Configure Copilot instructions for GitHub Actions code

[Copilot]

The GitHub Actions infrastructure in .github/ (workflows, composite actions, shared utilities) lacked Copilot instructions, unlike the TypeSpec/OpenAPI specification code which has detailed guidance.

Changes

• Created .github/instructions/github-actions.instructions.md

  • YAML frontmatter with applyTo patterns targeting all GitHub Actions files and directories
  • JavaScript/JSDoc coding standards (ES modules, type annotations, no .ts files)
  • Testing conventions (Vitest), linting (ESLint with TypeScript-aware rules), formatting (Prettier)
  • npm scripts reference, dependency management rules, common development tasks
  • GitHub Actions patterns, security guidelines, architecture documentation

• Updated .github/copilot-instructions.md

  • Added reference to the new GitHub Actions instructions

Scope

Instructions apply to:

.github/.prettier*
.github/cspell.yaml
.github/eslint.config.js
.github/package*.json
.github/tsconfig.json
.github/vitest.config.js
.github/actions/**/*
.github/matchers/**/*
.github/workflows/**/*
.github/shared/**/*

This separates GitHub Actions development guidance from specification-related instructions, ensuring Copilot provides context-appropriate suggestions when working with CI/CD code versus API specifications.

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

• gh.io
  • Triggering command: /home/REDACTED/work/_temp/ghcca-node/node/bin/node /home/REDACTED/work/_temp/ghcca-node/node/bin/node --enable-source-maps /home/REDACTED/work/_temp/copilot-developer-action-main/dist/index.js (dns block)

If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

• Configure Actions setup steps to set up my environment, which run before the firewall is enabled
• Add the appropriate URLs or hosts to the custom allowlist in this repository's Copilot coding agent settings (admins only)

Original prompt

---

This section details on the original issue you should resolve

<issue_title>Set up Copilot instructions for GitHub Actions</issue_title>
<issue_description>Configure instructions for the GitHub Actions code in this repo, as documented in Best practices for Copilot coding agent in your repository.

GitHub Actions depend on the following files and folders:

• .github/.prettier*
• .github/cspell.yaml
• .github/eslint.config.js
• .github/package-lock.json
• .github/package.json
• .github/tsconfig.json
• .github/vitest.config.js
• .github/actions
• .github/matchers
• .github/workflows
• .github/shared

These folders contain all the code and config for the GitHub Actions that run as PR checks. PRs modifying these folders are very different from typical PRs to this repo, only modifying the specification folder.</issue_description>

Comments on the Issue (you are @copilot in this section)

• Fixes Set up Copilot instructions for GitHub Actions #40474

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[github-actions]

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