Using zero-skills with GitHub Copilot

February 1, 2026 · View on GitHub

This guide explains how to use zero-skills with GitHub Copilot in VS Code.

Installation

Step 1: Clone zero-skills

cd your-gozero-project/

# Clone to a local directory
git clone https://github.com/zeromicro/zero-skills.git .ai-context/zero-skills

Step 2: Create Copilot Instructions

Create .github/copilot-instructions.md in your project:

# go-zero Development Instructions

You are an expert in go-zero microservices framework development.

## Architecture

Follow the three-layer architecture strictly:
- **Handler**: HTTP routing and request/response handling only
- **Logic**: All business logic goes here
- **Model**: Data access and database operations

## Code Patterns

### REST API Handler
```go
func (l *UserLogic) GetUser(req *types.GetUserReq) (*types.GetUserResp, error) {
    user, err := l.svcCtx.UserModel.FindOne(l.ctx, req.Id)
    if err != nil {
        return nil, err
    }
    return &types.GetUserResp{
        Id:   user.Id,
        Name: user.Name,
    }, nil
}

Error Handling

  • Use httpx.Error(w, err) for errors
  • Use httpx.OkJson(w, resp) for success
  • Never use fmt.Fprintf() directly

Configuration

  • Use conf.MustLoad(&c, *configFile)
  • Never hard-code values

Commands

# Generate API
goctl api go -api user.api -dir .

# Generate model
goctl model mysql datasource -url="..." -table="users" -dir="./model"

Key Rules

  1. Never put business logic in handlers
  2. Always use ServiceContext for dependencies
  3. Always pass ctx through all layers
  4. Use goctl for code generation

## Usage

### Inline Suggestions

Copilot provides inline suggestions as you type. With the instructions file, it will follow go-zero patterns.

### Copilot Chat

Use Copilot Chat for more complex questions:

How do I add middleware to my go-zero API?


### Reference Pattern Files

For detailed patterns, ask Copilot to read files:

@workspace Read .ai-context/zero-skills/references/rest-api-patterns.md and help me create a user API


## Example Workflows

### Creating a New API

1. **Define the API file:**

Help me create a user.api file for a user management service


2. **Generate code:**
```bash
goctl api go -api user.api -dir .
  1. Implement logic: 
    Help me implement the GetUser logic following go-zero patterns

Adding Database Support

  1. Ask for model generation:

    What goctl command should I use to generate a model for the users table?

  2. Implement data access:

    Help me add the user model to ServiceContext

Troubleshooting

I'm getting "http: named cookie not present" error in my go-zero API

Tips

Keep Instructions Concise

GitHub Copilot has token limits. Keep .github/copilot-instructions.md focused:

  • Key principles only
  • Short code examples
  • Reference external files for details

Use @workspace

Reference your entire workspace:

@workspace What go-zero services do we have?

Combine with ai-context

For minimal instructions, use ai-context:

# .github/copilot-instructions.md

Follow go-zero patterns from .ai-context/ai-context/
For detailed patterns, see .ai-context/zero-skills/references/

Open Pattern Files

Keep pattern files open in editor tabs. Copilot uses open files as context.

Limitations

Compared to Claude Code, GitHub Copilot:

  • No native skills support
  • Limited instruction file size
  • No automatic pattern loading
  • No subagent workflows
  • Primarily inline suggestions

Workspace Settings

Optionally configure in .vscode/settings.json:

{
  "github.copilot.chat.codeGeneration.instructions": [
    {
      "text": "Follow go-zero three-layer architecture: Handler → Logic → Model"
    },
    {
      "text": "Use httpx.Error() for errors and httpx.OkJson() for success responses"
    },
    {
      "text": "Always use goctl for code generation"
    }
  ]
}

Troubleshooting

Instructions Not Applied

Problem: Copilot ignores go-zero patterns.

Solutions:

  1. Verify .github/copilot-instructions.md exists
  2. Restart VS Code
  3. Open pattern files in editor tabs
  4. Use explicit @workspace references

Suggestions Are Generic

Problem: Copilot gives generic Go code, not go-zero specific.

Solutions:

  1. Add more go-zero examples to instructions
  2. Reference pattern files explicitly
  3. Keep go-zero files open in editor

Context Limit Reached

Problem: Instructions file is too large.

Solutions:

  1. Keep instructions under 200 lines
  2. Use ai-context for concise rules
  3. Reference pattern files instead of inlining

Additional Resources