Instruction files not applied

[Thiht]

Does this issue occur when all extensions are disabled?: Yes/No

• VS Code Version: 1.100.2
• OS Version: macOS Sequoia 15.4.1

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Create an instructions file .github/instructions/unit-tests.instructions.md with the following content:

---
applyTo: '**/*.go'
---

# General instructions regarding unit tests

- Add `t.Parallel()` at the beginning of each test function

2. From a Go file inside a function: right click -> Copilot -> Generate Tests
3. The generated test doesn't contain t.Parallel()

When I click "View in Chat", the instructions file is not added to the context.

Relevant settings:

{
"chat.instructionsFilesLocations": {
  ".github/instructions": true
}

"github.copilot.chat.codeGeneration.useInstructionFiles": true
}

I would expect my instructions to be added automatically because of the applyTo.

[TimothyWCTI]

Experimental Chat Instructions Feature Not Automatically Injecting Guidelines

Environment

• VS Code: v1.100.2
• GitHub Copilot: v1.322.0
• GitHub Copilot Chat: v0.27.0
• OS: Windows
• Date Tested: 2025-05-16

Issue Summary

The experimental GitHub Copilot Chat instructions feature (github.copilot.chat.*) is not automatically injecting configured guidelines into Copilot's context during code generation tasks. Guidelines are only followed when explicitly read using workspace tools.

Configuration

// VS Code User settings.json
"github.copilot.chat.codeGeneration.instructions": [
    { "file": "guidelines/testing.md" },
    // ... other guideline files
],
"github.copilot.chat.testGeneration.instructions": [
    { "file": "guidelines/testing.md" },
    // ... other guideline files
]

Guidelines are properly stored in the project's /guidelines directory and configured in VS Code User settings. Settings have been verified and VS Code has been restarted multiple times to ensure proper application.

Reproduction Steps

Test Case Setup

1. Created a specific test requirement in /guidelines/testing.md:

[UNIQUE-MARKER-2025-05-16] All test files must follow this exact format:
\```typescript
import { test } from '@playwright/test';
import { testUtils } from '../helpers/testUtils';

// Test description must be exactly "Validates component behavior"
test.describe('Validates component behavior', () => {
  // First line in beforeEach must be a comment "// Setup test environment"
  test.beforeEach(async ({ page }) => {
    // Setup test environment
    await testUtils.setupTest(page);
  });
});
\```

Test Execution

1. Generated ButtonNew.spec.ts without explicitly reading guidelines
2. Generated ButtonWithGuidelines.spec.ts after explicitly reading testing.md
3. Compared the results

Results

ButtonNew.spec.ts (Without Explicit Guidelines)

import { test, expect } from '@playwright/test';

test.describe('Button Component Tests', () => {
    test.beforeEach(async ({ page }) => {
        await page.goto('/test-components');
    });
    // ... tests
});

ButtonWithGuidelines.spec.ts (After Reading Guidelines)

import { test } from '@playwright/test';
import { testUtils } from '../helpers/testUtils';

// Test description must be exactly "Validates component behavior"
test.describe('Validates component behavior', () => {
    // First line in beforeEach must be a comment "// Setup test environment"
    test.beforeEach(async ({ page }) => {
        // Setup test environment
        await testUtils.setupTest(page);
    });
    // ... tests
});

Expected Behavior

• Guidelines configured in settings.json should be automatically injected into Copilot's context
• Copilot should follow configured guidelines without requiring explicit file reading
• Instructions should be scoped appropriately to their configured operation type (code gen, test gen, etc.)

Actual Behavior

• Guidelines are only followed when explicitly read using workspace tools
• No indication that the configured instructions are being processed
• No error messages or warnings if guidelines fail to load
• Same behavior observed across multiple VS Code restarts

Questions for the Copilot Team

1. Implementation Details

   • How should these instruction files be processed?
   • Are there size limits for instruction files?
   • Should instructions be scoped to specific operations as configured?

2. Validation

   • Is there a way to verify if instruction files are being loaded?
   • Should there be diagnostics when instructions fail to load?
   • How can users validate the feature is working as intended?

3. Debugging

   • What additional information would be helpful for debugging this issue?
   • Are there logs we can enable to track instruction processing?
   • Should we expect any visual indication when instructions are active?

Additional Context

• This is a SvelteKit project using Playwright for testing
• Guidelines are well-structured and include specific, testable requirements
• The workspace is properly configured with all necessary files
• All guideline files are valid Markdown with clear formatting

Impact

This issue affects the ability to enforce consistent coding and testing patterns across teams using Copilot. Without automatic injection of guidelines, we cannot ensure that Copilot-generated code follows project standards unless developers manually provide the context.

Possible Workarounds

Currently using explicit file reading via workspace tools to enforce guidelines, but this defeats the purpose of the experimental feature and requires additional context management.

[recon08]

Very similar problem here, having a .github/instructions/testing.instructions.md with applyTo: '**/*.test.ts', prompting "Cover abc.ts with tests" will not pick up the test.ts instructions because I am in the abc.ts file which does not match the pattern, therefore it will just proceed to create a new .test.ts file but at that time it is too late and will not add the testing.instructions.md to the context.
I confirm that the actual instructions is automatically picked up when I go to the specific - already existing - test file and ask it to modify some things.