Customizing HVE Core
Customization Spectrum
HVE Core supports a range of customization depths. Start with the lightest option that meets your needs, then move deeper when the situation demands it.
| Approach | Description |
|---|---|
| VS Code Settings | Individual preferences like font size, theme, and editor behavior. No files to create or share. |
| Instructions | Configure Copilot behavior through .github/copilot-instructions.md and .instructions.md files. Lowest effort with highest return for shaping AI output. |
| Agents and Prompts | Specialized workflows: agents for multi-turn interactions, prompts for single-shot tasks. Both accept tool restrictions and delegation rules. |
| Skills | Domain knowledge in self-contained bundles with optional scripts. Use when instruction files alone cannot capture the depth of a domain. |
| Collections | Bundle agents, prompts, instructions, and skills into distributable packages for team or organization adoption. |
| Build System | Validation scripts, schema checks, and plugin generation pipelines. |
| Fork and Extend | Full control over every artifact. Fork the repository when your changes diverge significantly from upstream. |
Choose Your Approach
| Goal | Approach | Files Involved | Difficulty |
|---|---|---|---|
| Set coding standards for Copilot | Instructions | .github/copilot-instructions.md, .instructions.md | Low |
| Create a reusable workflow | Prompt | .github/prompts/{collection}/name.prompt.md | Low |
| Build a specialized Copilot assistant | Agent | .github/agents/{collection}/name.agent.md | Medium |
| Package domain expertise | Skill | .github/skills/{collection}/{skill}/SKILL.md | Medium |
| Share curated bundles across teams | Collection | collections/*.collection.yml | Medium |
| Add custom validation or plugin generation | Build System | scripts/, package.json | High |
| Diverge from upstream entirely | Fork and Extend | Full repository | High |
Authoring with Prompt Builder
The Prompt Builder agent streamlines creation, evaluation, and refinement of all artifact types. Three commands cover the full authoring workflow:
| Command | Purpose |
|---|---|
/prompt-build | Create new artifacts or improve existing ones |
/prompt-analyze | Evaluate quality and produce a structured assessment report |
/prompt-refactor | Consolidate, deduplicate, or restructure related artifact files |
Each artifact guide below includes an "Accelerating with Prompt Builder" section with type-specific examples and sample invocations.
Role-Based Entry Points
Each HVE role benefits from different customization techniques. The table below maps the nine roles to the guides most relevant to their workflow.
| Role | Recommended Guides | Rationale |
|---|---|---|
| Engineer | Instructions, Agents | Coding standards and specialized review agents accelerate daily development |
| TPM | Prompts, Collections | Reusable planning prompts and curated bundles standardize project workflows |
| Tech Lead / Architect | Instructions, Agents, Skills | Standards enforcement, architecture review agents, and deep domain knowledge |
| Security Architect | Skills, Instructions | Compliance knowledge packages and security-focused coding conventions |
| Data Scientist | Skills, Prompts | Analytical domain bundles and repeatable notebook workflows |
| SRE / Operations | Instructions, Environment | Infrastructure conventions and DevContainer tuning |
| Business Program Manager | Prompts, Team Adoption | Sprint-planning prompts and governance patterns for stakeholder alignment |
| New Contributor | Instructions, Environment | Quick onboarding through conventions and a ready-to-use development environment |
| Utility | Collections, Build System | Cross-cutting tooling assembly and validation pipeline customization |
File Index
- Customizing with Instructions: Configure Copilot with
copilot-instructions.mdand instruction files - Creating Custom Agents: Build specialized agents with tool restrictions and subagent delegation
- Creating Custom Prompts: Author reusable prompt templates with variables
- Authoring Custom Skills: Create domain knowledge packages
- Managing Collections: Bundle artifacts into distributable packages
- Build System and Validation: Plugin generation, schema validation, npm scripts
- Forking and Extending: Full fork-and-extend customization
- Environment Customization: DevContainers, VS Code settings, MCP servers
- Team Adoption and Governance: Governance, naming, onboarding, change management
Related Resources
- Contributing Guides: Detailed syntax references and contribution standards for each artifact type
- Getting Started: Installation and first workflow guides
- Architecture: Technical architecture overview and design decisions
🤖 Crafted with precision by ✨Copilot following brilliant human instruction, then carefully refined by our team of discerning human reviewers.