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Create Copilot instructions for zigpy project#1701

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Create Copilot instructions for zigpy project#1701
Hedda wants to merge 1 commit intozigpy:devfrom
Hedda:patch-64

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@Hedda Hedda commented Nov 3, 2025

Draft: Added initial Copilot instructions for the zigpy project, detailing guidelines, project setup, testing, and CI processes.

See related discussion with suggested idea to add comprehensive AI agent instruction files in #1692

Initial copilot-instructions.md file was generated using ChatGPT using this promt

Put together a concise, two-page `.github/copilot-instructions.md` suitable for adding to the zigpy/zigpy repository on GitHub focusing on onboarding AI coding agents. Include high-value build/validation guidance, project layout hints, CI replication steps, and a short set of Copilot prompts tailored to a Python Zigbee stack.

Make a new file named "copilot-instructions.md" to a GitHub repository with comprehensive GitHub Copilot custom instructions as per https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/configure-custom-instructions/add-repository-instructions as well as some relevant GitHub Copilot prompts to the Zigbee stack library Python project at https://github.com/zigpy/zigpy for improved agent development efficiency, so that the custom instructions files will give GitHub Copilot and other AI coding agents additional context on how to understand the Zigbee stack library Python project and how to build, test and validate its changes for it. To do this I want as reference to take some ideas and inspiration from the somewhat similar zigbee-herdsman project which has a copilot-instructions.md but was written in TypeScript instead of Python https://github.com/Koenkk/zigbee-herdsman/blob/master/.github/copilot-instructions.md

Hence your task is to "onboard" this repository to Copilot coding agent by creating a `.github/copilot-instructions.md` file for adding to repository that contains information describing how an AI coding agent seeing it for the first time can work most efficiently. 

It needs to be provided as a single file that can be download, and once done ask to also create a few matching dedicated prompt files adapted from that for accompanying github/prompts/ directory and make those files downloadable suitable for the same  zigpy/zigpy repository.

You will do this task only one time and do a good job can SIGNIFICANTLY improve the quality of the coding agent's work, so take your time, think carefully, and search thoroughly before writing the instructions. 

<Goals>
- Reduce the likelihood of a coding agent pull request getting rejected by the user due to
generating code that fails the continuous integration build, fails a validation pipeline, or
having misbehavior.
- Minimize bash command and build failures.
- Allow the agent to complete its task more quickly by minimizing the need for exploration using grep, find, str_replace_editor, and code search tools.
</Goals>

<Limitations>
- Instructions must be no longer than 2 pages.
- Instructions must not be task specific.
</Limitations>

<WhatToAdd>

Add the following high level details about the codebase to reduce the amount of searching the agent has to do to understand the codebase each time:
<HighLevelDetails>

- A summary of what the repository does.
- High level repository information, such as the size of the repo, the type of the project, the languages, frameworks, or target runtimes in use.
</HighLevelDetails>

Add information about how to build and validate changes so the agent does not need to search and find it each time.
<BuildInstructions>

- For each of bootstrap, build, test, run, lint, and any other scripted step, document the sequence of steps to take to run it successfully as well as the versions of any runtime or build tools used.
- Each command should be validated by running it to ensure that it works correctly as well as any preconditions and postconditions.
- Try cleaning the repo and environment and running commands in different orders and document errors and and misbehavior observed as well as any steps used to mitigate the problem.
- Run the tests and document the order of steps required to run the tests.
- Make a change to the codebase. Document any unexpected build issues as well as the workarounds.
- Document environment setup steps that seem optional but that you have validated are actually required.
- Document the time required for commands that failed due to timing out.
- When you find a sequence of commands that work for a particular purpose, document them in detail.
- Use language to indicate when something should always be done. For example: "always run npm install before building".
- Record any validation steps from documentation.
</BuildInstructions>

List key facts about the layout and architecture of the codebase to help the agent find where to make changes with minimal searching.
<ProjectLayout>

- A description of the major architectural elements of the project, including the relative paths to the main project files, the location
of configuration files for linting, compilation, testing, and preferences.
- A description of the checks run prior to check in, including any GitHub workflows, continuous integration builds, or other validation pipelines.
- Document the steps so that the agent can replicate these itself.
- Any explicit validation steps that the agent can consider to have further confidence in its changes.
- Dependencies that aren't obvious from the layout or file structure.
- Finally, fill in any remaining space with detailed lists of the following, in order of priority: the list of files in the repo root, the
contents of the README, the contents of any key source files, the list of files in the next level down of directories, giving priority to the more structurally important and snippets of code from key source files, such as the one containing the main method.
</ProjectLayout>
</WhatToAdd>

<StepsToFollow>
- Perform a comprehensive inventory of the codebase. Search for and view:
- README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, and all other documentation files.
- Search the codebase for build steps and indications of workarounds like 'HACK', 'TODO', etc.
- All scripts, particularly those pertaining to build and repo or environment setup.
- All build and actions pipelines.
- All project files.
- All configuration and linting files.
- For each file:
- think: are the contents or the existence of the file information that the coding agent will need to implement, build, test, validate, or demo a code change?
- If yes:
   - Document the command or information in detail.
   - Explicitly indicate which commands work and which do not and the order in which commands should be run.
   - Document any errors encountered as well as the steps taken to workaround them.
- Document any other steps or information that the agent can use to reduce time spent exploring or trying and failing to run bash commands.
- Finally, explicitly instruct the agent to trust the instructions and only perform a search if the information in the instructions is incomplete or found to be in error.
</StepsToFollow>
   - Document any errors encountered as well as the steps taken to work-around them.

Added draft of a comprehensive Copilot instructions file for the zigpy project, detailing guidelines, project setup, testing, and CI processes.

See related discussion in zigpy#1692
@Hedda Hedda marked this pull request as draft November 3, 2025 10:02
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codecov bot commented Nov 3, 2025

Codecov Report

✅ All modified and coverable lines are covered by tests.
✅ Project coverage is 99.31%. Comparing base (a78dd9f) to head (54c5786).

Additional details and impacted files
@@           Coverage Diff           @@
##              dev    #1701   +/-   ##
=======================================
  Coverage   99.31%   99.31%           
=======================================
  Files          63       63           
  Lines       12184    12184           
=======================================
  Hits        12100    12100           
  Misses         84       84           

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@Hedda Hedda closed this Nov 3, 2025
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Hedda commented Nov 3, 2025

Closed as didn't use promt from copilot-instructions-blueprint-generator.prompt.md so does not provide reproducible results,

Instead submitted #1702

If you do not find #1702 acceptable then could maybe use this as a based instead?

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