Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve
Instruction files are currently static and self-contained. There is no way to share common conventions across repos or teams without duplicating files — either manually copying them into every repo or requiring each contributor to set up ~/.copilot/instructions/ locally.
Proposed solution
Introduce an extends or @include directive in instruction files (similar to Renovate's extends or ESLint's extends) that allows referencing external instruction files by URL or GitHub path:
---
extends:
- "github:mu88/dotfiles/.copilot/instructions/dotnet.instructions.md"
- "https://raw.githubusercontent.com/org/shared/.github/instructions/security.instructions.md"
applyTo: "**/*.cs"
---
Example prompts or workflows
- A maintainer publishes shared .NET conventions in a dotfiles repo — every project references them with one line, zero duplication.
- A new contributor clones a repo and immediately gets all team conventions — no local setup required.
- An org updates shared security guidelines in one place; all repos pick up the change automatically.
Additional context
COPILOT_CUSTOM_INSTRUCTIONS_DIRS already allows pointing to external directories, but requires manual per-machine setup. A declarative extends in the instruction file itself would be zero-config for contributors and composable by design.
Note: Organization-level instructions already exist for GitHub organizations. This request addresses the gap for personal account repositories and zero-config contributor onboarding.
Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve
Instruction files are currently static and self-contained. There is no way to share common conventions across repos or teams without duplicating files — either manually copying them into every repo or requiring each contributor to set up
~/.copilot/instructions/locally.Proposed solution
Introduce an
extendsor@includedirective in instruction files (similar to Renovate's extends or ESLint's extends) that allows referencing external instruction files by URL or GitHub path:Example prompts or workflows
Additional context
COPILOT_CUSTOM_INSTRUCTIONS_DIRSalready allows pointing to external directories, but requires manual per-machine setup. A declarativeextendsin the instruction file itself would be zero-config for contributors and composable by design.Note: Organization-level instructions already exist for GitHub organizations. This request addresses the gap for personal account repositories and zero-config contributor onboarding.