GitHub Copilot Memory Bank System

A structured development workflow system that brings the power of Cursor's Memory Bank to GitHub Copilot through organized prompts, templates, and documentation patterns.

Overview

This system adapts the proven Memory Bank methodology from Cursor to work seamlessly with GitHub Copilot, providing:

• Structured Development Phases: VAN, PLAN, CREATIVE, IMPLEMENT, REFLECT, ARCHIVE
• Persistent Context Management: Through organized documentation and prompt templates
• Token-Optimized Workflows: Efficient context management for GitHub Copilot
• Visual Process Maps: Clear development phase visualization
• Cross-Platform Compatibility: Works with any IDE that supports GitHub Copilot

System Architecture

GitHub Copilot Memory Bank
├── 📁 prompts/           # Mode-specific prompt templates
├── 📁 templates/         # Document templates for each phase
├── 📁 workflows/         # Step-by-step workflow guides
├── 📁 docs/             # Generated documentation
├── 📁 contexts/         # Active context files
└── 📁 examples/         # Usage examples and demos

Development Phases

🔍 VAN Mode (Validation & Analysis)

• Purpose: Project initialization and complexity assessment
• Key Activities: Codebase analysis, requirement validation, complexity determination
• Outputs: Project overview, complexity level, initial context

📋 PLAN Mode (Planning & Architecture)

• Purpose: Detailed implementation planning
• Key Activities: Task breakdown, architecture design, dependency mapping
• Outputs: Implementation plan, task list, architecture decisions

🎨 CREATIVE Mode (Creative Design)

• Purpose: Design exploration and decision making
• Key Activities: Alternative exploration, design decisions, creative problem solving
• Outputs: Design documents, decision rationale, creative solutions

⚒️ IMPLEMENT Mode (Implementation)

• Purpose: Code implementation and building
• Key Activities: Feature development, code writing, component creation
• Outputs: Working code, implementation documentation

🔍 REFLECT Mode (Review & Reflection)

• Purpose: Code review and learning capture
• Key Activities: Quality assessment, lesson extraction, improvement identification
• Outputs: Review reports, lessons learned, improvement suggestions

📚 ARCHIVE Mode (Documentation & Storage)

• Purpose: Knowledge preservation and documentation
• Key Activities: Comprehensive documentation, knowledge organization
• Outputs: Final documentation, knowledge base updates

Quick Start

1. Clone this repository to your project directory
2. Copy the prompt templates you need from the prompts/ directory
3. Start with VAN mode by using the VAN prompt template with GitHub Copilot
4. Follow the suggested workflow based on your project complexity
5. Use the templates to maintain consistent documentation

Usage with GitHub Copilot

Basic Workflow

1. Open your IDE with GitHub Copilot enabled
2. Use the prompt templates by copying them into your chat with Copilot
3. Follow the structured phases as guided by the system
4. Maintain context using the provided document templates
5. Iterate through phases as needed for your project

Example Usage

# In GitHub Copilot Chat
@workspace Using the VAN mode approach, analyze this codebase and determine:
1. Current project structure and complexity
2. Key components and their relationships
3. Recommended development approach (Level 1-4)
4. Next steps for implementation

Please use the VAN analysis template to structure your response.

Features

• ✅ Mode-Specific Prompts: Pre-crafted prompts for each development phase
• ✅ Context Management: Structured templates for maintaining development context
• ✅ Workflow Guidance: Step-by-step guides for each complexity level
• ✅ Documentation Templates: Consistent documentation patterns
• ✅ Cross-IDE Compatibility: Works with VS Code, JetBrains IDEs, and more
• ✅ Token Optimization: Efficient prompt design for better Copilot responses

Project Complexity Levels

Level 1: Simple Tasks

• Direct implementation possible
• Workflow: VAN → IMPLEMENT → REFLECT

Level 2: Moderate Complexity

• Some planning required
• Workflow: VAN → PLAN → IMPLEMENT → REFLECT

Level 3: Complex Projects

• Design decisions needed
• Workflow: VAN → PLAN → CREATIVE → IMPLEMENT → REFLECT → ARCHIVE

Level 4: Enterprise-Level

• Full methodology required
• Workflow: VAN → PLAN → CREATIVE → IMPLEMENT → REFLECT → ARCHIVE (with iterations)

Installation

1. Clone this repository:

git clone https://github.com/phillip1029/github-copilot-with-memory-bank.git

2. Copy the system files to your project directory or use them as reference templates.

3. Start using the prompt templates with GitHub Copilot in your preferred IDE.

Contributing

We welcome contributions! Please see our Contributing Guidelines for details.

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License - see the LICENSE file for details.

Acknowledgments

• Inspired by the original Cursor Memory Bank System by @vanzan01
• Adapted for GitHub Copilot by the community

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Making structured development accessible across all IDEs with GitHub Copilot