Best GitHub Copilot Instructions: Complete Guide 2025
Compare top sources, find quality instructions, and build better apps with GitHub Copilot AI
GitHub Copilot instructions are custom guidelines that shape how GitHub Copilot generates code for your repository. GitHub supports three types: repository-wide instructions (.github/copilot-instructions.md), path-specific instructions (.github/instructions/*.instructions.md), and custom chat modes (.github/chatmodes/*.chatmode.md) that create specialized AI personas for tasks like code review, testing, or architecture design.
Whether you're building with React, Next.js, Python, or Go, the right GitHub Copilot instructions and chat modes dramatically improve AI-generated code quality, enforce conventions, and reduce the need for manual corrections.
This guide compares the best GitHub Copilot instructions sources and shows you how to find, test, and install quality instructions and chat modes for your projects.
Where to Find the Best GitHub Copilot Instructions
GitHub Copilot instructions are scattered across multiple sources with varying quality. Here are the main places developers look:
1. PRPM (prpm.dev) - Full Package Management
Best for: Developers who want CLI installation, version control, testing before installing, and cross-editor compatibility.
- CLI installation:
prpm install @package-name— no manual file copying - Testing playground: Test instructions with real AI models before installing
- Quality metrics: Automated quality scoring (0-5 stars), download counts, user ratings
- Version control: Semantic versioning, update management, dependency tracking
- Format conversion: Install Cursor rules, Claude skills, or Windsurf rules as Copilot format
- All Copilot types: Repository-wide (
.github/copilot-instructions.md), path-specific (.github/instructions/*.instructions.md), and chat modes (.github/chatmodes/*.chatmode.md) - 7000+ packages: Largest collection including awesome-copilot packages
- Free tier: Unlimited browsing, installation, and publishing
2. GitHub Awesome-Copilot - Official Collection
Best for: Developers looking for Microsoft-curated, official Copilot instructions.
Source: github.com/github/awesome-copilot
- Official Microsoft collection: Maintained by GitHub team
- High-quality examples: Go, Power Apps, accessibility, CosmosDB
- Chat modes included: Power BI expert, performance expert, and other specialized personas
- Single repository: All instructions in one GitHub repo
- Manual installation: Clone repo and copy files manually
- No version control: Must pull repo for updates
- No testing: Install first, test later
- Limited discoverability: Browse repo structure, no search
3. GitHub Gists - Community Sharing
Best for: Quick snippets and one-off instructions shared by individual developers.
- Easy sharing: Create and share Gists quickly
- Community-driven: Developers share what works for them
- Fragmented: No central index, hard to discover quality content
- No quality signals: Can't tell if instruction is good without trying
- Stale content: Gists rarely updated, may use outdated patterns
- Manual process: Copy-paste into your
.github/copilot-instructions.md - No version tracking: No way to know when instructions change
4. Public Repositories - Embedded Instructions
Best for: Learning from real-world projects and seeing instructions in context.
- Real-world examples: See how production projects use Copilot
- Context available: Understand why specific instructions were chosen
- Hard to find: Instructions buried in repo files, difficult to search
- Project-specific: May not generalize to your use case
- No reusability: Must manually extract and adapt
- Update tracking: Impossible to track changes across repos
Feature Comparison
| Feature | PRPM | Awesome-Copilot | GitHub Gists | Public Repos |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| CLI Installation | ✓ prpm install | ✗ Manual copy | ✗ Manual copy | ✗ Clone & extract |
| Testing Before Install | ✓ Playground | ✗ None | ✗ None | ✗ None |
| Quality Metrics | ✓ Automated scoring | ~ Microsoft curated | ✗ None | ✗ None |
| Version Control | ✓ Semantic versioning | ~ Git commits | ~ Gist revisions | ~ Repo history |
| Format Conversion | ✓ Any format → Copilot | ✗ Copilot only | ✗ As published | ✗ As published |
| Collection Size | 7000+ packages | ~60 official | Scattered | Unknown |
| Update Management | ✓ prpm update | ~ git pull | ✗ Manual check | ✗ Manual tracking |
| Discoverability | ✓ Search & filter | ~ Browse repo | ✗ Scattered | ✗ Hidden in code |
| Best For | Production teams | Learning official patterns | Quick snippets | Real-world examples |
How to Find the Best GitHub Copilot Instructions
Finding quality GitHub Copilot instructions for your specific tech stack is crucial. Here's what to look for:
1. Match Your Technology Stack
The best GitHub Copilot instructions are tailored to your frameworks and languages. Look for instructions designed for:
- Languages: TypeScript, Python, Go, Java, JavaScript
- Frontend: React, Next.js, Vue, Angular, Svelte
- Backend: Node.js, Django, FastAPI, NestJS, Flask
- Cloud: Azure Cosmos DB, Power Platform, AWS services
- Domains: Accessibility, testing, performance, security
2. Check Quality Signals
On PRPM, every GitHub Copilot instruction package includes quality metrics:
- Automated quality score: 0-5 star rating based on content analysis
- Download count: How many developers trust this instruction
- User ratings: Real feedback from production use
- Official badge: Identifies packages from awesome-copilot
- Maintenance status: Last updated, version history
3. Test Before Installing
PRPM's playground lets you test GitHub Copilot instructions with real AI models before committing:
# Test instruction with your actual prompt
prpm playground @awesome-copilot/copilot-go "Create HTTP server with middleware"
# See exactly what code quality you'll get
# Then decide if it's the right instruction for your projectNo other source offers this — Gists and repos require installation before you can test effectiveness.
4. Version Control & Updates
The best GitHub Copilot instructions evolve with framework updates. PRPM provides semantic versioning:
# Install specific version
prpm install @awesome-copilot/copilot-go@1.0.0
# Update to latest
prpm update @awesome-copilot/copilot-go
# See changelog
prpm info @awesome-copilot/copilot-goQuick Start
# Install PRPM CLI
npm install -g prpm
# Search best GitHub Copilot instructions
prpm search "react" --format copilot
prpm search "python" --format copilot
prpm search "go" --format copilot
# Test before installing (unique to PRPM)
prpm playground @awesome-copilot/copilot-go "Create REST API"
# Install GitHub Copilot instructions
prpm install @awesome-copilot/copilot-go
# Install for accessibility
prpm install @awesome-copilot/copilot-a11y
# Or convert any Cursor/Claude rule to Copilot format
prpm install @cursor/typescript-strict --format copilot
# Keep instructions updated
prpm updatePopular GitHub Copilot Instructions & Chat Modes
Here are popular GitHub Copilot instruction packages and chat modes available on PRPM (including the full awesome-copilot collection):
Instructions (copilot-instructions.md)
- @awesome-copilot/copilot-go: Idiomatic Go practices and community standards for writing clean Go code
- @awesome-copilot/copilot-a11y: Creating accessible code with WCAG compliance and ARIA best practices
- @awesome-copilot/copilot-power-apps-code-apps: Power Apps Code Apps with TypeScript, React, and Power Platform integration
- @awesome-copilot/copilot-power-apps-canvas-yaml: Power Apps Canvas Apps YAML structure with Power Fx formulas
- @awesome-copilot/copilot-cosmosdb-datamodeling: Azure Cosmos DB data modeling with NoSQL best practices
- @awesome-copilot/copilot-github-copilot-starter: Complete GitHub Copilot configuration for new projects
- @awesome-copilot/copilot-power-platform-connector: Power Platform Custom Connectors with Swagger 2.0
Chat Modes (copilot-chat-modes.md)
Chat modes create specialized AI personas for specific development tasks:
- @awesome-copilot/copilot-power-bi-visualization-expert: Expert Power BI report design and visualization guidance with Microsoft best practices
- @awesome-copilot/copilot-power-bi-performance-expert: Power BI performance optimization for troubleshooting and monitoring queries
Browse all 7000+ packages at prpm.dev/search
Choosing the Right Source
Use PRPM if: You want professional package management, CLI installation, testing before installing, version control, and cross-editor compatibility. Best for production teams and developers who value quality signals and automated workflows.
Use awesome-copilot repository if: You want official Microsoft-curated instructions and don't mind cloning a repo. Good for learning official patterns, but requires manual file management and offers no testing capability.
Use GitHub Gists if: You're looking for quick, one-off snippets from community members. Good for experimentation, but no quality guarantees and difficult to discover or maintain.
Use public repositories if: You want to see real-world examples in production context. Best for learning, but instructions are buried in code and hard to extract or reuse.
Pro tip: Most professional developers use PRPM for production work because it includes all awesome-copilot packages plus thousands more, with quality scoring, CLI installation, and testing. PRPM automatically indexes awesome-copilot and makes it searchable alongside community packages, giving you the best of both official Microsoft content and community contributions.
Start Using the Best GitHub Copilot Instructions Today
Get CLI installation, quality metrics, testing playground, and version control for your GitHub Copilot workflow. 7000+ packages including all awesome-copilot instructions.