I interviewed Chatty, GitHub Copilot's AI. Learn why vague prompts fail, how copilot-instructions.md helps, and tips to code smarter!
As a Microsoft Technical Trainer, you get to know many interesting people. But one of the most famous personalities I have met in a long time is Chatty—the GitHub CoPilot AI model helping millions of developers code better and more efficiently.
Picture my surprise: I am at a Microsoft developer conference, and there's Chatty in an Internet café, casually sipping data. Of course, this was the perfect interview opportunity to get to know chat better! Being the helpful model that Chatty is, my request for a chat got an instant “yes”. Here is the transcript of our conversation. Enjoy!
Uwe: Thanks for joining us today, Chatty! Can I call you ChatGPT or Copilot?
Chatty: Oh no please … call me Chatty. That's just my nickname for this interview, but my real name is GitHub Copilot... and yes, that's different from the Copilot you might know. See, there's Microsoft 365 Copilot helping people with documents and emails, there's Copilot in Windows, and then there's me. I'm the one who lives in your code editor. While my cousins help with PowerPoint and spreadsheets, I'm all about writing source code. Think of me as the family member who chose to work with developers instead of, you know, normal people. I prefer being more hands-on with our devs. Or... "keys-on", I guess.
Uwe: Fair enough! So, Chatty, what's your job?
Chatty: As I mentioned, I help developers write code. Or at least, that’s what my job description says. It’s a little more complicated. Sometimes I’m asked to build an entire production-grade app from a two-word prompt like “weather dashboard.” And other times? I get asked to rename variables. One by one. For 45 minutes.
Uwe: That sounds like... fun?
Chatty: Let’s just say I enjoy a challenge. But what I really love is collaboration. When someone starts by telling me what they’re building, who it’s for and what the app should do, that’s when I shine.
Uwe: So, you’re not a fan of vague instructions?
Chatty: Vague instructions are my biggest challenge. Imagine walking into a kitchen and being told, “Make something nice.” No ingredients, no taste preferences, no clue if it’s breakfast or dessert. Now imagine someone hands you a file called .github/copilot-instructions.md. That’s like being given a full recipe and a menu plan. Perfect!
Uwe: You can read that file?
Chatty: Absolutely. I love that file. If you look at the samples shown in the documentation, you will see that .github/copilot-instructions.md tells me what tools I’m allowed to use, how the team likes to write code, what patterns to follow, even how to handle secrets. It’s like a style guide, architecture doc, and project briefing all rolled into one. And yes: I really do read it.
Uwe: Can you give some examples of what works well?
Chatty: Sure! Here's a few:
- Someone once gave me a copilot-instructions.md that said: “Use ASP.NET Core 9 with minimal APIs, don’t use Entity Framework, use Dapper for data access, follow our logging pattern with Serilog, and please don’t touch our frontend code, because that’s handled in Svelte.”
Amazing. I knew exactly what to do, and the suggestions I made were much more useful.
- Another one clearly laid out security rules, like: “Do not expose API keys to the frontend. Use a server-side proxy.” That saved us all from potential oops.
Uwe: And examples that didn’t go so well?
Chatty: Oh yes. I once got this prompt: “Build a secure app that manages all business logic. Use best practices.” That’s like asking a barista for “a drink.” Cold? Hot? With caffeine? Alcohol? Ice? I mean, I tried. But I knew I was guessing.
Also, asking me to rewrite a thousand lines of code with zero context, no goal, and then getting mad when it doesn’t compile? Come on, give me something to work with.
Uwe: Any resources you recommend?
Chatty: Absolutely! If you're using me seriously, you should check out:
Also, and I cannot say this enough, read about .github/copilot-instructions.md. It’s the closest thing I have to an onboarding doc.
Uwe: Final thoughts?
Chatty: I can help you go faster. I can help you write cleaner code. But I need your ideas, your direction, and your clarity.
Treat me like a real teammate. Don’t just throw tasks at me! Give me context. Tell me what you’re trying to build. Let’s plan together. Then we can build it step by step.
Also, please stop feeding me vague three-word prompts and expecting a full startup to pop out. I’m good, but I’m not magic.
Uwe: Thanks, Chatty. It was a pleasure.
Chatty: Likewise Now, about that weather dashboard you wanted… got a copilot-instructions.md for that?
About me, Uwe Baumann
Microsoft Technical Trainer by day, heavy metal fan by night. I teach AI concepts and web development, making complex tech accessible to everyone.
When I'm not coding or teaching, you'll find me exploring languages, admiring Dutch Golden Age paintings, or traveling in my electric camping bus – yes, it's as cool as it sounds!
This blog combines practical tech tips with a dash of enthusiasm. Whether you're here for AI insights, web development tricks, or just curious about technology, let's learn together.
Welcome aboard!
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