Jessie Houghton explains how to use reusable prompt files with GitHub Copilot in Visual Studio to save time, foster collaboration, and accelerate AI-assisted development workflows.

Boost Your Copilot Collaboration with Reusable Prompt Files

Writing prompts for AI tools like GitHub Copilot can take considerable time, but reusing your best work just got easier. This article explains how reusable prompt files in Visual Studio can streamline prompt writing, storage, and sharing among developer teams.

What are Reusable Prompt Files?

Reusable prompt files enable you to:

  • Write, save, and execute prompts directly inside Visual Studio.
  • Store prompts as files (e.g., .github/prompts/[title].prompt.md) for simple retrieval.
  • Share tested prompts with your team automatically via the repository for consistency across projects.

How Reusable Prompt Files Improve Workflows

  • Efficiency: Craft a prompt once, then reuse it without needing to search through emails or notes.
  • Collaboration: Teams can contribute their best prompts, speeding up onboarding and ensuring knowledge is shared.
  • Consistency: Using shared prompts yields more consistent code suggestions and output from Copilot.

Getting Started

  • Explore the awesome-copilot repository for Microsoft and community-created prompts.
  • Use #prompt: or the Visual Studio context menu to insert saved prompts quickly.
  • Organize your prompt files by topic, project, or workflow for easy access and versioning.

Best Practices

  • Regularly review and update your most used prompts to ensure relevance.
  • Encourage all team members to contribute their effective prompts, strengthening the shared library.
  • Use prompt syntax like #files:"filename.md" for referencing specific prompt files.

Visual Studio Hub and Feedback

  • Visit the Visual Studio Hub to stay updated on news, releases, and community activities.
  • Feedback from developers is welcomed—share thoughts and issues through the Developer Community to help shape the future of Visual Studio.

By implementing reusable prompt files, you can increase Copilot’s effectiveness across teams, avoid reinventing wheels, and make the most out of AI-assisted development.

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