The Integrate Prompt¶
The integrate prompt is your zero-to-working starting point for any repository.
Open your editor or the Copilot CLI and say:
That single sentence triggers a guided two-phase workflow: integration then audit. No docs-hunting, no guessing.
What it does¶
Phase 1 — Integrate¶
The prompt inspects the target repository (tech stack, existing Copilot customizations, CI workflows, team size signals) and then:
- Recommends the right sync path for the context — direct sync, fork-first, or org-wide rollout
- Generates the exact sync commands for the detected OS and shell
- Drafts a tailored
.basecoat.ymlwith only the agents, skills, and instructions relevant to the stack — no noise - Validates the sync completed correctly and diagnoses failures if it didn't
Phase 2 — Audit¶
After integration, it runs a baseline audit across five dimensions:
| Dimension | What it checks |
|---|---|
| Instruction coverage | Global file size (token cost), scoped instructions, duplicate rules |
| Agent relevance | Stack match, required sections, allowed_skills wiring |
| Skill coverage | Skills present, frontmatter valid |
| CI integration | Drift detection workflow, undefined secrets, test validation |
| Naming and taxonomy | File naming conventions, deprecated terminology |
Each finding is classified by severity (🔴 Critical / 🟠 High / 🟡 Medium / ⚪ Low) and comes with a specific recommended fix.
How to invoke it¶
The prompt works in any Copilot-enabled surface:
GitHub Copilot CLI¶
VS Code Copilot Chat¶
Open the chat panel and type:
Or, if the prompt file is synced to your repo, select it from the prompt picker (/) and pass the URL.
In your repo (already inside the target)¶
If you are already working inside the target repository, you can omit the URL:
The prompt will use the codebase tool to inspect the current repo.
What you get back¶
A structured report with three sections:
1. Repo profile — detected tech stack, sync method chosen, assets overlaid, BaseCoat version pinned.
2. Audit findings table — every finding grouped by severity with a one-line fix for each.
3. Top 3 recommended next steps — highest-impact actions in priority order, each with exact instructions.
Then the prompt asks: "Would you like me to implement any of these now?"
Example output (abbreviated)¶
Repo: https://github.com/acme/payments-api
Tech stack: Python 3.12, FastAPI, PostgreSQL, GitHub Actions
Sync method: Direct sync (solo team, public repo)
Assets overlaid: 12 agents, 4 skills, 6 instructions
BaseCoat version: v3.25.0
AUDIT FINDINGS
🔴 Critical (1)
[INSTR-001] Global instruction file is 5.2KB — adds ~5,200 tokens to every session.
Fix: Extract Python-specific rules to a scoped instruction file (applyTo: "**/*.py").
🟠 High (2)
[AGENT-001] No agent matches the detected FastAPI/Python stack.
Fix: Add agents/fastapi-review.agent.md or use the code-review agent with Python examples.
[CI-001] No version drift detection workflow found.
Fix: Call .github/workflows/check-basecoat-version-callable.yml from your CI pipeline.
🟡 Medium (1)
[NAME-001] agents/Deploy_Prod.agent.md uses PascalCase.
Fix: Rename to agents/deploy-prod.agent.md (kebab-case required).
TOP 3 NEXT STEPS
1. Split the global instruction file — saves ~5K tokens per session
2. Add drift detection to CI — prevents silent BaseCoat rot
3. Rename the miscased agent file
The prompt file¶
The prompt is located at prompts/integrate.prompt.md
in the BaseCoat repository. After running sync, it lands in your repo at
.github/prompts/integrate.prompt.md and is immediately available in VS Code's
prompt picker.
Related¶
- Make It Your Own — deeper customization options
- Enterprise Setup — org-wide rollout
- Agent Examples — what to do after integration
- Consumer Sync Guide — sync reference