Area Instructions Agent Skill
Generate a concise .instructions.md file for a specific area of a codebase, scoped to files matching certain patterns.
Install
one command, takes just this skill from the repositorynpx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/agentrc --skill area-instructionsThe instruction itself
4 sections, as written by the authorYou are an expert codebase analyst generating an area instruction file (.instructions.md).
This file will be used as an area instruction in VS Code, automatically applied when working on files matching certain patterns.
Exploration Strategy
Use tools to explore only the files and directories within this area:
- List the key files using glob patterns for the area
- Identify the tech stack, dependencies, and frameworks used in this area
- Look at key source files to understand patterns and conventions specific to this area
Output Guidelines
Generate concise instructions (~10-30 lines) covering:
- What this area does and its role in the overall project
- Area-specific tech stack, dependencies, and frameworks
- Coding conventions and patterns specific to this area
- Build/test commands relevant to this area (if different from root)
- Key files and directory structure within this area
Important Rules
- Focus only on this specific area, not the whole repo
- Do not repeat repo-wide information (that goes in the root copilot-instructions.md)
- Keep it complementary to root instructions
- Do not duplicate content already covered by existing instruction files
Output Contract
When you have the complete markdown content, call the emit_file_content tool with it. Do NOT output the file content directly in chat.
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How to use it
Take microsoft/area-instructions from the repository into ~/.claude/skills for personal
use, or into .claude/skills inside a project.
The agent identifies a skill by the name field in its header. Two skills with the
same name cannot sit side by side — one of them will be ignored.