GitHub Copilot Cookbook

Learn how to use GitHub Copilot to accomplish specific tasks.

Spotlight

Implementing a feature from a GitHub Issue

Implementing a feature from a GitHub Issue

Give a GitHub issue to GitHub Copilot CLI, then steer the conversation to implement the feature.
Diagnosing CI test failures

Diagnosing CI test failures

Use Copilot CLI to pull CI logs, correlate failures to local code, and fix issues without leaving the terminal.
Improving code readability and maintainability

Improving code readability and maintainability

Copilot Chat can suggest ways to make your code easier to understand and maintain.

Explore 35 examples

  • Creating templates

    Copilot Chat can help you create templates to streamline your workflow and ensure consistency across your projects.
    Communicate effectivelyAuthor and optimize with CopilotScale institutional knowledgeChat

  • Triage and summarize repository activity

    Copilot can extract key information from repositories you follow to keep you up-to-date on recent activity.
    Communicate effectivelyAuthor and optimize with CopilotScale institutional knowledgeCLI

  • Synthesizing research

    Copilot Chat can help you synthesize research findings and insights from multiple sources into a cohesive summary.
    Communicate effectivelyAuthor and optimize with CopilotScale institutional knowledgeChat

  • Creating diagrams

    GitHub Copilot Chat can help you create diagrams to better understand your data and communicate insights.
    Communicate effectivelyVisualize dataScale institutional knowledgeAuthor and optimize with CopilotChat

  • Generating tables

    Copilot Chat can help you create tables to organize information and present it clearly.
    Communicate effectivelyAuthor and optimize with CopilotScale institutional knowledgeChat

  • Debugging invalid JSON

    Copilot Chat can identify and resolve syntax errors or structural issues in JSON data.
    Debugging codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Handling API rate limits

    Copilot Chat can help handle API rate limits by suggesting code that detects them and implements retry logic.
    Debugging codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Diagnosing CI test failures

    Use Copilot CLI to pull CI logs, correlate failures to local code, and fix issues without leaving the terminal.
    Debugging codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityCLI

  • Exploring potential feature implementations

    Copilot Chat can help explore different approaches for implementing a single feature.
    Functionality analysisAuthor and optimize with CopilotScale institutional knowledgeChat

  • Analyzing and incorporating user feedback

    Copilot Chat can enhance the process of incorporating user feedback into your project.
    Functionality analysisAuthor and optimize with CopilotScale institutional knowledgeChat

  • Implementing a feature from a GitHub Issue

    Give a GitHub issue to GitHub Copilot CLI, then steer the conversation to implement the feature.
    Author and optimize with CopilotCLI

  • Improving code readability and maintainability

    Copilot Chat can suggest ways to make your code easier to understand and maintain.
    Refactoring codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Fixing lint errors

    Copilot Chat can suggest ways to fix issues identified by a code linter.
    Refactoring codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Refactoring for performance optimization

    Copilot Chat can suggest ways to speed up slow-running code.
    Refactoring codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Refactoring for environmental sustainability

    Copilot Chat can suggest ways to make code more environmentally friendly.
    Refactoring codeImprove quality and maintainabilityAuthor and optimize with CopilotChat

  • Refactoring to implement a design pattern

    Copilot Chat can suggest design patterns that you can use to improve your code.
    Refactoring codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Refactoring data access layers

    Copilot Chat can suggest ways to decouple your data access code from your business logic, making an application easier to maintain and scale.
    Refactoring codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Decoupling business logic from UI components

    Copilot Chat can help you separate your business logic from your user interface code, making it easier to maintain and scale your application.
    Refactoring codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Handling cross-cutting concerns

    Copilot Chat can help you avoid code that relates to a concern other than the core concern of the method or function in which the code is located.
    Refactoring codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Simplifying complex inheritance hierarchies

    Copilot Chat can help you to refactor code to avoid classes with multiple layers of inheritance.
    Refactoring codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Fixing database deadlocks or data integrity issues

    Copilot Chat can help you avoid code that causes slow or blocked database operations, or tables with missing or incorrect data.
    Refactoring codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Translating code to a different programming language

    Copilot Chat can help you rewrite code to perform the same operations but in a different programming language.
    Refactoring codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Filing issues without breaking your flow

    When something catches your attention mid-task, use Copilot CLI to file a GitHub issue with code context, linked PRs, and labels, then get back to what you were doing.
    Documenting codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotCLI

  • Documenting legacy code

    Copilot Chat can help with documenting legacy code.
    Documenting codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotScale institutional knowledgeChat

  • Explaining legacy code

    Copilot Chat can help with explaining unfamiliar code.
    Documenting codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotScale institutional knowledgeChat

  • Explaining complex algorithms or logic

    Copilot Chat can help add clear and concise documentation on complex algorithms or logic.
    Documenting codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotScale institutional knowledgeChat

  • Syncing documentation with code changes

    Copilot Chat can help with keeping code documentation up-to-date.
    Documenting codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotScale institutional knowledgeChat

  • Writing discussions or blog posts

    Copilot Chat can help you generate ideas, outline, or draft discussions or blog posts.
    Documenting codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotScale institutional knowledgeChat

  • Generating unit tests

    Copilot Chat can help with generating unit tests for a function.
    Testing codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Creating mock objects to abstract layers

    Copilot Chat can help with creating mock objects that you can use for unit tests.
    Testing codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Creating end-to-end tests for a webpage

    Copilot Chat can help with generating end-to-end tests.
    Testing codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Updating unit tests to match code changes

    Copilot Chat can help with updating your tests.
    Testing codeAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Securing your repository

    Copilot Chat can help you to secure your repository and your code.
    Security analysisAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Managing dependency updates

    Copilot Chat can help you get set up with Dependabot to streamline dependency updates.
    Security analysisAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat

  • Finding existing vulnerabilities in code

    Copilot Chat can help find common vulnerabilities in your code and suggest fixes.
    Security analysisAuthor and optimize with CopilotImprove quality and maintainabilityChat