AI Dev Tools Sync

Synchronize Claude Code and GitHub Copilot configurations to maintain feature parity.

Summary

Goal: Synchronize Claude Code and GitHub Copilot configurations to maintain feature parity across both AI development tools.

Step	Action	Key Notes
1	Identify change scope	Skills, prompts, agents, instructions, or workflows
2	Map equivalents	Claude SKILL.md <-> Copilot prompt.md, etc.
3	Apply changes	Update both platforms' config files
4	Verify parity	Ensure both tools have matching capabilities

Key Principles:

Claude skills live in
```
.claude/skills/
```
, Copilot prompts in
```
.github/prompts/
```
Copilot auto-reads Claude skills — avoid duplication where possible
Agents are shared in
```
.github/agents/
```
for both platforms

When to Use

Activate this skill when:

User asks to update Claude Code or Copilot setup
User wants to add/modify skills, prompts, agents, or instructions
User wants both tools to work similarly
User asks about AI dev tool configuration

Quick Reference

Claude Code	GitHub Copilot	Location
SKILL.md	SKILL.md	`.claude/skills/` + `.github/skills/`
skills/*/SKILL.md	prompts/*.prompt.md	`.claude/skills/` + `.github/prompts/`
agents/*.md	agents/*.md	`.github/agents/` (shared)
workflows/*.md	-	`.claude/workflows/`
CLAUDE.md	copilot-instructions.md	Root + `.github/`
-	instructions/*.md	`.github/instructions/` (applyTo patterns)
-	chatmodes/*.chatmode.md	`.github/chatmodes/`

GitHub Copilot Features Catalog

Complete catalog of GitHub Copilot customization features (as of 2026).

Configuration Files

Repository-Level (

.github/

)

File/Folder	Purpose	Format
`copilot-instructions.md`	Global instructions for all Copilot interactions	Markdown
`instructions/*.instructions.md`	Path-scoped instructions with `applyTo` frontmatter	Markdown + YAML
`prompts/*.prompt.md`	Reusable prompts (slash commands)	Markdown + YAML
`agents/*.md`	Agent definitions	Markdown + YAML
`skills/*/SKILL.md`	Agent skills with bundled resources	Markdown + YAML
`chatmodes/*.chatmode.md`	Custom chat personalities	Markdown + YAML
`AGENTS.md`	Master agent routing file	Markdown

Also Supported (Backward Compatibility)

```
.claude/skills/
```
- Copilot auto-reads Claude skills
```
CLAUDE.md
```
- Copilot reads if present
```
GEMINI.md
```
- Gemini CLI format

Feature Details

Custom Instructions (

copilot-instructions.md

)

Root instructions auto-included in every request.

markdown

# Project Guidelines
- Use TypeScript for all new files
- Follow BEM naming for CSS classes

Path-Scoped Instructions (

.github/instructions/

)

Apply to specific file patterns via

applyTo

yaml

---
applyTo: "src/Services/**/*.cs"
excludeAgent: ["code-review"] # Optional: exclude specific agents
---
# Backend C# Guidelines
Use PlatformValidationResult for validation...

Prompts (

.github/prompts/

)

Reusable via

/prompt-name

in chat:

yaml

---
mode: agent # Optional: agent, chat, edit
---
# Debug this issue
1. Analyze the error
2. Find root cause
3. Propose fix

Agent Skills (

.github/skills/

)

Folder structure with SKILL.md + bundled resources:

skills/my-skill/
├── SKILL.md
├── scripts/
├── references/
└── assets/

Chat Modes (

.github/chatmodes/

)

Custom chat personalities with tool restrictions:

yaml

---
name: security-reviewer
tools: ["read", "grep", "glob"] # Restrict tools
---
# Security Review Mode
Focus only on security vulnerabilities...

Agents (

.github/agents/

)

Specialized agent definitions:

yaml

---
name: frontend-developer
description: UI/UX implementation specialist
---
# Frontend Developer Agent
Specializes in React, TypeScript, CSS...

Sync Patterns

Patterns for keeping Claude Code and GitHub Copilot configurations synchronized.

Skill Sync

Both platforms support skills in

.github/skills/

. Copilot also reads

.claude/skills/

Best Practice: Create skills in

.github/skills/

for maximum compatibility.

.github/skills/my-skill/
├── SKILL.md          # Both platforms read
├── scripts/          # Executable scripts
├── references/       # Progressive disclosure docs
└── assets/           # Templates, images

Prompt/Command Sync

Claude Code	GitHub Copilot
`.claude/skills/my-cmd.md`	`.github/prompts/my-cmd.prompt.md`
Invoked via `/my-cmd`	Invoked via `/my-cmd` or `#prompt:my-cmd`

Sync Strategy:

Create in
```
.github/prompts/
```
(both read)
Or maintain duplicates if behavior differs

Instructions Sync

Claude Code	GitHub Copilot
`CLAUDE.md` (root)	`.github/copilot-instructions.md`
Single file	Multi-file with `applyTo` patterns

Sync Strategy:

Keep core rules in both files
Use
```
.github/instructions/
```
for path-scoped rules (Copilot-specific)
Reference detailed docs from both files

Agent Sync

Both platforms read

.github/agents/*.md

Single Source: Maintain agents in

.github/agents/

only.

Workflow Sync

Claude has workflow orchestration. Copilot uses chat modes.

Claude Workflow	Copilot Equivalent
Sequential agent chains	Chat mode switching
`.claude/workflows/`	`.github/chatmodes/`

Decision Matrix

Feature	Location	Reason
Skills	`.github/skills/`	Maximum compatibility
Prompts	`.github/prompts/`	Both platforms read
Agents	`.github/agents/`	Shared location
Instructions	Both files	Platform-specific nuances
Workflows	`.claude/workflows/`	Claude-specific
Chat Modes	`.github/chatmodes/`	Copilot-specific

Common Sync Tasks

Add New Skill

bash

mkdir -p .github/skills/new-skill
# Create SKILL.md with frontmatter
# Add references/ and scripts/ as needed

Add New Prompt

bash

# Create in .github/prompts/ for both platforms
touch .github/prompts/new-prompt.prompt.md

Update Core Instructions

Edit
```
CLAUDE.md
```
Edit
```
.github/copilot-instructions.md
```
Keep essential rules in sync

Add Path-Scoped Instructions (Copilot)

bash

# Copilot-specific feature
touch .github/instructions/backend-cqrs.instructions.md
# Add applyTo: "src/Services/**/*Command*.cs"

Sync Process

Step 1: Understand Current Setup

Read these files to understand current configuration:

.claude/workflows/orchestration-protocol.md
.claude/workflows/primary-workflow.md
.github/copilot-instructions.md
.github/AGENTS.md
CLAUDE.md

Step 2: Research Latest Features

Search web for:

"GitHub Copilot features setup 2026"
"GitHub Copilot custom instructions agents skills prompts"
"GitHub Copilot agent mode workspace context"

See the GitHub Copilot Features Catalog section above for the full feature catalog.

Step 3: Identify Sync Opportunities

Compare capabilities and identify gaps:

Skills missing in one platform
Inconsistent prompt/instruction behavior
Agent definitions that differ

Step 4: Implement Changes

For each change:

Skills: Create in both
```
.claude/skills/
```
and
```
.github/skills/
```
Prompts: Create in both
```
.claude/skills/
```
and
```
.github/prompts/
```

Instructions: Update both

CLAUDE.md

and

.github/copilot-instructions.md

Agents: Update
```
.github/agents/
```
(shared by both)

Compatibility Notes

Copilot reads
```
.claude/skills/
```
automatically (backward compatibility)
Both read
```
.github/prompts/*.prompt.md
```
Both read
```
.github/agents/*.md
```
Both read
```
AGENTS.md
```
in root or
```
.github/
```
Both support path-based instruction files via
```
applyTo
```
in frontmatter

Sources

IMPORTANT Task Planning Notes

Always plan and break many small todo tasks
Always add a final review todo task to review the works done at the end to find any fix or enhancement needed

ai-dev-tools-sync

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

AI Dev Tools Sync

Summary

When to Use

Quick Reference

GitHub Copilot Features Catalog

Configuration Files

Repository-Level (
`.github/`
)

Also Supported (Backward Compatibility)

Feature Details

Custom Instructions (
`copilot-instructions.md`
)

Path-Scoped Instructions (
`.github/instructions/`
)

Prompts (
`.github/prompts/`
)

Agent Skills (
`.github/skills/`
)

Chat Modes (
`.github/chatmodes/`
)

Agents (
`.github/agents/`
)

Sync Patterns

Skill Sync

Prompt/Command Sync

Instructions Sync

Agent Sync

Workflow Sync

Decision Matrix

Common Sync Tasks

Add New Skill

Add New Prompt

Update Core Instructions

Add Path-Scoped Instructions (Copilot)

Sync Process

Step 1: Understand Current Setup

Step 2: Research Latest Features

Step 3: Identify Sync Opportunities

Step 4: Implement Changes

Compatibility Notes

Sources

IMPORTANT Task Planning Notes

ai-dev-tools-sync

NPX Install

Tags

SKILL.md Content

AI Dev Tools Sync

Summary

When to Use

Quick Reference

GitHub Copilot Features Catalog

Configuration Files

Repository-Level (.github/)

Also Supported (Backward Compatibility)

Feature Details

Custom Instructions (copilot-instructions.md)

Path-Scoped Instructions (.github/instructions/)

Prompts (.github/prompts/)

Agent Skills (.github/skills/)

Chat Modes (.github/chatmodes/)

Agents (.github/agents/)

Sync Patterns

Skill Sync

Prompt/Command Sync

Instructions Sync

Agent Sync

Workflow Sync

Decision Matrix

Common Sync Tasks

Add New Skill

Add New Prompt

Update Core Instructions

Add Path-Scoped Instructions (Copilot)

Sync Process

Step 1: Understand Current Setup

Step 2: Research Latest Features

Step 3: Identify Sync Opportunities

Step 4: Implement Changes

Compatibility Notes

Sources

IMPORTANT Task Planning Notes

Repository-Level (
`.github/`
)

Custom Instructions (
`copilot-instructions.md`
)

Path-Scoped Instructions (
`.github/instructions/`
)

Prompts (
`.github/prompts/`
)

Agent Skills (
`.github/skills/`
)

Chat Modes (
`.github/chatmodes/`
)

Agents (
`.github/agents/`
)