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Add docs style instructions for copilot agents#1236

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Add docs style instructions for copilot agents#1236
sunbrye wants to merge 3 commits intomainfrom
sunbrye/docs-instructions

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@sunbrye sunbrye commented May 8, 2026

Add docs style instructions for Copilot agents

Closes: https://github.com/github/docs-content/issues/22194

Adds custom agent instructions so that Copilot (and contributors) follow docs.github.com style conventions when writing or editing content in docs/. This is part of the docs normalization pipeline work (docs-content#22187) — the closer SDK docs match Docs style up front, the less transformation the pipeline has to do and the fewer things to fix during review.

What is it

A new file at .github/instructions/docs-style.instructions.md with applyTo: "docs/**" so it automatically activates when agents work on docs files. It covers:

  • Sentence case headings (with a proper nouns list)
  • No bold/italic in headings, no ampersands
  • GitHub-flavored alert callouts (> [!NOTE] not > **Note:**)
  • Asterisk list markers, all-ones ordered lists
  • Em dash rules (colons for label/description, no-space mid-sentence)
  • No horizontal rule dividers
  • Code snippet validation markers (docs-validate)
  • Index.md = nav only (rich content in standalone files)
  • Voice and tone, emphasis, word choice table
  • New article template
  • What the pipeline handles (so authors don't duplicate that work)

Also adds a one-line reference in .github/copilot-instructions.md so agents know the docs instructions exist.

What it does NOT change

  • No changes to SDK code or existing docs content
  • No changes to the docs-validation workflow or justfile tasks
  • Does not affect agents working on non-docs files (scoped to docs/**)

How it works for contributors

Nothing changes about how you write docs. If you're using Copilot to help write or edit docs, the instructions are picked up automatically. If you're writing manually, the file is a quick reference for common patterns.

Related

Add .github/instructions/docs-style.instructions.md scoped to docs/**
with style rules aligned to docs.github.com conventions. Covers
headings, callouts, lists, em dashes, code snippets, and more.

Add reference in .github/copilot-instructions.md so agents know
the docs instructions exist.

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
@sunbrye sunbrye marked this pull request as ready for review May 8, 2026 18:05
@sunbrye sunbrye requested a review from a team as a code owner May 8, 2026 18:05
Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings May 8, 2026 18:05
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Pull request overview

Adds repository-scoped Copilot agent instructions to align content under docs/** with docs.github.com style conventions, supporting the docs normalization/sync pipeline.

Changes:

  • Adds .github/instructions/docs-style.instructions.md with applyTo: "docs/**" to enforce docs style conventions (headings, callouts, lists, em dashes, index.md rules, etc.).
  • Adds a reference to the new docs style instructions in .github/copilot-instructions.md.
Show a summary per file
File Description
.github/instructions/docs-style.instructions.md New Copilot instructions file that codifies docs.github.com-compatible style rules for docs/**.
.github/copilot-instructions.md Adds a pointer so agents/contributors can discover the docs style instructions.

Copilot's findings

  • Files reviewed: 2/2 changed files
  • Comments generated: 2

Comment thread .github/instructions/docs-style.instructions.md Outdated
Comment thread .github/instructions/docs-style.instructions.md
sunbrye and others added 2 commits May 8, 2026 11:09
Co-authored-by: Copilot Autofix powered by AI <175728472+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
@sunbrye sunbrye requested a review from patniko May 8, 2026 21:50
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2 participants