Every file in a GitHub export, the documented format it targets, and where the export goes beyond what GitHub specifies. Use this to review a package before you commit it to a repository.
Matches GitHub format means the file path and frontmatter follow a published GitHub specification. Preview format means GitHub documents it but the product is still in public preview and may change. Builder convention means GitHub does not read the file at all — it exists for your team or your own tooling.
Agent definitions
One file per non-human stage. These are the files Copilot coding agent and the agents CLI load when a task is delegated to a named agent.
.github/agents/<stage>.agent.mdMatches GitHub format
YAML frontmatter carries name, description, tools, and model. Tool names are validated against GitHub's resolvable aliases and MCP server/tool syntax; unresolvable tools are dropped and surfaced as an export warning. Models are mapped to Copilot display names (for example Claude Sonnet 4.5). High-stakes roles set disable-model-invocation so they are only run deliberately.
Copilot coding agent, Codex, Cursor, Jules, and other AGENTS.md-aware tools
Plain Markdown, no frontmatter, at the repository root. Contains the pipeline overview, stage responsibilities, handoff contract, and quality gates derived from your flow.
.github/copilot-instructions.mdMatches GitHub format
Single Markdown file, no frontmatter. Kept short and stack-specific so it applies to every request rather than duplicating per-stage detail.
.github/HUMAN-STAGES.mdBuilder convention
Target format
No GitHub format — builder convention
Read by
People, not agents
Human-intervention stages have no machine-executable GitHub equivalent, so they ship as a runbook: who acts, what they receive, what they must produce, and which stage resumes after approval.
Path-scoped instructions
Rules that apply automatically when a matching file is in context, rather than when an agent is chosen.
.github/instructions/<topic>.instructions.mdMatches GitHub format
Frontmatter requires description and applyTo. applyTo uses glob syntax derived from your stack settings (for example src/**/*.ts). Every generated file includes both keys because Copilot silently ignores instruction files with missing frontmatter.
.github/skills/<skill>/SKILL.mdMatches GitHub format
One folder per skill with frontmatter name and description. Skills are the progressive-disclosure alternative to long instruction files: the agent loads the body only when the description matches the task.
Prompt files
Repeatable tasks a person or agent can invoke on demand.
.github/prompts/<stage>.prompt.mdMatches GitHub format
Frontmatter uses description, plus the agent key to target the matching .agent.md file so the prompt runs with that stage's tools and model instead of the default agent.
Workflows and automation
Deterministic CI is standard GitHub Actions. Agentic workflows follow GitHub's preview Markdown workflow format.
CI, test, build, CodeQL, dependency review, deploy, and release workflows. Join/merge handoffs in your flow become needs: dependencies so a stage runs once, only after every upstream stage succeeds.
.github/workflows/copilot-setup-steps.ymlMatches GitHub format
Markdown with frontmatter for triggers, permissions, and tools; the body is the agent's natural-language job. This is a preview product, so the export is optional and the install guide flags that the format may change. Compile with the gh-aw CLI before relying on it.
.github/hooks/*.jsonBuilder convention
Target format
No stable public GitHub format — builder convention
Read by
Your own automation
Policy, security, and audit hook definitions expressed as plain JSON so they can be wired into Actions, an MCP server, or an internal runner. Nothing on GitHub reads these automatically.
Repository governance
Standard GitHub repository files, generated from your flow's roles and gates.
Step-by-step placement instructions, required repository settings, preview caveats, and the liability acknowledgement you accepted at download time.
Known gaps
MCP servers are configured in repository settings, not in an exported file. The install guide lists the servers your stages reference so you can add them manually.
Branch protection, required checks, and environment approvals cannot be committed as files. They ship as a checklist in the install guide.
Human-intervention stages are documentation only. GitHub has no format for pausing an agent pipeline on a person, so enforce those pauses with environment approvals or required reviewers.
Agentic workflows are a public preview. Treat that part of the export as provisional and re-generate after GitHub finalises the format.