FEAT: Introduce Copilot prompts for AI-assisted development #393

bewithgaurav · 2026-01-05T13:48:59Z

Work Item / Issue Reference

AB#41340

GitHub Issue:

Summary

Add VS Code Copilot on-demand prompts to streamline developer workflows for the mssql-python project. These prompts provide guided assistance for common development tasks using VS Code Copilot agent mode.

Added 4 prompts in .github/prompts/:

Prompt	Invocation	Purpose
`setup-dev-env.prompt.md`	`/mssql-python-setup`	One-time dev environment setup (venv, Python, deps, prerequisites)
`build-ddbc.prompt.md`	`/mssql-python-build`	Rebuild C++ pybind11 extensions after code changes
`run-tests.prompt.md`	`/mssql-python-test`	Run pytest with various options (all, specific, coverage)
`create-pr.prompt.md`	`/mssql-python-pr`	Create well-structured PRs with GitHub MCP integration

Features

Agent mode enabled via YAML frontmatter for all prompts
Descriptive filenames without numeric prefixes for natural discovery
Project-namespaced invocations (mssql-python-*) to avoid conflicts with other workspace prompts
Cross-referenced prompts for seamless workflow transitions
Team-specific branch naming with prefixes for core team members
CI-compliant PR format matching pr-format-check.yml requirements
Comprehensive troubleshooting sections for common issues
Platform-specific guidance for macOS, Linux, and Windows
Smart venv detection across multiple venv patterns (myvenv, venv, .venv, testenv)
Directory management - Build prompt automatically returns to repo root after completion

Usage

Prerequisites:

VS Code with GitHub Copilot extension
Copilot Chat enabled

How to use:

Open VS Code in the mssql-python workspace
Open Copilot Chat (Cmd+Shift+I / Ctrl+Shift+I)
Type / to see available prompts, or use directly:
- /mssql-python-setup - First-time environment setup
- /mssql-python-build - Rebuild C++ extension after changes
- /mssql-python-test - Run pytest
- /mssql-python-pr - Create a pull request

Example:

/mssql-python-test

Copilot will check prerequisites (venv, pytest, DB connection) and guide you through running tests.

Tip: Prompts are interactive - Copilot will ask clarifying questions and execute commands step-by-step.

- setup-dev-env: One-time environment setup (venv, deps, prerequisites) - build-ddbc: Rebuild C++ pybind11 extensions - run-tests: Run pytest with various options - create-pr: Create well-structured pull requests with GitHub MCP Prompts use agent mode and cross-reference each other for seamless workflow.

github-actions · 2026-01-05T13:53:49Z

📊 Code Coverage Report

🔥 Diff Coverage 100%	🎯 Overall Coverage 76%	📈 Total Lines Covered: `5442` out of `7117` 📁 Project: `mssql-python`

Diff Coverage

Diff: main...HEAD, staged and unstaged changes

No lines with coverage information in this diff.

📋 Files Needing Attention

📉 Files with overall lowest coverage (click to expand)

mssql_python.pybind.logger_bridge.hpp: 58.8%
mssql_python.pybind.logger_bridge.cpp: 59.2%
mssql_python.row.py: 66.2%
mssql_python.helpers.py: 67.5%
mssql_python.pybind.ddbc_bindings.cpp: 69.4%
mssql_python.pybind.ddbc_bindings.h: 71.7%
mssql_python.pybind.connection.connection.cpp: 73.6%
mssql_python.ddbc_bindings.py: 79.6%
mssql_python.pybind.connection.connection_pool.cpp: 79.6%
mssql_python.connection.py: 84.1%

🔗 Quick Links

⚙️ Build Summary	📋 Coverage Details
View Azure DevOps Build	Browse Full Coverage Report

Copilot

Pull request overview

This PR introduces AI-powered Copilot prompts to streamline developer workflows for the mssql-python project. The prompts provide guided assistance through common development tasks including environment setup, building C++ extensions, running tests, and creating pull requests.

Key Changes:

Added 4 comprehensive prompt files in .github/prompts/ with agent mode enabled
Created cross-referenced workflow between prompts for seamless task transitions
Included platform-specific guidance for macOS, Linux, and Windows with detailed troubleshooting sections

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 4 out of 4 changed files in this pull request and generated 10 comments.

File	Description
`.github/prompts/setup-dev-env.prompt.md`	Provides comprehensive one-time setup instructions for Python environment, dependencies, and platform-specific prerequisites
`.github/prompts/build-ddbc.prompt.md`	Guides developers through rebuilding C++ pybind11 extensions after code changes
`.github/prompts/run-tests.prompt.md`	Offers multiple test execution options with pytest, including coverage and selective test running
`.github/prompts/create-pr.prompt.md`	Assists with PR creation following project conventions, including branch naming, CI requirements, and team-specific workflows

💡 Add Copilot custom instructions for smarter, more guided reviews. Learn how to get started.

.github/prompts/create-pr.prompt.md

.github/prompts/setup-dev-env.prompt.md

.github/prompts/create-pr.prompt.md

.github/prompts/setup-dev-env.prompt.md

.github/prompts/run-tests.prompt.md

.github/prompts/setup-dev-env.prompt.md

.github/prompts/run-tests.prompt.md

- Add security warnings for credentials and TrustServerCertificate=yes - Reference pyproject.toml for Python version requirements - Remove duplicate team member table, add maintenance note - Fix git add/stash guidance inconsistencies - Clarify that TrustServerCertificate is for local dev only

- Add sequential prerequisite checks: venv → pytest → DB connection - Ask user for connection string if not set (instead of offering unit tests only) - Remove 'unit tests only' option - Consolidate connection string setup in prerequisites section

- Check if venv is already active first - Search for common venv directories (myvenv, venv, .venv, testenv) - Offer to create new venv if none found

Renamed prompts to reflect natural workflow sequence: - 01-setup-dev-env.prompt.md (first-time setup) - 02-build-ddbc.prompt.md (build C++ extension) - 03-run-tests.prompt.md (run pytest) - 04-create-pr.prompt.md (submit work) Updated all cross-references between prompts

…ools - Added short names for easier invocation (/setup, /build, /test, /pr) - Added descriptions for prompt picker - Added argument hints to guide user input - Set claude-sonnet-4 as preferred model - Specified relevant tools for each prompt

- Remove argument-hint (prompts are interactive) - Update tool names to new prefixed format (read/, search/, web/) - Add github/* MCP server tools for PR creation - Remove model field (use user's selected model)

Tools field was limiting agent capabilities. Removed to allow full tool access based on VS Code settings.

…confusion - Combine cd commands with build script to automatically return to root - Update both macOS/Linux and Windows build commands - Fix verification paths to assume repo root location - Add note documenting the automatic directory return - Prevents directory navigation issues during build verification

- All prompts now use numeric prefixes (01-04) for ordering - Updated frontmatter with agent, description, and name fields - Removed invalid/blocking fields (model, argument-hint, tools) - Fixed tool references to use correct prefixes (read/, search/, web/) - Build prompt enforces returning to repo root - Test prompt has sequential prerequisites with proper venv checks

- setup -> mssql-python-setup - build -> mssql-python-build - test -> mssql-python-test - pr -> mssql-python-pr This provides better namespace clarity and avoids conflicts with other project prompts.

saurabh500 · 2026-01-05T19:10:04Z

The prompt file names have changed. Update the description to reflect the prompt files.

Also is it possible to drop the number prefix from the prompt files so that the prompts can be memorized with verbs/words rather than numbers. This will be a good usability boost

- Rename 01-setup-dev-env.prompt.md -> setup-dev-env.prompt.md - Rename 02-build-ddbc.prompt.md -> build-ddbc.prompt.md - Rename 03-run-tests.prompt.md -> run-tests.prompt.md - Rename 04-create-pr.prompt.md -> create-pr.prompt.md - Update all cross-references to use new names without numbers - Improves discoverability and memorability of prompts - Natural naming makes prompts easier to find via #mssql-python-*

…b.com/microsoft/mssql-python into bewithgaurav/feat/add-copilot-prompts

…up prompts - Add Step 4 in run-tests prompt to verify SQL Server is running before tests - Run main.py to check connectivity and fail fast with helpful guidance - Add comprehensive STEP 6 in setup-dev-env prompt for SQL Server setup - Include Docker, native installation, and Azure SQL Database options - Add detailed troubleshooting section with common issues and solutions - Include connectivity testing with sqlcmd and Python - Add debugging tools: port verification, log locations, network config - Prevent wasted time on connection errors by validating environment first

.github/prompts/run-tests.prompt.md

saurabh500 · 2026-01-08T19:31:33Z

I tried the prompts. The dev env setup and the build-ddbc worked well.
The run tests prompt requires some refining.

saurabh500 · 2026-01-08T19:31:49Z

I dont have a need to create a PR, so couldnt try that prompt.

- Remove Driver={ODBC Driver 18 for SQL Server} from all connection string examples - Driver is reserved and automatically added by the driver - Update format to use SERVER=, DATABASE=, UID=, PWD= keywords - Add Encrypt=yes parameter for security - Add clarifying notes about Driver being auto-added - Addresses Saurabh's review comment on PR #393

Copilot AI review requested due to automatic review settings January 5, 2026 13:49

github-actions bot added the pr-size: large Substantial code update label Jan 5, 2026

Copilot started reviewing on behalf of bewithgaurav January 5, 2026 13:59 View session

Copilot AI reviewed Jan 5, 2026

View reviewed changes

bewithgaurav added 7 commits January 5, 2026 19:39

fix: update create-pr prompt with correct PR template format

19b83d8

fix: replace remaining git add . with git add <files>

2ecd4bd

fix: add maintenance note for team member prefixes

ee528cd

fix: handle different venv names in run-tests prompt

41a11a0

- Check if venv is already active first - Search for common venv directories (myvenv, venv, .venv, testenv) - Offer to create new venv if none found

bewithgaurav changed the title ~~FEAT: Introduce AI-powered Copilot prompts for developers~~ FEAT: Introduce Copilot prompts for AI-assisted development Jan 5, 2026

bewithgaurav changed the title ~~FEAT: Introduce Copilot prompts for AI-assisted development~~ Add VS Code Copilot prompts for developer workflows Jan 5, 2026

bewithgaurav added 6 commits January 5, 2026 22:06

fix: update deprecated 'mode' to 'agent' in prompt frontmatter

407811d

fix: update prompt frontmatter

6bb1399

- Remove argument-hint (prompts are interactive) - Update tool names to new prefixed format (read/, search/, web/) - Add github/* MCP server tools for PR creation - Remove model field (use user's selected model)

fix: remove tools restriction from prompts

ec51a2b

Tools field was limiting agent capabilities. Removed to allow full tool access based on VS Code settings.

refactor: remove lipo architecture check from build prompt

bc14b5f

refactor: verify build by running main.py instead of import check

c7bfcab

bewithgaurav changed the title ~~Add VS Code Copilot prompts for developer workflows~~ FEAT: Introduce Copilot prompts for AI-assisted development Jan 5, 2026

bewithgaurav added 3 commits January 5, 2026 22:54

refactor: use mssql-python prefix for all prompt names

196bfc2

- setup -> mssql-python-setup - build -> mssql-python-build - test -> mssql-python-test - pr -> mssql-python-pr This provides better namespace clarity and avoids conflicts with other project prompts.

bewithgaurav added 4 commits January 6, 2026 11:27

Merge branch 'main' into bewithgaurav/feat/add-copilot-prompts

a406f9b

Merge branch 'bewithgaurav/feat/add-copilot-prompts' of https://githu…

b3c31d0

…b.com/microsoft/mssql-python into bewithgaurav/feat/add-copilot-prompts

bewithgaurav added 2 commits January 6, 2026 20:18

Merge branch 'main' into bewithgaurav/feat/add-copilot-prompts

e67146f

Merge branch 'main' into bewithgaurav/feat/add-copilot-prompts

c8d4a97

saurabh500 reviewed Jan 8, 2026

View reviewed changes

.github/prompts/run-tests.prompt.md Outdated Show resolved Hide resolved

bewithgaurav added 2 commits January 9, 2026 11:34

Merge branch 'main' into bewithgaurav/feat/add-copilot-prompts

1572c37

FEAT: Introduce Copilot prompts for AI-assisted development #393

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📊 Code Coverage Report

🔥 Diff Coverage

100%

🎯 Overall Coverage

76%

Diff Coverage

Diff: main...HEAD, staged and unstaged changes

📋 Files Needing Attention

🔗 Quick Links

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Pull request overview

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