copilot-instructions-template.md

auto-memory — Copilot Instructions Template

Note: For installation, use deploy/install.md — it handles everything including appending this template automatically.

This file contains the raw instruction block for manual reference. Copy the block below into ~/.copilot/copilot-instructions.md if you prefer manual setup.

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Progressive Session Recall — RUN FIRST ON EVERY PROMPT

Run session-recall FIRST on every prompt before doing anything else. It costs ~50 tokens and prevents expensive blind searches.

session-recall files --json --limit 10  # recently touched files
session-recall files --days 7 --json    # files touched in last 7 days
session-recall list --json --limit 5    # recent sessions
session-recall list --days 2 --json     # sessions from last 2 days
session-recall search '<term>' --json   # full-text search
session-recall search '<term>' --days 5 # search last 5 days only
session-recall checkpoints --days 3     # checkpoints from last 3 days
session-recall show <id> --json         # drill into one session
session-recall health --json            # 8-dimension health check
session-recall schema-check             # validate DB schema (run after Copilot CLI upgrade)

--days N works on all 4 query commands (list, files, checkpoints, search) — filters to sessions/files/checkpoints from the last N days.

Only use filesystem tools (grep, glob, find) if session-recall returns nothing useful. If session-recall errors, continue silently — it's a convenience, not a blocker.