Boost Your Copilot Collaboration with Reusable Prompt Files - Visual Studio Blog (original) (raw)

Writing effective prompts for AI tools can be time-consuming and challenging. Cement those efforts by leveraging reusable prompt files. These custom prompts allow for quick access at the prompt box, and they’re automatically stored and shared with your teammates to make it easy to multiply your Copilot successes.

Reusable prompt files solve the prompt-writing challenge

Reusable prompt files let you write, save, and run prompts right inside Visual Studio. Simply craft your prompt in a .github/prompts/[title].prompt.md file, save it, and reference it whenever you need to engage Copilot. This means your best prompts are always at your fingertips—no more hunting through old files, emails, or notes.

Speed up your workflow and collaborate effortlessly

Whether you work solo or as part of a team, reusable prompt files save you time working with Copilot. The files are shared in the repository, ensuring consistent results across your projects and making them available to your colleagues. Everyone can benefit from tested, effective prompts that accelerate understanding and solution discovery. The days of reinventing the wheel are over!

Tips for maximizing your reusable prompt files

• Leverage the awesome-copilot repository to get started with Microsoft and community contributed prompt files.
• Use #prompt: or the context menu to add prompts in the prompt box. You can add more specific content or simply run it.
• Write your prompts in the prompt box to easily grab the prompt syntax for referencing files (#files:“filename.md”) and other context types.
• Organize prompt files by topic, project, or workflow for easy access.
• Review and refine your most-used prompts regularly to keep them sharp and relevant.
• Encourage team members to contribute their most effective prompts, building a shared resource library.

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Author

Jessie is a Product Manager on the Visual Studio version control team, focusing on transforming the developer expereince with GitHub Copilot.