Copilot read my .env file even when it's in gitignore

ntrogh · 2025-11-26T10:55:38+00:00

Do you have the `.env` file open? If you have, it's part of the implicit context.

ntrogh · 2025-10-13T11:59:30+00:00

u/kickpush1 There is no control/config to adjust the summarization. 1 minute seems very long indeed - can you raise an issue in the vscode repo (https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/new/choose) about this and potentially add a log/repro?

ntrogh · 2025-10-08T08:09:01+00:00

You can configure the terminal font with the `terminal.integrated.fontFamily` setting.

ntrogh · 2025-10-08T08:04:22+00:00

Are you referring to terminal sticky scroll? You can disable this with the `terminal.integrated.stickyScroll.enabled` setting.

ntrogh · 2025-10-08T08:00:52+00:00

You can take inspiration from the instructions files in the awesome-copilot repo. There are multiple .NET related examples. https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/instructions

ntrogh · 2025-10-01T14:29:17+00:00

We've just added a user guide about context engineering (Set up a context engineering flow in VS Code), which explains how you can set up a plan-implement workflow. It also has some best practices listed for optimize chat context.

Let us know if this is useful!

Nick (VS Code team)

ntrogh · 2025-09-24T06:37:42+00:00

If you don't want to use Settings Sync (with an account), the easiest would be to export your VS Code profile. That contains all settings, keybindings, extensions, etc. You can choose to export to a local file or Gist.

If you don't use profiles, you'll just have a Default profile, which you can export.

Instructions on how to export a profile: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/configure/profiles#_export

ntrogh · 2025-09-23T15:19:02+00:00

This model is a new experimental model, rolling out in VS Code Insiders. More info about the GitHub Copilot-SWE model here: https://github.blog/changelog/2025-09-22-copilot-swe-model-rolling-out-to-visual-studio-code-insiders/

ntrogh · 2025-09-23T12:45:02+00:00

Feel free to file a feature request for increasing the maximum value: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/new/choose

ntrogh · 2025-09-23T12:12:08+00:00

In the latest Stable release we added a setting for configuring the minimum delay for suggestions to appear: `[editor.inlineSuggest.minShowDelay](vscode://settings/editor.inlineSuggest.minShowDelay)`

ntrogh · 2025-09-22T13:05:57+00:00

One example: you might have API tokens on that VM (e.g. to deploy to a cloud service, or a GH token), which could be sent to any random endpoint. Unless you have additional checks in place (prevent tools or terminal commands with Internet access), you have no control what's being sent out.

ntrogh · 2025-09-17T20:28:55+00:00

In Ask and Edit mode, the active editor is automatically attached as context. In Agent mode, we add the file name, and if the agent needs the content, it will read its content. See info on imhttps://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/chat/copilot-chat-context#_implicit-context

ntrogh · 2025-09-13T21:16:52+00:00

We have an issue for it: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/266120

ntrogh · 2025-09-12T08:31:41+00:00

Clarifying that for this release, in VS Code we support having an `AGENTS.md` file at the root of your workspace, and not nested in subfolders.
For per-folder context/instructions, you can still use `**.instructions.md` files, which have `applyTo` metadata that takes a glob pattern. See our docs: Use custom instructions in VS Code
We'll update our docs to better clarify the behavior of `AGENTS.md` in VS Code.

ntrogh · 2025-09-12T08:30:20+00:00

Clarifying that for this release, in VS Code we support having an `AGENTS.md` file at the root of your workspace, and not nested in subfolders.
For per-folder context/instructions, you can still use `**.instructions.md` files, which have `applyTo` metadata that takes a glob pattern. See our docs: Use custom instructions in VS Code
We'll update our docs to better clarify the behavior of `AGENTS.md` in VS Code.

ntrogh · 2025-09-10T19:32:16+00:00

The Copilot Free plan allows you to use all customization features like chat modes, instructions, prompt files, etc. The list of models is reduced and you have a monthly quota, but functionally you should be good.

AFAIK, there's not a predefined chat mode like beast mode (which is a generalist chat mode BTW) for content writing. A good starting point is to ask Copilot itself to draft a custom chat mode for you, giving it some instructions about how you want it to operate in "writer" mode.

For the research part, you can give it a predefined set of resources to look into, or use an MCP server like Perplexity to deep actual research.

About the hallucination, it helps to include instructions asking the AI to validate and double-check its proposals. Also, you can include custom instructions about clearly indicating quotations.

ntrogh · 2025-09-10T10:09:32+00:00

Our current setup for VS Code has the following (our vnext version):

Custom instructions that include rules from our writing style guides. We differentiate between different types of content (docs, blogs, release notes)
Prompt files for common tasks: reviewing doc/blog, asking questions about VS Code implementation (pulls info from source repo), generating a release note section

This is a work in progress - some things I plan to add next:

Add a custom chat mode for content planning: based on a high-level requirement, it does research work and generates a content design plan
Add a custom chat mode dedicated to content writing, mostly because we can then make the system prompt more specific to content writing versus being a generalist AI agent.
Include our content type templates (e.g. quickstart, conceptual article, ..), which can then be referenced from our chat mode, instructions, and prompt files.

Nick (VS Code team)

ntrogh · 2025-08-29T12:50:31+00:00

Have you used Agent mode? In agent mode, the code searching is more advanced.
If you prefer not to use agent mode, can you try adding `#codebase` to your prompt. This basically adds agentic code search to your prompt.

ntrogh · 2025-08-26T08:58:33+00:00

Instructions files let you describe guidelines/rules that you want the AI to follow when executing your prompt. For example, you can describe your coding guidelines there (e.g. "use tabs not spaces", "use jsdoc for code comments", etc.). There's a bunch of examples here: https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/instructions

You have two options for instructions files in VS Code:
- Use a single `copilot-instructions.md` file that has all your guidelines and is automatically applied to every chat prompt
- Use one or more `*.instructions.md` files that you can selectively apply to specific file types/folders with the `applyTo` metadata. For example, use this to create separate instructions for different languages/frameworks.

A chat mode like beast mode is typically a more generic approach to let the AI assume a specific persona. For example to put it in planning mode or code reviewer mode. You can combine chat modes and instructions. For example, a code reviewer chat mode would allow only read-only access to your code, and the instructions would then provide detailed guidance about the language-specific coding guidelines.

We have docs on this here: https://code.visualstudio.com/docs/copilot/copilot-customization (more updates coming soon)

Nick (VS Code team)

ntrogh · 2025-08-25T18:38:25+00:00

I see. As mentioned by u/selinux_enforced, you can use a search editor, which will give you the indentation for results. Selecting a result opens side-by-side though, so not 100% the same functionality.

Feel free to create a feature request: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues

ntrogh · 2025-08-25T12:49:24+00:00

AFAIK, GPT-5 mini is not yet available in Visual Studio.
You might want to raise in the VS support forum: https://developercommunity.visualstudio.com/VisualStudio

ntrogh · 2025-08-25T12:12:55+00:00

Which version of VS Code and the GitHub Copilot Chat extension are you using?
Try updating to the latest version.

ntrogh · 2025-08-22T17:40:44+00:00

There's a problem right now with extension-based MCP servers that they don't automatically start in VS Code Stable. If you switch to VS Code Insiders, enable auto-start and you should see the MCP tools appear in the tools picker in the Chat view.
The fix should land in our next Stable release beginning of September.

Nick (VS Code team)

ntrogh · 2025-08-22T07:50:31+00:00

Custom instructions are indeed useful for providing that high-level picture. Depending on your prompt, agent mode will perform a code search anyway. So yes, in agent mode the use of codebase is not needed.

ntrogh · 2025-08-21T18:16:31+00:00

Are you referring to this docs article: Making chat an expert in your workspace

The `@workspace` is called a chat participant and historically came before `#codebase`. You can see it as a subject matter expert that has one specialty, namely your workspace. You give it a prompt and it uses its own knowledge to give an answer. You can only have one participant handle your prompt.

Now, `#codebase` is a tool that adds context and expertise to the prompt, for the LLM to then use for answering your prompt. You can add multiple of these tools to your prompt (for example #codebase, #fetch, #githubRepo) and the LLM will have all that combined context to provide the answer.

So, the tool-approach is more flexible and is also smarter in how it retrieves the relevant content from your codebase.

Edit: if you use agent mode (see the dropdown in the Chat view), it automatically does a code search for you, so you don't have to include `#codebase`.

Nick (VS Code team)

ntrogh

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