Add agent instructions for MSBuild repository#13198
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Added comprehensive instructions for GitHub Copilot and AI agents, covering repository overview, performance considerations, code review instructions, formatting guidelines, testing procedures, and development workflow.
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Pull request overview
This PR adds a comprehensive AGENTS.md file to provide instructions for GitHub Copilot and other AI coding agents working with the MSBuild repository. The document serves as a centralized guide for AI assistants to understand the repository structure, coding conventions, build processes, and development workflow specific to MSBuild.
Changes:
- Added AGENTS.md with detailed instructions covering repository overview, performance best practices, build/test procedures, code formatting guidelines, and development workflow
- Includes critical warnings about build processes (e.g., never canceling builds, using bootstrap scripts)
- Documents performance-critical patterns like FrozenDictionary, ImmutableArray, collection expressions, and span-based APIs
- Provides project structure overview and validation checklist for changes
baronfel
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Added a section about making this document auto-updated as agents use it to do additional work.
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we already have https://github.com/dotnet/msbuild/blob/main/.github/copilot-instructions.md and e.g. copilot CLI looks there and I have a suspicion claude and others too
which instructions are consumed by which agents? how is the updated content better?
I think having both is counterproductive (context pollution) unless there is a good reason
Co-authored-by: Chet Husk <baronfel@users.noreply.github.com>
based on documentation: https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/configure-custom-instructions/add-repository-instructions copilot-instructions.md -> Copilot Chat/CLI |
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AGENTS.md is in more widespread use - if we need |
done @JanProvaznik ptal |
the important concern was addressed
Added comprehensive instructions for GitHub Copilot and AI agents, covering repository overview, performance considerations, code review instructions, formatting guidelines, testing procedures, and development workflow. --------- Co-authored-by: Chet Husk <baronfel@users.noreply.github.com>
Added comprehensive instructions for GitHub Copilot and AI agents, covering repository overview, performance considerations, code review instructions, formatting guidelines, testing procedures, and development workflow.