/*.tf, **/*.tfvars, **/terraform/**	Terraform infrastructure as code
coding-standards/uv-projects.instructions.md	**/*.py, **/*.ipynb	Python virtual environments using uv

Documentation and Content

File	Applies To	Purpose
hve-core/markdown.instructions.md	**/*.md	Markdown formatting standards
hve-core/writing-style.instructions.md	**/*.md	Voice, tone, and language conventions
hve-core/hve-builder.instructions.md	**/*.prompt.md, **/*.agent.md, **/*.instructions.md, **/SKILL.md	HVE artifact authoring standards
docusaurus-edits.instructions.md	docs/**	Docusaurus documentation authoring

Git and Workflow

File	Applies To	Purpose
hve-core/commit-message.instructions.md	Commit actions	Conventional commit message format
hve-core/git-merge.instructions.md	Git operations	Merge, rebase, and conflict handling
hve-core/pull-request.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/pr/**	PR generation workflow with subagents
pull-request.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/pr/**	Repo-specific PR conventions

Repository Workflow

File	Applies To	Purpose
hve-core/copilot-tracking.instructions.md	.copilot-tracking/**	Intermediate tracking artifact conventions
hve-core/licensing-posture.instructions.md	**/skills/**, **/.copilot-tracking/**	Licensing, reproduction, and attribution posture
skill-security-model.instructions.md	**/.github/skills/**/SECURITY.md	Per-skill STRIDE security model rules
workflows.instructions.md	**/.github/workflows/*.yml	GitHub Actions workflow conventions

Azure DevOps Integration

File	Applies To	Purpose
ado/ado-backlog-sprint.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/workitems/sprint/**	Sprint planning coverage and capacity
ado/ado-backlog-triage.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/workitems/triage/**	Work item triage workflow
ado/ado-create-pull-request.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/pr/new/**	Pull request creation protocol
ado/ado-get-build-info.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/pr/*-build-*.md	Build status and log retrieval
ado/ado-interaction-templates.instructions.md	**/.github/instructions/ado/**	Work item content templates
ado/ado-update-wit-items.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/workitems/**/handoff-logs.md	Work item creation and updates
ado/ado-wit-discovery.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/workitems/discovery/**	Work item discovery protocol
ado/ado-wit-planning.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/workitems/**	Work item planning specifications

GitHub Integration

File	Applies To	Purpose
github/community-interaction.instructions.md	**/.github/instructions/github-backlog-*.instructions.md	GitHub-facing communication patterns
github/github-backlog-discovery.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/github-issues/discovery/**	Issue discovery protocol
github/github-backlog-planning.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/github-issues/**	Backlog planning specifications
github/github-backlog-triage.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/github-issues/triage/**	Issue triage workflow
github/github-backlog-update.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/github-issues/**/handoff-logs.md	Issue execution workflow

Jira Integration

File	Applies To	Purpose
jira/jira-backlog-discovery.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/jira-issues/discovery/**	Jira issue discovery protocol
jira/jira-backlog-planning.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/jira-issues/**	Jira backlog planning specifications
jira/jira-backlog-triage.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/jira-issues/triage/**	Jira issue triage workflow
jira/jira-backlog-update.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/jira-issues/**/handoff-logs.md	Jira issue execution workflow
jira/jira-wit-planning.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/jira-issues/prds/**	Jira PRD work item planning

Planning and Governance Agents

The instructions below are scoped to specific planning agents and their .copilot-tracking/ working directories rather than to general source edits.

Accessibility

File	Applies To	Purpose
accessibility/accessibility-identity.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/accessibility/**	Accessibility Planner identity and workflow
accessibility/accessibility-license-posture.instructions.md	**/.github/skills/accessibility/**, **/.copilot-tracking/accessibility/**	Accessibility licensing overlay

Privacy

File	Applies To	Purpose
privacy/privacy-identity.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/privacy-plans/**	Privacy Planner identity and workflow

Responsible AI

File	Applies To	Purpose
rai-planning/rai-identity.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/rai-plans/**	RAI Planner identity and workflow
rai-planning/rai-license-posture.instructions.md	**/skills/rai**/**, **/.copilot-tracking/rai-plans/**	RAI licensing overlay

Project Planning (ADRs)

File	Applies To	Purpose
project-planning/adr-identity.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/adr-plans/**, **/docs/planning/adrs/**	ADR Creator identity and state machine
project-planning/adr-standards.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/adr-plans/**, **/docs/planning/adrs/**	Embedded ADR standards (MADR, Y-Statement)
project-planning/adr-byo-template.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/adr-plans/**, **/docs/planning/adrs/**	BYO ADR template contract
project-planning/adr-handoff.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/adr-plans/**, **/docs/planning/adrs/**	ADR Govern-phase handoff protocol

Security

File	Applies To	Purpose
security/identity.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/security-plans/**	Security Planner identity and workflow
security/standards-mapping.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/security-plans/**	OWASP and NIST standards references
security/sssc-planner.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/sssc-plans/**	SSSC Planner identity and workflow
security/vex-standards.instructions.md	**/security/vex/**, **/.copilot-tracking/security/vex/**	OpenVEX document standards
security/vex-generation.instructions.md	Security reviewer agents	VEX generation rules

Shared Planner Scaffolds

File	Applies To	Purpose
shared/hve-core-location.instructions.md	**	Fallback location guidance for hve-core artifacts
shared/content-policy-citation.instructions.md	**/*.agent.md, **/*.prompt.md, **/*.instructions.md, **/SKILL.md	Content-policy and terms-of-service guardrails
shared/story-quality.instructions.md	**/*.agent.md, **/.github/instructions/ado/**	Story quality conventions
shared/coaching-patterns.instructions.md	Planning agents	Exploration-first coaching patterns
shared/planner-identity-base.instructions.md	Planning agents	Shared planner identity scaffold
shared/disclaimer-language.instructions.md	Planning and review agents	Professional-review disclaimer language
shared/telemetry-overlay.instructions.md	Planning and review agents	Telemetry vocabulary overlay
shared/untrusted-content-boundary.instructions.md	Planning and DT/UX agents	Untrusted-content boundary rules

Experimental

File	Applies To	Purpose
experimental/experiment-designer.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/mve/**	MVE experiment designer conventions
experimental/graphify.instructions.md	**/graphify-out/**	Graphify knowledge-graph evidence conventions
experimental/pptx.instructions.md	**/.copilot-tracking/ppt/**	PowerPoint builder conventions

The experimental/mural/ directory holds the Mural workflow instruction set (bootstrap, seeding, writeback, and log-hygiene rules) scoped to the DT, RAI, and UX/UI agents; see experimental/mural/mural-bootstrap.instructions.md as the entry point.

GitLab Workflow Entry Points

This README indexes instruction files. GitLab delivery support is currently discoverable through the local skill and provider-aware project-planning agents.

• Use ../skills/gitlab/gitlab/SKILL.md when delivery context lives in GitLab and you need merge request, pipeline, or job operations.
• Keep GitLab delivery workflows distinct from backlog planning unless GitLab is also the system of record for work tracking.

XML-Style Blocks

Instructions use XML-style comment blocks for structured content:

• Purpose: Enables automated extraction, better navigation, and consistency
• Format: Kebab-case tags in HTML comments on their own lines
• Examples: <!-- <example-bash> -->, <!-- <schema-config> -->
• Nesting: Allowed with distinct tag names
• Closing: Always required with matching tag names

<!-- <example-terraform> -->
```terraform
resource "azurerm_resource_group" "example" {
  name     = "example-rg"
  location = "eastus"
}
```
<!-- </example-terraform> -->

Creating New Instructions

Use the Prompt Builder compatibility agent or activate the hve-builder skill directly:

1. Open Copilot Chat and select prompt-builder from the agent picker
2. Provide context (files, folders, or requirements)
3. HVE Builder resolves the mode, write boundary, and applicable conventions
4. HVE Builder authors, independently reviews, behavior-tests, and validates the artifact
5. The final response reports each gate and an overall Pass, Revise, Deferred, or Blocked outcome

For manual creation, see Contributing Instructions.

Directory Structure

.github/instructions/
├── accessibility/                    # Accessibility planning
│   ├── accessibility-identity.instructions.md
│   └── accessibility-license-posture.instructions.md
├── ado/                              # Azure DevOps workflows
│   ├── ado-backlog-sprint.instructions.md
│   ├── ado-backlog-triage.instructions.md
│   ├── ado-create-pull-request.instructions.md
│   ├── ado-get-build-info.instructions.md
│   ├── ado-interaction-templates.instructions.md
│   ├── ado-update-wit-items.instructions.md
│   ├── ado-wit-discovery.instructions.md
│   └── ado-wit-planning.instructions.md
├── coding-standards/                 # Language and technology conventions
│   ├── bash/
│   │   └── bash.instructions.md
│   ├── bicep/
│   │   └── bicep.instructions.md
│   ├── code-review/
│   │   ├── diff-computation.instructions.md
│   │   └── review-artifacts.instructions.md
│   ├── csharp/
│   │   ├── csharp.instructions.md
│   │   └── csharp-tests.instructions.md
│   ├── powershell/
│   │   ├── pester.instructions.md
│   │   └── powershell.instructions.md
│   ├── rust/
│   │   ├── rust.instructions.md
│   │   └── rust-tests.instructions.md
│   ├── terraform/
│   │   └── terraform.instructions.md
│   ├── python-script.instructions.md
│   ├── python-tests.instructions.md
│   └── uv-projects.instructions.md
├── experimental/                     # Experimental workflows
│   ├── mural/
│   │   ├── destinations/
│   │   ├── mural-bootstrap.instructions.md
│   │   ├── mural-destinations.instructions.md
│   │   ├── mural-human-record.instructions.md
│   │   ├── mural-log-hygiene.instructions.md
│   │   ├── mural-seeding-patterns.instructions.md
│   │   ├── mural-writeback-hygiene.instructions.md
│   │   └── mural-writing-style.instructions.md
│   ├── experiment-designer.instructions.md
│   ├── graphify.instructions.md
│   └── pptx.instructions.md
├── github/                           # GitHub integration
│   ├── community-interaction.instructions.md
│   ├── github-backlog-discovery.instructions.md
│   ├── github-backlog-planning.instructions.md
│   ├── github-backlog-triage.instructions.md
│   └── github-backlog-update.instructions.md
├── hve-core/                         # HVE Core workflow
│   ├── commit-message.instructions.md
│   ├── copilot-tracking.instructions.md
│   ├── git-merge.instructions.md
│   ├── licensing-posture.instructions.md
│   ├── markdown.instructions.md
│   ├── hve-builder.instructions.md
│   ├── pull-request.instructions.md
│   └── writing-style.instructions.md
├── jira/                             # Jira backlog workflows
│   ├── jira-backlog-discovery.instructions.md
│   ├── jira-backlog-planning.instructions.md
│   ├── jira-backlog-triage.instructions.md
│   ├── jira-backlog-update.instructions.md
│   └── jira-wit-planning.instructions.md
├── privacy/                          # Privacy planning
│   └── privacy-identity.instructions.md
├── project-planning/                 # Project planning and ADRs
│   ├── adr-byo-template.instructions.md
│   ├── adr-handoff.instructions.md
│   ├── adr-identity.instructions.md
│   └── adr-standards.instructions.md
├── rai-planning/                     # Responsible AI planning
│   ├── rai-identity.instructions.md
│   └── rai-license-posture.instructions.md
├── security/                         # Security planning
│   ├── identity.instructions.md
│   ├── sssc-planner.instructions.md
│   ├── standards-mapping.instructions.md
│   ├── vex-generation.instructions.md
│   └── vex-standards.instructions.md
├── shared/                           # Cross-collection
│   ├── coaching-patterns.instructions.md
│   ├── content-policy-citation.instructions.md
│   ├── disclaimer-language.instructions.md
│   ├── hve-core-location.instructions.md
│   ├── planner-identity-base.instructions.md
│   ├── story-quality.instructions.md
│   ├── telemetry-overlay.instructions.md
│   └── untrusted-content-boundary.instructions.md
├── docusaurus-edits.instructions.md
├── pull-request.instructions.md
├── skill-security-model.instructions.md
├── workflows.instructions.md
└── README.md

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🤖 Crafted with precision by ✨Copilot following brilliant human instruction, then carefully refined by our team of discerning human reviewers.