GitHub Copilot picks up repository-level instructions fromDocumentation Index
Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://mintlify.com/aws-samples/sample-well-architected-skills-and-steering/llms.txt
Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
.github/copilot-instructions.md and applies them automatically across all Copilot interactions in that project. Copying the Well-Architected instructions file into your repository gives Copilot always-on awareness of all six WA pillars, design principles, and trade-off guidance — no additional setup required.
GitHub Copilot does not have a separate skill or playbook mechanism. All Well-Architected guidance is embedded directly in
copilot-instructions.md rather than being split across steering and skill files. This means the full WA context is always active, but there are no step-by-step multi-phase review flows like those available in tools that support a dedicated skills directory.What gets installed
.github/copilot-instructions.md
A single instructions file that inlines all six Well-Architected pillars, design principles, trade-off guidance, and response formatting rules. GitHub Copilot reads this file automatically for every conversation in the repository.
Installation
Clone or download the source repo
If you haven’t already, clone the sample repository to a local path you can reference:
Copy the instructions file into your project
Run the commands below from the root of your project directory, substituting
path/to/this-repo with the actual clone location.Install via script
If you prefer the one-command approach from a local clone, the install script handles directory creation and copying automatically:Usage
Once.github/copilot-instructions.md is committed to your repository, GitHub Copilot applies Well-Architected principles automatically whenever you discuss architecture in Copilot Chat or ask for infrastructure code suggestions in the IDE. No explicit invocation is needed.
What’s covered in the instructions file
Thecopilot-instructions.md file embeds the following guidance that Copilot applies to every interaction:
| Section | Content |
|---|---|
| Role | AWS Well-Architected advisor persona |
| Six pillars | Operational Excellence, Security, Reliability, Performance Efficiency, Cost Optimization, Sustainability |
| Design principles | Managed services, design for failure, decoupling, multi-AZ, least privilege, IaC, observability |
| Trade-off guidance | Security vs. latency, availability vs. cost, performance vs. portability, cost vs. resilience |
| Response format | Pillar grouping, severity labels, “why it matters” context, concrete next steps |