Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve
Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve I work fullstack across two sibling repositories in the same Copilot CLI session: a SvelteKit frontend and a .NET backend. Each repo has its own .github/copilot-instructions.md , with a different Definition of Done, test commands and conventions. Copilot CLI only loads repository instructions from the git root or current working directory at session start. As a result: • If I start in the frontend repo, the backend's rules are never loaded, even though the agent edits backend files all the time. • If I start outside a repo, no repository instructions are loaded at all, and the agent does not tell me this. • --add-dir grants file access to the second repo but does not load its instructions. • @ -references in copilot-instructions.md can't point outside the repository. • COPILOT_CUSTOM_INSTRUCTIONS_DIRS only picks up AGENTS.md / *.instructions.md , not .github/copilot-instructions.md . In practice I have to keep reminding the agent to read the other repo's instructions. It also misses important rules, such as required tests and build checks.
Proposed solution
Proposed solution
Any of the following would solve it:
- When a directory is added with --add-dir or /add-dir , also load its .github/copilot-instructions.md . Or offer this as an option, e.g. --add-dir --with-instructions .
- When the agent starts editing files in another git repository, automatically discover and load that repository's instructions. The docs already describe discovery "in the path of a file it is working on"; this should work across repository boundaries too.
- Let COPILOT_CUSTOM_INSTRUCTIONS_DIRS also pick up .github/copilot-instructions.md .
- Show a clear notice when the session is started outside a repository and no repository instructions are loaded.
How it benefits Copilot CLI and its users: multi-repo setups are very common, for example frontend and backend, microservices and shared libraries. Team members start Copilot in different ways, so personal workarounds like shell aliases don't work for a whole team. Loading the right instructions automatically makes the agent follow each project's rules reliably, without users having to repeat them.
Example prompts or workflows
No response
Additional context
No response
Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve
Describe the feature or problem you'd like to solve I work fullstack across two sibling repositories in the same Copilot CLI session: a SvelteKit frontend and a .NET backend. Each repo has its own .github/copilot-instructions.md , with a different Definition of Done, test commands and conventions. Copilot CLI only loads repository instructions from the git root or current working directory at session start. As a result: • If I start in the frontend repo, the backend's rules are never loaded, even though the agent edits backend files all the time. • If I start outside a repo, no repository instructions are loaded at all, and the agent does not tell me this. • --add-dir grants file access to the second repo but does not load its instructions. • @ -references in copilot-instructions.md can't point outside the repository. • COPILOT_CUSTOM_INSTRUCTIONS_DIRS only picks up AGENTS.md / *.instructions.md , not .github/copilot-instructions.md . In practice I have to keep reminding the agent to read the other repo's instructions. It also misses important rules, such as required tests and build checks.
Proposed solution
Proposed solution
Any of the following would solve it:
How it benefits Copilot CLI and its users: multi-repo setups are very common, for example frontend and backend, microservices and shared libraries. Team members start Copilot in different ways, so personal workarounds like shell aliases don't work for a whole team. Loading the right instructions automatically makes the agent follow each project's rules reliably, without users having to repeat them.
Example prompts or workflows
No response
Additional context
No response