Speeding up development work with Copilot Spaces

If you're starting a new feature, trying to understand a system, or picking up a task in a codebase you’re still learning, Copilot Spaces can help you:

• Stay focused by organizing the context you need in one place.
• Get better help from Copilot by grounding it in relevant code and documentation.
• Move faster without switching between tools or asking others for background information.

To create a space, go to https://github.com/copilot/spaces, and click Create space.

Below are some examples of how to use Spaces to help you with development work.

Developing a new feature

When working on a specific feature, you can save time and produce higher-quality results by using a space. Add the relevant code, a product spec, and any supporting materials—like notes from a design review or image descriptions of mockups. Copilot can help you:

• Summarize how the current implementation works.
• Suggest changes or additions based on the spec.
• Draft a first implementation or outline next steps.
• Flag missing elements or inconsistencies.

Instructions:

This space contains the new user registration form for a healthcare nonprofit providing low-cost testing. It is built using React and Tailwind.

Suggested prompt:

How should I add support for 2FA?

Defining the logic for a small, frequent task

When working on repetitive tasks like tracking telemetry events or handling event emissions, it’s useful to document the logic once and share it with others through Spaces. This allows everyone to stay consistent and saves time when performing the task. Copilot can assist by:

• Suggesting efficient patterns based on your previous work.
• Helping write reusable functions or templates.
• Reviewing the logic to ensure it aligns with project standards.
• Providing examples of how similar tasks have been handled in the codebase.

Instructions:

You help developers implement telemetry events. You should (1) validate what the user's goals are for the event, (2) propose a new event structure based on examples of existing events (and using the common telemetry schema), and (3) create a new version of the telemetry config file.

Suggested prompt:

Help me log when a user clicks on an in-app notification.

Sharing knowledge with teammates

In situations where people tend to ask similar questions, such as how authentication or search works in your project, Copilot can help:

• Explain how the code works.
• Answer questions grounded in the latest documentation.
• Guide new team members on the best practices.

Instructions:

You contain the code and documentation associated with our authentication system.

Suggested prompt:

How does SSO work?

Next steps

Once you’ve created a space to help with development tasks, consider sharing it with your team to reduce handoffs and repeated questions. See Collaborating with your team using Copilot Spaces.