Copilot Sync Skill

Synchronize GitHub Copilot configuration files from the base template to existing codebases.

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Triggers

Activate this skill when user mentions:

• "sync copilot", "copilot sync"
• "update copilot files", "update copilot configuration"
• "sync copilot config", "sync configuration"
• "bring project up to date with copilot"
• "#copilot-sync"

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Description

The Copilot Sync skill synchronizes all Copilot-related files from the github-copilot-base template to an existing codebase:

1. Agents - All .github/agents/*.md files
2. Prompts - All .github/prompts/*.prompt.md files
3. Skills - All .github/skills/*/ directories
4. Instructions - .github/copilot-instructions.md
5. PRP Framework - PRPs/ templates
6. Supporting Docs - Background workflow, style guides

Key Features:

• 💾 Automatic backups before overwriting
• 👁️ Dry-run mode for previewing changes
• ✅ Validation of target repository
• 📊 Detailed sync statistics

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Workflow Steps

1. Gather Information

Collect the following using ask_user:

Question	Purpose	Validation
Target path	Codebase to sync to	Must exist, must be Git repo
Dry run?	Preview changes first	Yes/No

2. Validate Target

# Check path exists
if (-not (Test-Path $TargetPath -PathType Container)) {
    Write-Error "Path does not exist"
}

# Check it's a Git repository
if (-not (Test-Path (Join-Path $TargetPath ".git"))) {
    Write-Error "Not a Git repository"
}

3. Execute Sync

Dry Run (Preview):

$TemplateRepo = "E:\Repos\HouseGarofalo\github-copilot-base"
& "$TemplateRepo\scripts\sync-copilot.ps1" -TargetPath $TargetPath -DryRun

Apply Changes:

$TemplateRepo = "E:\Repos\HouseGarofalo\github-copilot-base"
& "$TemplateRepo\scripts\sync-copilot.ps1" -TargetPath $TargetPath

Force (No Prompts):

& "$TemplateRepo\scripts\sync-copilot.ps1" -TargetPath $TargetPath -Force

4. Post-Sync Guidance

After sync, guide user to:

1. Review copilot-instructions.md - Add project-specific context
2. Check backups - In .copilot-backup/ folder
3. Commit changes:

   git add .github PRPs docs
   git commit -m "chore: sync Copilot configuration from github-copilot-base"
   

5. Output Summary

Provide completion summary with:

• Files synced count
• New files count
• Backups created
• Next steps

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What Gets Synced

Category	Path	Description
Agents	.github/agents/	44+ custom agents
Prompts	.github/prompts/	50+ prompt files
Skills	.github/skills/	80+ skill definitions
Chat Modes	.github/chatmodes/	Chat mode configs
Instructions	.github/copilot-instructions.md	Main instructions
Background Workflow	.github/BACKGROUND_WORKFLOW.md	Multi-agent docs
Copilot Config	.github/copilot/	Copilot settings
VS Code Settings	.vscode/	Settings, extensions, MCP config
Copilot Ignore	.copilotignore	Files excluded from Copilot
Git Attributes	.gitattributes	Line endings and file handling
Pre-commit Config	.pre-commit-config.yaml	Secret detection (gitleaks)
Worktree Helper	scripts/worktree-helper.ps1	Git worktree utilities
PRP Framework	PRPs/	Templates & docs
Style Guide	docs/STYLE_GUIDE.md	Doc standards

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Options

Option	Description	Default
-TargetPath	Path to target codebase	Required
-DryRun	Preview only, no changes	False
-NoBackup	Skip creating backups	False
-Force	Skip confirmation prompts	False

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Backup & Recovery

Backup Location:

<target>\.copilot-backup\
├── .github\
│   ├── copilot-instructions.md.<timestamp>.backup
│   └── agents\*.backup
└── PRPs\*.backup

Restore a File:

Copy-Item "<backup_file>" "<original_path>" -Force

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Error Handling

Error	Resolution
Path doesn't exist	Provide valid path
Not a Git repo	Initialize with git init
Permission denied	Check write access
Backup failed	Use -NoBackup or check disk space

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Prerequisites

• Git installed
• Target must be an existing Git repository
• Write access to target directory

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Example

User: #copilot-sync E:\Repos\MyOrg\my-project

Copilot: 🔄 Copilot Sync

Validating target... ✅
Target is a Git repository... ✅

Would you like to preview changes first?
> Yes

📋 Dry Run:
   Would sync: 150 files
   New: 45 | Updated: 105

Apply changes?
> Yes

Syncing... ✅
Backing up existing files... ✅

🎉 Sync Complete!
   Files synced: 150
   Backups: .copilot-backup/

Next steps:
1. Review .github/copilot-instructions.md
2. Commit changes

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Related

• Copilot Sync Agent
• Copilot Sync Prompt
• Sync Script
• Project Wizard - For new projects