Sync To Copilot

Skill: sync-to-copilot

Sync Claude Code knowledge to GitHub Copilot instructions. Two-tier output: project-specific + common protocol.

Quick Summary

Purpose: Keep Copilot instructions in sync with Claude Code workflows, dev rules, and project-reference docs.

Architecture (Two-Tier):

1. .github/copilot-instructions.md — Project-specific (always loaded by Copilot)

   • TL;DR golden rules, decision table
   • Project-reference docs index with READ prompts
   • Key file locations, dev commands

2. .github/instructions/common-protocol.instructions.md — Generic protocols (applyTo: **/*)

   • Prompt protocol, before-editing rules
   • Workflow catalog (from workflows.json)
   • Workflow execution protocol
   • Development rules (from development-rules.md)

3. .github/instructions/{group}.instructions.md — Per-group (applyTo: file patterns)

   • Enhanced summaries per doc with READ prompts
   • Groups: backend, frontend, styling, testing, project

What gets synced:

• Workflow catalog (from workflows.json) — SCRIPT-GENERATED
• Dev rules (from development-rules.md) — SCRIPT-GENERATED
• Project-reference summaries (from copilot-registry.json) — SCRIPT-GENERATED
• Enriched section headings and key patterns — AI-GENERATED (this skill)

Usage:

/sync-to-copilot

Script: .claude/scripts/sync-copilot-workflows.cjs

Be skeptical. Apply critical thinking, sequential thinking. Every claim needs traced proof, confidence percentages (Idea should be more than 80%).

When to Use This Skill

Trigger this skill when:

• Workflows added/modified — After editing .claude/workflows.json
• Development rules changed — After editing .claude/workflows/development-rules.md
• Project-reference docs updated — After modifying files in docs/project-reference/
• Registry entries changed — After editing docs/copilot-registry.json
• Regular maintenance — Quarterly sync to ensure Copilot parity
• Copilot setup — First-time Copilot instructions creation

Workflow

Phase 1: Script Generation (Automated)

node .claude/scripts/sync-copilot-workflows.cjs

This generates:

• .github/copilot-instructions.md — project-specific with registry summaries
• .github/instructions/common-protocol.instructions.md — generic protocols
• .github/instructions/{group}.instructions.md — per-group instruction files
• Removes old .github/common.copilot-instructions.md if it exists

Phase 2: AI Enrichment (This Skill)

After the script runs, the AI MUST enrich the generated instruction files:

1. For each per-group instruction file in .github/instructions/:

   • Read the corresponding docs/project-reference/*.md source file
   • Extract the ## section headings from the source file
   • Add a "Key Sections" list under each doc entry showing the headings
   • Keep it concise — headings only, no content duplication

2. For .github/copilot-instructions.md:

   • Verify the TL;DR golden rules in docs/copilot-registry.json → projectInstructions.goldenRules still match CLAUDE.md
   • Check if any new project-reference files exist but are missing from docs/copilot-registry.json
   • If missing entries found, add them to the registry and re-run the script

3. For docs/copilot-registry.json:

   • Verify each summary field accurately describes the current file content
   • Update stale summaries based on actual file content
   • Add entries for any new docs/project-reference/*.md files

Phase 3: Verification

Check that:

• .github/copilot-instructions.md contains project-specific content
• .github/instructions/common-protocol.instructions.md contains protocols + workflow catalog
• Per-group instruction files contain READ prompts
• No old common.copilot-instructions.md file remains
• Workflow count matches workflows.json
• All project-reference files are represented in the registry

AI Enrichment Protocol

When enriching per-group instruction files, follow this pattern for each doc entry:

## [Doc Title](relative/path)

**Summary:** One-line summary from registry.

**Key Sections:**

- Section 1 Name
- Section 2 Name
- Section 3 Name
- ...

> **READ** `docs/project-reference/filename.md` when: trigger description

Rules:

• Extract ONLY ## level headings from the source file (not ### or deeper)
• Do NOT copy content — just list heading names
• Keep the READ prompt from the registry whenToRead field
• If a file is very large (>30KB), note the file size: (~59KB - read relevant sections)

Output Files

Copilot Limitations

Copilot can't enforce protocols like Claude Code hooks:

• No blocking operations (edit-enforcement, search-before-code)
• Relies on LLM instruction-following (not guaranteed)
• Protocols are advisory, not enforced
• No runtime context injection — all context must be in instruction files

Benefits:

• Consistent guidance across AI tools
• Same workflow detection for Claude and Copilot users
• READ prompts enable on-demand context loading
• Automated sync reduces configuration drift

Troubleshooting

Issue: "workflows.json not found"

Solution: Ensure you're running from project root

Issue: Missing project-reference files in registry

Solution: Add entries to docs/copilot-registry.json, then re-run script

Issue: Stale summaries

Solution: Run this skill — AI will read files and update summaries

Related Skills

• /ai-dev-tools-sync — Broader Claude/Copilot sync (skills, prompts, agents)
• /sync-copilot-workflows — Workflow-only sync (subset of this skill)

References

• Script: .claude/scripts/sync-copilot-workflows.cjs
• Registry: docs/copilot-registry.json
• Sources: .claude/workflows.json, .claude/workflows/development-rules.md
• Main output: .github/copilot-instructions.md
• Instruction files: .github/instructions/*.instructions.md