Cross-device sync for personal Copilot instructions
- Dominant language
- Shell
- Stars
- 11.2k
- Forks
- 1.9k
- Avg merge
- 14h 16m
- Merged PRs (30d)
- 6
Description
Personal instruction files are local to each machine. If I teach Copilot a lesson on one device (e.g. "always write Python scripts to a file instead of passing markdown through PowerShell inline"), that knowledge doesn't carry to my other machines. Since Copilot already authenticates via GitHub, personal instructions could be synced as a GitHub-backed user setting — similar to VS Code Settings Sync. This could be a private gist, a user-scoped API, or a dotfiles-style repo integration. Today the workarounds (symlinks to cloud storage, manually copying files) are fragile and easy to forget.
## Example prompts or workflows
1. I discover that PowerShell mangles backticks and emoji in API calls. I tell Copilot to remember this. On my laptop the next day, Copilot already knows.
2. I set a personal preference like "always use Python 3.12" or "prefer pnpm over npm". It applies on every device I use.
3. I build up a set of personal coding conventions over weeks. When I get a new machine, they're already there after `copilot /login`.
4. A team lead sets org-wide instructions via a repo. A developer supplements with personal preferences that roam with their GitHub account.
## Additional context
This has bitten me across three separate sessions — Copilot keeps re-learning the same PowerShell encoding lesson because session memory is local-only. The session store DB doesn't roam either.
Contributor guide
Research direction
Start by examining how personal instruction files and the local session store DB are located and loaded, then trace the `copilot /login` authentication flow. Define the sync scope, storage approach, privacy and conflict behavior, and how personal settings should be restored on another device before implementation; done means instructions reliably roam between authenticated devices.
Written by the indexing model from the issue text.
Assessment
- Tech stack
- github, shell
- Domain
- authentication, cli, cloud
- Issue type
- Feature
- Difficulty
- 5/5
- Estimated time
- Over a week
- Activity status
- Quiet
- Clarity
- Needs clarification
- Newbie friendliness
- 35/100