Customization Features in Practice | Ep 8 of 8

Visual Studio Code features Reynald demonstrating how GitHub Copilot customization features work together in VS Code by building a “Repo Analyzer” app from scratch.

Full summary based on transcript

What the episode covers

Reynald demonstrates an end-to-end workflow that combines multiple GitHub Copilot customization features in VS Code:

• Prompt Files
• Custom Instructions
• Agent Skills
• Custom Agents
• Hooks

The goal is to show how these pieces can collaborate to:

• Enforce repository standards
• Update documentation
• Simplify code changes
• Automate repetitive tasks while working

Demo: building a “Repo Analyzer” app

The presenter builds an application from scratch and uses Copilot customization to guide and constrain how Copilot behaves during the build.

Using agent customizations together

The workflow highlights how different customization layers interact:

• Custom Instructions are used to set consistent expectations/standards for how Copilot should operate in the repo.
• Prompt Files provide reusable prompts that can be applied during common tasks.
• Custom Agents are used to drive the build process with a more directed, task-focused Copilot experience.
• Agent Skills are used to encapsulate repeatable tasks (including documentation-related tasks).
• Hooks are used to trigger checks or actions at key moments to keep the workflow consistent.

Testing the app

Reynald runs through testing steps during the build to validate the app as it evolves.

Creating and validating documentation (README)

The presenter creates a README and then validates the documentation workflow using a dedicated skill:

• Create a README
• Test the README skill
• Verify that custom instructions are being applied as intended

Verifying hooks and prompt files

The demo includes validating that:

• Hooks behave as expected when triggered
• Prompt files are being used correctly in the workflow

Wrap-up

The episode closes with a summary of how Prompt Files, Custom Instructions, Agent Skills, Custom Agents, and Hooks can be combined to keep coding and documentation tasks consistent across a repository.