AI Workspace

An example workspace demonstrating best practices for AI-assisted development with GitHub Copilot, VS Code, and MCP servers.

Overview

This repository serves as a reference implementation for setting up an AI-enhanced development environment. It showcases:

• GitHub Copilot integration with custom prompts and instructions
• Model Context Protocol (MCP) servers for extended AI capabilities
• Security-conscious auto-approval settings for terminal and file operations
• Project-specific context through copilot-instructions.md and domain-specific instruction files

Quick Start

Prerequisites

• VS Code (version 1.99+)
• GitHub Copilot subscription
• Node.js (for NPX-based MCP servers)
• Docker (for containerized MCP servers)

Setup

1. Clone this repository:

   git clone <repository-url>
   cd ai-workspace

2. Open in VS Code:

   code .

3. Install recommended extensions:

   • VS Code will prompt you to install recommended extensions
   • Or manually install from .vscode/extensions.json

4. Review and adjust configurations:

   • See docs/CONFIGURATION.md for detailed configuration guide
   • Adjust AWS profile and region in .vscode/mcp.json
   • Review auto-approval patterns in .vscode/settings.json

5. Start using AI features:

   • Open GitHub Copilot Chat (⌃⌘I / Ctrl+Alt+I)
   • Try the custom prompts in .github/prompts/
   • Use / commands to trigger custom prompts

Features

🤖 AI-Powered Development

• Agent Mode: Autonomous coding with multi-step reasoning
• Custom Prompts: Pre-built prompts for common workflows
• Sequential Thinking: Complex problem-solving with structured reasoning

🔧 MCP Servers

This workspace includes several MCP servers that extend AI capabilities:

• GitHub: Manage issues, PRs, and repositories
• Atlassian: Integrate Jira and Confluence
• Terraform: Infrastructure as Code assistance
• AWS Terraform: AWS-specific IaC support
• Docker: Container management
• Memory: Persistent context across sessions
• Sequential Thinking: Structured problem decomposition

See docs/CONFIGURATION.md for detailed information on each server.

🔒 Security Features

• Selective auto-approval: Only safe, read-only commands are auto-approved
• File protection: Critical configuration files require manual review
• Explicit deny lists: Dangerous commands are explicitly blocked
• Auditable patterns: All patterns are documented and version-controlled

📝 Context & Instructions

• .github/copilot-instructions.md: Project-wide instructions for Copilot
• .github/instructions/: Domain-specific instruction files
• .github/prompts/: Reusable prompt templates

Working with AI Agents

Context Files

AI agents use several files to understand your project:

1. .github/copilot-instructions.md: Project-wide instructions for Copilot
2. .github/instructions/*.instructions.md: Domain-specific guidance

Enable these features in settings:

{
  "chat.useAgentsMdFile": true,
  "chat.useNestedAgentsMdFiles": true
}

Custom Prompts

Use custom prompts with the / command:

• /terraform - Terraform-specific assistance
• /documentation-writer - Generate documentation
• /react-component - Create React components

Custom prompts are stored in .github/prompts/ and can be triggered by name in chat.

Auto-Approval Patterns

The workspace uses carefully crafted auto-approval patterns to balance productivity and security.

Safe commands (auto-approved):

• Git read operations: git status, git diff, git log
• File inspection: cat, ls, pwd
• Safe operations: echo, terraform validate

Dangerous commands (require confirmation):

• Destructive: rm, rmdir, del
• Privileged: chmod, chown, kill
• Network: curl, wget
• Installations: npm install, pip install

See Terminal Auto-Approval for complete configuration.

Project Structure

ai-workspace/
├── .github/
│   ├── copilot-instructions.md       # Project-wide Copilot instructions
│   ├── instructions/                 # Domain-specific instructions
│   │   ├── terraform.instructions.md
│   │   ├── postgres.instructions.md
│   │   └── ...
│   ├── prompts/                      # Custom prompt templates
│   │   ├── terraform.prompt.md
│   │   ├── documentation-writer.prompt.md
│   │   └── ...
│   └── scripts/                      # Utility scripts
│       └── fix-line-endings.sh
├── .vscode/
│   ├── settings.json                 # Workspace settings
│   ├── mcp.json                      # MCP server configuration
│   ├── extensions.json               # Recommended extensions
│   └── task-list.mdc                 # Task management
├── .config/
│   └── memory.json                   # (optional) local persistent memory storage (gitignored)
├── docs/
│   └── CONFIGURATION.md              # Detailed configuration guide
├── README.md                         # This file
└── TODO.md                           # Project tasks

Configuration

All configurations are documented in docs/CONFIGURATION.md, including:

• VS Code settings explanation
• MCP server setup and usage
• Terminal auto-approval patterns
• File edit auto-approval rules
• Security considerations
• Troubleshooting guide

Best Practices

1. Security

• Review auto-approval patterns before enabling
• Keep dangerous commands blocked
• Regularly audit configurations
• Use workspace settings for project-specific rules

2. Context Management

• Keep copilot-instructions.md updated with current project context
• Document decisions in instruction files
• Use custom prompts for repeated workflows
• Leverage memory server for persistent context

3. MCP Server Usage

• Disable unused servers to improve performance
• Pin versions for stability
• Use environment variables for sensitive configuration
• Monitor server logs in VS Code Output panel

4. Team Collaboration

• Version control configurations to share with team
• Document custom patterns and their rationale
• Create team-specific prompts for common workflows
• Review and update configurations regularly

Troubleshooting

MCP Servers Not Starting

1. Check VS Code Output panel → "GitHub Copilot Chat"
2. Verify command availability: which npx or which docker
3. Restart VS Code after configuration changes
4. Check server logs for specific errors

Auto-Approval Not Working

1. Verify pattern syntax (regex requires /pattern/)
2. Test pattern matches against actual commands
3. Check for conflicting rules (more specific rules win)
4. Review VS Code settings for typos

Chat Not Using Context

1. Ensure chat.useAgentsMdFile setting is enabled
2. Check that copilot-instructions.md contains project context
3. Verify .github/copilot-instructions.md exists
4. Restart VS Code to reload context files

See docs/CONFIGURATION.md#troubleshooting for more solutions.

QA Testing

This workspace supports automated testing with Playwright MCP server. See the Microsoft Playwright MCP documentation for setup instructions.

Additional Resources

• VS Code Copilot Documentation
• GitHub Copilot Documentation
• MCP Specification
• Awesome MCP Servers
• VS Code Agent Mode

Contributing

This is an example repository. Feel free to fork and adapt to your needs. If you find improvements or have suggestions, contributions are welcome!

License

This project is licensed under the MIT License.