VS Code Copilot Resource Sync Scripts

A collection of PowerShell scripts to automatically sync, combine, and publish GitHub Copilot resources from the awesome-copilot community repository to your local VS Code profiles.

🎯 What This Does

These scripts automate the management of VS Code Copilot custom instructions, chat modes, prompts, and collections by:

1. Syncing resources from the awesome-copilot GitHub repository
2. Combining multiple resource categories into a unified structure
3. Publishing to your VS Code profile(s) via symbolic links or file copies
4. Normalizing file organization to prevent duplicates
5. Automating the entire process via Windows Task Scheduler

📋 Prerequisites

• Windows with PowerShell 7+ (Download here)
• VS Code with GitHub Copilot extension installed
• Internet connection for GitHub API access
• Administrator privileges (for creating scheduled tasks)

🚀 Quick Start

1. Clone or Download

# Clone this repository
git clone <your-repo-url>
cd scripts

2. Run Initial Sync

# Sync resources from GitHub
.\sync-awesome-copilot.ps1

# Combine resources into unified folder
.\combine-and-publish-prompts.ps1

3. Install Automated Sync (Optional)

# Install scheduled task (runs every 4 hours by default)
.\install-scheduled-task.ps1

# Or customize the interval
.\install-scheduled-task.ps1 -Interval "2h"  # Every 2 hours
.\install-scheduled-task.ps1 -Interval "1d"  # Once daily

📁 What Gets Created

$HOME\.awesome-copilot\          # Local cache
├── chatmodes\                   # Chat mode definitions
├── instructions\                # Custom instructions
├── prompts\                     # Prompt templates
├── collections\                 # Resource collections
├── combined\                    # Unified resources (all categories)
└── manifest.json                # Sync state tracking

%APPDATA%\Code\User\             # VS Code global config
└── prompts\                     # Junction/symlink to combined folder

%APPDATA%\Code\User\profiles\    # VS Code profiles
└── <profile-name>\
    ├── chatmodes\               # Linked/copied resources
    ├── instructions\
    └── prompts\

📜 Scripts Overview

sync-awesome-copilot.ps1

Syncs resources from the awesome-copilot GitHub repository.

Features:

• Downloads latest resources via GitHub API
• SHA256 hash-based change detection
• Incremental updates (only downloads changed files)
• Manifest tracking for sync state
• Optional GITHUB_TOKEN support for higher rate limits

Usage:

.\sync-awesome-copilot.ps1

Environment Variables:

• GITHUB_TOKEN (optional) - Personal access token for higher API rate limits

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combine-and-publish-prompts.ps1

Combines resources from all categories into a unified folder and publishes to VS Code.

Features:

• Merges chatmodes, instructions, and prompts into single directory
• Creates junction/symlink to VS Code prompts directory
• Automatic fallback to file copy if linking fails
• Preserves user-created custom files

Usage:

.\combine-and-publish-prompts.ps1

# Publish to specific profile
.\combine-and-publish-prompts.ps1 -ProfileName "MyProfile"

# Publish to global VS Code config only
.\combine-and-publish-prompts.ps1 -GlobalOnly

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publish-to-vscode-profile.ps1

Publishes resources to VS Code profile(s) via symbolic links or copies.

Features:

• Creates symbolic links (junctions) for efficient syncing
• Automatic fallback to file copy
• Supports multiple profiles or global config

Usage:

.\publish-to-vscode-profile.ps1

# Publish to specific profile
.\publish-to-vscode-profile.ps1 -ProfileName "Work"

# Publish to global config
.\publish-to-vscode-profile.ps1 -GlobalOnly

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normalize-copilot-folders.ps1

Cleans up misplaced or duplicated files in VS Code directories.

Features:

• Moves files to correct category folders based on suffix
• Removes duplicate files (keeps newest version)
• Handles renamed copies (file.1.md, chatmodes__file.md)

Usage:

.\normalize-copilot-folders.ps1

# Normalize specific profile
.\normalize-copilot-folders.ps1 -ProfileName "MyProfile"

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install-scheduled-task.ps1

Creates a Windows scheduled task for automatic syncing.

Features:

• Runs sync and combine scripts on a schedule
• Default: every 4 hours
• Customizable interval
• Runs as current user (no SYSTEM account needed)

Usage:

# Install with default 4-hour interval
.\install-scheduled-task.ps1

# Custom intervals
.\install-scheduled-task.ps1 -Interval "2h"   # Every 2 hours
.\install-scheduled-task.ps1 -Interval "30m"  # Every 30 minutes
.\install-scheduled-task.ps1 -Interval "1d"   # Once daily

# Check task status
Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName "AwesomeCopilotSync"

Interval Format:

• 30m - Minutes
• 2h - Hours
• 1d - Days

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uninstall-scheduled-task.ps1

Removes the scheduled task.

Usage:

.\uninstall-scheduled-task.ps1

🔧 Configuration

GitHub Rate Limits

Without authentication, GitHub API allows 60 requests/hour. For heavy usage:

1. Create a Personal Access Token (no scopes needed for public repos)
2. Set environment variable:

# Temporary (current session)
$env:GITHUB_TOKEN = "ghp_your_token_here"

# Permanent (user environment)
[Environment]::SetEnvironmentVariable("GITHUB_TOKEN", "ghp_your_token_here", "User")

Custom Source Repository

By default, scripts sync from github/awesome-copilot. To use a different source:

Edit sync-awesome-copilot.ps1 line 57:

$Repo = "your-username/your-repo"

🗂️ File Naming Conventions

Resources follow naming patterns for automatic categorization:

• *.chatmode.md - Chat mode definitions
• *.instructions.md - Custom instructions
• *.prompt.md - Prompt templates
• *.collection.yml - Resource collections

Files without these suffixes in the combined folder are preserved (assumed to be user-created).

🛠️ Troubleshooting

Scripts Not Running

# Check PowerShell version (must be 7+)
$PSVersionTable.PSVersion

# Set execution policy
Set-ExecutionPolicy -ExecutionPolicy RemoteSigned -Scope CurrentUser

Junction/Symlink Fails

Scripts automatically fall back to copying files. Check logs for details.

Scheduled Task Not Running

# Check task status
Get-ScheduledTask -TaskName "AwesomeCopilotSync" | Get-ScheduledTaskInfo

# View logs
Get-Content "$HOME\.awesome-copilot\logs\sync-*.log" -Tail 50

# Manually run task
Start-ScheduledTask -TaskName "AwesomeCopilotSync"

Files Not Appearing in VS Code

1. Restart VS Code
2. Check VS Code profile is correct: Ctrl+Shift+P → "Preferences: Show Profiles"
3. Verify files exist in %APPDATA%\Code\User\prompts\

📊 Logs

Sync logs are stored in $HOME\.awesome-copilot\logs\:

# View latest sync log
Get-Content "$HOME\.awesome-copilot\logs\sync-*.log" -Tail 20

Log format: sync-YYYYMMDD-HHMMSS.log

🤝 Contributing

Contributions welcome! Please:

1. Fork the repository
2. Create a feature branch
3. Test your changes thoroughly
4. Submit a pull request

📄 License

MIT License - See LICENSE file for details

🙏 Acknowledgments

• awesome-copilot - Community resource repository
• GitHub Copilot - AI pair programmer

⚠️ Disclaimer

These scripts are community-maintained and not officially supported by GitHub or Microsoft. Use at your own risk. Always review synced content before using in production environments.

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Made with ❤️ for the VS Code + Copilot community