tomevault-io Copilot Skill
When to use
Use this skill when:
- Editing
.github/copilot-instructions.mdto improve Copilot behavior - Dealing with Copilot PR review comments (via
/fix-pr-comments) - Analyzing Copilot's review patterns to identify recurring false positives
- Tuning Copilot's code suggestions for the project
Do NOT use when:
- Augment-specific behavior (use Augment rules and skills)
- Writing application code
Procedure: Configure Copilot
- Inspect current Copilot config — Read
.github/copilot-instructions.md(if any) and the What Copilot Can and Cannot Read table below to confirm Copilot Code Review vs. Chat scope. - Decide self-contained scope — Identify which rules must live in
copilot-instructions.md(PR-review-relevant) vs..augment/(agent-only). - Apply changes — Edit
copilot-instructions.mdwith coding-standards, review-comment rules, and any new conventions; keep it self-contained. - Verify — Open a draft PR, confirm Copilot reads the new rules; for Chat, ask Copilot to summarize the active instructions.
Configuration File
.github/copilot-instructions.md — the single source of truth for Copilot behavior.
What Copilot Can and Cannot Read
| Context | Copilot Code Review (PR bot) | Copilot Chat (IDE) |
|---|---|---|
.github/copilot-instructions.md |
✅ Reads automatically | ✅ Reads automatically |
.augment/rules/ |
❌ Cannot access | ✅ Can read if referenced |
.augment/skills/ |
❌ Cannot access | ✅ Can read if referenced |
.augment/guidelines/ |
❌ Cannot access | ✅ Can read if referenced |
AGENTS.md |
❌ Cannot access | ✅ Can read if referenced |
agents/ |
❌ Cannot access | ✅ Can read if referenced |
Key implication: copilot-instructions.md must be self-contained for PR reviews.
It cannot reference .augment/ files and expect Copilot Code Review to follow them.
For Copilot Chat users, a hint at the top of the file points to .augment/ for deeper context.
What Copilot Controls
| Area | How |
|---|---|
| Code suggestions | Follows coding standards, PHP 8.2 patterns, Laravel conventions |
| PR reviews | Reviews only modified lines + direct dependencies |
| Comment behavior | Deduplication rules, reply handling, scope control |
| Language | English code comments, bilingual PR comments (EN + DE) |
Relationship to .augment/
copilot-instructions.md and .augment/ serve different audiences:
copilot-instructions.md |
.augment/ |
|
|---|---|---|
| Audience | GitHub Copilot (bot + chat) | Augment Agent |
| Scope | Coding standards, review rules | Full agent infrastructure |
| Self-contained? | Yes (must be) | Yes (skills reference each other) |
| Duplication | Intentional — Copilot can't read .augment/ |
No duplication needed |
When updating coding rules, check if both files need the change:
- Architecture/coding rules → update both (Copilot needs them self-contained)
- Agent workflows/commands → only
.augment/(Copilot doesn't use these) - PR review behavior → only
copilot-instructions.md(Augment uses/fix-pr-*commands)
PR Review Comment Rules
Copilot is configured with strict comment behavior rules:
Deduplication
Before creating a comment, Copilot must:
- Check if it already commented on the same line/concern
- Check if another reviewer already raised the same point
- Skip if a duplicate would be created
Reply Handling
| Developer response | Copilot action |
|---|---|
| Accepted suggestion | Acknowledge briefly or resolve |
| Rejected with reason | Accept the decision, do NOT re-raise |
| Asked a question | Answer with analysis and examples |
| Dismissed without explanation | Move on, do NOT re-raise |
Key Principle
One comment per concern per location. Never duplicate, never re-raise rejected suggestions.
Handling Copilot Bot Comments (as Augment Agent)
When the user asks to fix Copilot's PR review comments (via /fix-pr-comments):
1. Evaluate Each Comment
For each Copilot comment, determine:
| Category | Action |
|---|---|
| Valid and actionable | Fix the code as suggested |
| Valid but already handled | Reply explaining it's already addressed (e.g., by ECS/Rector) |
| False positive | Reply explaining why the suggestion doesn't apply |
| Style nitpick | Reply that ECS/Rector handles this automatically |
| Out of scope | Reply that the comment is outside the PR's change scope |
2. Reply Format
When replying to Copilot comments on behalf of the user:
{English explanation}
---
🇩🇪 {German translation}
3. Common False Positives
Copilot frequently suggests things that conflict with project conventions:
| Copilot suggests | Project convention | Response |
|---|---|---|
Add null !== $var with is_string() |
is_string() already excludes null |
False positive — redundant check |
| Register events manually | Laravel 11 uses event discovery | Not needed since Laravel 11 |
Use float for money |
Use Math helper class |
Project uses BCMath via Math::*() |
| Add PHPDoc repeating signature | Only add PHPDoc when types are insufficient | Redundant documentation |
Suggest array() syntax |
Short syntax [] enforced by ECS |
Auto-fixed by ECS |
Add final to mocked classes |
Classes mocked by Mockery can't be final | Would break tests |
Improving Copilot Instructions
When updating .github/copilot-instructions.md:
Structure
- Each section starts with
## ✅ {Title} - Rules are bullet points, concise and actionable
- Code examples use
✅ Correct/❌ Wrongpattern - Keep sections focused — one concern per section
When to Add New Rules
| Trigger | Action |
|---|---|
| Copilot repeatedly makes the same wrong suggestion | Add to "Known Issues" section |
| New project convention introduced | Add to the relevant section |
| Copilot ignores scope control | Strengthen "Code Review Scope" section |
| Copilot creates duplicate comments | Strengthen "Comment Behavior" section |
When NOT to Add Rules
- Don't add rules for things ECS/Rector auto-fix (Copilot doesn't need to know)
- Don't add rules that duplicate
AGENTS.mdcontent (Copilot doesn't readAGENTS.md) - Don't add overly specific rules for one-off situations
Relationship to Other Tools
| Tool | Role | Config |
|---|---|---|
| Copilot | IDE suggestions + PR reviews | .github/copilot-instructions.md |
| Augment | Agent workflows + deep analysis | .augment/ + agents/ |
| Greptile | PR review bot (if enabled) | Separate config |
| ECS | Code style auto-fix | ecs.php (project root) |
| Rector | Code refactoring auto-fix | rector.php (project root) |
| PHPStan | Static analysis | phpstan.neon (project root) |
Copilot and Augment complement each other:
- Copilot handles real-time suggestions and automated PR reviews
- Augment handles complex workflows, deep analysis, and multi-step tasks
Related
- File:
.github/copilot-instructions.md— Copilot configuration - Command:
/fix-pr-comments— fix all review comments (bot + human) - Skill:
code-review— PR review process and conventions
Output format
- Updated copilot-instructions.md or related config file
- Summary of changes and which Copilot behavior is affected
Gotcha
- copilot-instructions.md is for GitHub Copilot, NOT for Augment — don't mix audiences.
- Don't duplicate .augment/ content into copilot-instructions.md — it bloats the file and causes drift.
- Copilot reads the ENTIRE instructions file on every request — keep it under 500 lines.
Do NOT
- Do NOT let Copilot generate code that violates project coding standards.
- Do NOT accept Copilot review comments without verifying them against the codebase.
Auto-trigger keywords
- GitHub Copilot
- copilot instructions
- PR review
- copilot behavior
Source: event4u-app/agent-config — distributed by TomeVault.