GitHub Copilot Quick Start

---

Install & Deploy

1. Install

npm install -g aiwg

2. Deploy to your project

cd /path/to/your/project

# Deploy all 4 artifact types for Copilot
aiwg use sdlc --provider copilot

3. Commit and push

git add .github/
git commit -m "Add AIWG custom agents for GitHub Copilot"
git push

4. Regenerate for intelligent integration

/aiwg-regenerate

`aiwg use` already wrote the project context, so natural-language command mapping ("run security review" → workflow) works right away via AIWG's Discover-First protocol. On an existing project, or to pull in the latest AIWG, run this to re-tailor the context to your codebase — optional on a brand-new project. See the Regenerate Guide for details.

5. You're ready. See the Intake Guide for starting projects.

---

What Gets Created

.github/
├── agents/                  # Custom agents (.agent.md format)
│   ├── architecture-designer.agent.md
│   ├── security-architect.agent.md
│   └── ...
├── prompts/                 # Slash commands (.prompt.md format)
│   ├── security-review.prompt.md
│   └── ...
├── instructions/            # Path-scoped rules (.instructions.md format)
│   ├── token-security.instructions.md
│   └── ...
└── copilot-instructions.md  # Repository-wide instructions

.vscode/
└── mcp.json                 # MCP server configuration (optional)

.aiwg/                       # SDLC artifacts

Copilot File Formats

GitHub Copilot uses Markdown files with YAML frontmatter:

Directory	Extension	Purpose
`.github/agents/`	`.agent.md`	Custom agent definitions
`.github/prompts/`	`.prompt.md`	Custom slash commands
`.github/instructions/`	`.instructions.md`	Path-scoped conditional rules
`.github/copilot-instructions.md`	(single file)	Repository-wide instructions

---

Using Agents

Invoke via @-mention in Copilot Chat:

@security-architect Review the authentication implementation
@test-engineer Generate unit tests for the user service
@code-reviewer Review this PR for quality issues

Custom Slash Commands

AIWG commands deploy as prompt files, invokable via `/name`:

/security-review Audit the auth module
/generate-tests Add tests for the API layer

---

Copilot Coding Agent

Assign issues directly to Copilot for autonomous PR creation:

1. Navigate to an issue 2. In Assignees, select Copilot 3. Copilot analyzes the codebase, implements changes, runs tests 4. A pull request is created for human review

The coding agent reads `.github/copilot-instructions.md` for project context. It runs in a GitHub Actions sandbox with network access controls.

---

MCP Integration

GitHub Copilot supports MCP (Model Context Protocol) in two contexts:

VS Code Agent Mode

MCP is GA in VS Code. Configure servers in `.vscode/mcp.json`:

{
  "servers": {
    "aiwg": {
      "type": "stdio",
      "command": "aiwg",
      "args": ["mcp", "serve"]
    }
  }
}

Once configured, Copilot agent mode can call AIWG MCP tools (`discover`, `command-run`, `artifact-read`, etc.) directly.

Coding Agent

The coding agent supports MCP servers configured via GitHub.com Settings > Copilot > Coding agent. This is a UI-based JSON configuration, not a committed file.

See Copilot MCP Integration for full details.

---

Agent Loop

Agent loops support multi-provider execution. While Copilot agents are deployed via AIWG, agent task loops run through the CLI:

aiwg ralph "Fix all tests" --completion "npm test passes"

See Al Guide for full documentation including `--provider` options.

---

Path-Scoped Instructions

Copilot supports conditional rules that apply only when working with specific file types:

---
name: TypeScript Rules
description: Style rules for TypeScript files
applyTo: '**/*.ts,**/*.tsx'
---

Use strict TypeScript. Prefer interfaces over types.
Always use explicit return types on public functions.

Place these in `.github/instructions/`. AIWG deploys rules as path-scoped instructions with appropriate `applyTo` patterns.

---

Agent Definition Format

AIWG agents deploy as `.agent.md` files with YAML frontmatter:

---
name: architecture-designer
description: System architecture and technical decisions
tools: ['search/codebase', 'edit', 'web/fetch', 'agent']
model: gpt-4o
---

You are an Architecture Designer specializing in...

Available Fields

Field	Purpose
`name`	Agent name shown in dropdown
`description`	Placeholder text in chat
`tools`	Available tools (built-in or MCP)
`model`	Model or prioritized model list
`agents`	Subagent access (`['*']` = all)
`target`	`vscode` or `github-copilot`
`mcp-servers`	Agent-scoped MCP servers
`hooks`	Lifecycle hooks (Preview)
`handoffs`	Next-agent transitions

---

Troubleshooting

Natural language not working? Run regenerate:

/aiwg-regenerate

Agents not appearing? Ensure committed and pushed:

git status
git push

Redeploy if needed:

aiwg use sdlc --provider copilot --force

MCP tools not available? Check `.vscode/mcp.json` exists and the server is running:

aiwg mcp serve

---

Platform Reference

For the full capability reference including all Copilot features, field schemas, and tool mappings, see the Copilot Quickstart.