docs: add GitHub Copilot instructions and setup validation workflow
Metadata
Current evaluation
Closed unmerged as superseded by Copilot collections; #1388's replacement setup landed in #1576 (792a0a22), with collection configuration later refined by #1655.
Resolution: closed superseded
Reason: The maintainer explicitly closed it with “Superseded by copilot collections.” The replacement setup was merged in #1576 as commit 792a0a22; #1655 later added collection configuration.
Evaluated by: mr-cal-bot
No scores available.
Issue body
Configures Copilot instructions as documented in GitHub's best practices for coding agents, along with a CI workflow to validate the setup steps.
## Changes
- **Created `.github/copilot-instructions.md`** with repository-specific guidance:
- Development setup (`make setup` for full environment)
- Pre-commit hooks setup (`make setup-precommit`)
- Code standards (Ruff formatting, mypy/pyright type checking, 88-char lines)
- Simplified linting workflow (`make format` then `make lint`)
- Testing conventions (pytest structure, markers for `slow`/`java`/`python`/`plugin` integration tests)
- Running relevant tests before linting with examples using `uv run pytest`
- Development workflow (test → fix → lint → broader tests)
- Conventional Commits format for both commit messages and PR titles with scope guidance
- Project structure (`craft_parts/` modules, plugin system, state management)
- Pydantic v2 patterns and security considerations (emphasizing v2 API to prevent confusion with v1)
- LGPL-3.0 license requirements
- Documentation style guidelines (app-agnostic content, Diátaxis framework)
- **Created `.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.yaml`** to validate setup steps:
- Runs on `ubuntu-latest`
- Uses `lengau/pristine-ubuntu-action` for clean Ubuntu environment
- Uses `canonical/starflow/setup-python-runner` for Python setup
- Validates `make setup` command
- Runs linters and fast tests to verify complete setup
- Triggers on changes to Copilot instructions, Makefile, or the workflow itself
The Copilot instructions file provides streamlined, context-aware guidance for AI assistants working in this codebase, focusing on essential development workflows. The instructions explicitly clarify that Conventional Commits applies to both commit messages and PR titles, and encourages using scopes (e.g., `feat(plugins):`, `fix(executor):`, `docs(contributing):`) when possible. The Pydantic v2.0+ notation emphasizes the use of v2 API (not v1) to help developers avoid confusion with outdated v1 syntax found in many online resources. The workflow ensures the documented setup steps remain valid and functional.
<!-- START COPILOT CODING AGENT SUFFIX -->
<details>
<summary>Original prompt</summary>
>
> ----
>
> *This section details on the original issue you should resolve*
>
> <issue_title>✨ Set up Copilot instructions</issue_title>
> <issue_description>Configure instructions for this repository as documented in [Best practices for Copilot coding agent in your repository](https://gh.io/copilot-coding-agent-tips).
>
> <Onboard this repo></issue_description>
>
> ## Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)
>
> <comments>
> </comments>
>
</details>
- Fixes canonical/craft-parts#1388
<!-- START COPILOT CODING AGENT TIPS -->
---
💬 We'd love your input! Share your thoughts on Copilot coding agent in our [2 minute survey](https://gh.io/copilot-coding-agent-survey).
Evaluation history
| Date | Model | Scores | Action | Summary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed superseded | Closed unmerged as superseded by Copilot collections; #1388's replacement setup landed in #1576 (792a0a22), with collection configuration later refined by #1655. | |
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed superseded | Closed unmerged by maintainer lengau (2026-07-15): "Superseded by copilot collections." Copilot setup landed instead via merged PR #1576 (commit 792a0a22) and updated by merged PR #1655 (d576ad00). | |
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed superseded | Closed unmerged as superseded by Copilot collections, later delivered by merged PR #1576 (commit 792a0a22); #1655 (d576ad00) updated the collections configuration. | |
| stealth/space-bunny-alpha | — | closed superseded | PR #1389 added Copilot guidance and setup validation but was closed unmerged after revisions; maintainer @lengau said it was superseded by Copilot collections, delivered in merged PR #1576 (792a0a22). | |
| qwen/qwen3.6-35b-a3b | — | — | Added GitHub Copilot instructions and a CI validation workflow. After iterative revisions, the closed pull request was superseded by copilot collections. | |
| qwen3.6-35b-a3b-mtp-q6 |
Staleness:
80
Complexity:
15
Confidence:
75
|
needs review | Adds GitHub Copilot instructions and a CI validation workflow. Incorporates maintainer feedback but has been inactive for over 7 months. |
Update history
| Date | Change |
|---|---|
| closed |
Related work
-
Related To:
canonical/craft-parts#1388
(confidence 100%)
Original issue targeted by the PR; its closing record confirms collection-based Copilot setup.
-
Superseded By:
canonical/craft-parts#1576
(confidence 96%)
Merged commit 792a0a22 added Copilot collections, the replacement identified by the maintainer.
-
Related To:
canonical/craft-parts#1655
(confidence 88%)
Commit d576ad00 added Copilot collection configuration and refined the resulting setup.
Related issues
| Issue | Project | State | Summary | Similarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| #381 build: Add copilot instructions and collections | craft-store | merged | Merged PR #381 as commit e65a086, adding Copilot instructions and collections while retaining older collection versions for updater updates. | |
| #1655 ci: add copilot-collections config | craft-parts | merged | Merged PR #1655 as d576ad00, updating Copilot Collections configuration and granting the update workflow the required permissions. | |
| #2663 ci: initial sync with canonical/copilot-collections | charmcraft | merged | Merged as b7f3752d, adding .copilot-collections.yaml, 7 instruction + 6 skill files, a weekly sync workflow, and pre-commit/Prettier exclusions. Later bumped to v0.13.0 (#2683), v0.15.0 (#2807), v0.18.0 (#2815). | |
| #154 ci: add copilot collections | debcraft | closed | Closed unmerged as redundant after the same Copilot Collections configuration was merged in canonical/craft-application#1139. | |
| #105 ✨ Set up Copilot instructions | starflow | closed | Copilot repository instructions were not added; #105 was closed after four days of inactivity, with no resolving PR or commit identified. | |
| #327 ci: initial sync with canonical/copilot-collections | imagecraft | merged | Merged PR #327 as commit 82bd946, adding an experimental 21-file Copilot collections sync based on canonical/snapcraft#6196. | |
| #2796 ci: give copilot collections job the right perms | charmcraft | merged | Merged PR charmcraft#2796 (commit 9f3567e6), adding contents and pull-requests write permissions to the copilot collections update workflow, replicating canonical/snapcraft#6352. | |
| #6352 ci: give copilot collections job the right perms | snapcraft | merged | Merged #6352 in commit 3cf7205b7, granting the Copilot collections update workflow contents and pull-request write permissions. | |
| #1388 ✨ Set up Copilot instructions | craft-parts | closed | Copilot onboarding was implemented: instruction files were added in #1576, with collection configuration and update automation completed in #1655. |