Allison introduces new path-scoped custom instruction file support in Copilot code review, enhancing developers’ ability to provide focused feedback within specific parts of their repositories.

Path-Scoped Custom Instructions for Copilot Code Review

GitHub has released a new capability for Copilot code review: path-scoped custom instruction file support. This allows engineering teams to deliver targeted feedback tailored for specific areas of a repository, making code review more actionable and relevant.

What’s New

  • Path-Scoped Instructions: Developers can now create *.instructions.md files in the .github/instructions directory, each with an applyTo section using path globs (e.g., webapp/src/**). Copilot code review references these files to deliver guidance only for specific files or directories, rather than applying one-size-fits-all criteria.

  • Granular Feedback: By associating instructions with specific portions of the repository—like frontend, backend, or security directories—teams can ensure that pull requests receive context-aware feedback, improving code quality and consistency.

  • How to use:

    1. Create/update a custom instruction file (e.g., frontend.instructions.md) under .github/instructions.
    2. Add an applyTo: section with one or more glob patterns.
    3. Write concise code review guidance relevant to the targeted paths.
    4. After committing and opening/updating a pull request that impacts these paths, Copilot code review will utilize the pertinent instructions.

Example:

# frontend.instructions.md

applyTo:
- webapp/src/**
- ui/components/**
--- Emphasize accessibility (ARIA, focus management). Prefer design tokens. Flag deprecated components under `legacy/`.

  • Organization-Level Instructions: Copilot code review will now also include organization-level instructions, ensuring shared coding standards across multiple repositories with no extra configuration.

  • Deprecation of Old Guidelines Feature: The previous coding guidelines feature (from Copilot Enterprise private preview) has been fully deprecated. All customizations should now be specified in copilot-instructions.md or scoped instruction files, centralizing code review guidance.

For further details, see the Copilot custom instructions documentation.

You can also join discussions on implementation and usage in the GitHub Community.

These changes give developers and teams more control and flexibility in maintaining consistent, high-quality code across growing repositories.

This post appeared first on “The GitHub Blog”. Read the entire article here