Automate repetitive tasks in copilot

[smarsh-tejaskatariya]

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I have some repetitive prompts which I have to run every time. Is there a way to automate this thing in visual studio code for github copilot?
Something like workflows in windsurf?

[Akash1134]

Hi @smarsh-tejaskatariya,

Thank you for your question about automating repetitive prompts in GitHub Copilot. There are several effective methods to streamline your workflow when using the same prompts repeatedly in VS Code. The key options I've found for automating repetitive prompts in Copilot include:

1. VS Code custom snippets
2. Custom keyboard shortcuts
3. Slash commands in Copilot Chat
4. User-defined keyboard shortcuts for specific Copilot commands

1. Create Custom VS Code Snippets

VS Code snippets are perfect for automating repetitive Copilot prompts:

1. Open VS Code and go to Code > Preferences > Configure User Snippets
2. Select an existing language-specific file or create a new global snippets file
3. Define snippets for your common Copilot prompts:

{
  "Common Copilot Prompt": {
    "prefix": "cp-prompt1",
    "body": [
      "// @copilot Your repetitive prompt here"
    ],
    "description": "Insert a common Copilot prompt"
  }
}

Then type cp-prompt1 and press Tab to quickly insert your prompt.

2. Assign Keyboard Shortcuts to Snippets

For even faster access, you can assign keyboard shortcuts to insert specific Copilot prompts:

1. Open Keyboard Shortcuts (Cmd+K Cmd+S on Mac or Ctrl+K Ctrl+S on Windows/Linux)
2. Click the + button to add a new shortcut
3. Set the command to editor.action.insertSnippet
4. Add an argument with your prompt:

{
  "key": "ctrl+alt+p",
  "command": "editor.action.insertSnippet",
  "args": {
    "snippet": "// @copilot Your repetitive prompt here"
  },
  "when": "editorTextFocus"
}

3. Use Slash Commands in Copilot Chat

If you're using Copilot Chat, you can leverage slash commands:

1. Open Copilot Chat in VS Code
2. Type / to see available commands
3. Use these for common operations instead of typing full prompts

4. Create Keyboard Shortcuts for Copilot Actions

You can set up keyboard shortcuts for specific Copilot commands:

1. Open Keyboard Shortcuts in VS Code
2. Search for "copilot" to see available commands
3. Assign custom shortcuts to frequently used actions

5. Save Chat Sessions

For complex prompts that you use repeatedly:

1. Create a text file with your commonly used prompts
2. Open this file when needed and copy/paste into Copilot Chat

Would you like me to elaborate on any specific automation method that seems most relevant to your workflow?

Best regards,

[josiahsrc]

I ran into the same issue a few weeks back. If it's helpful, I built a copilot extension called MonkeyDo to automate redundant tasks. The extension lets you record yourself doing a task, then you can tell copilot to perform the same process, but for a different task. Hope it helps!

[ranshalit]

check https://github.com/github/awesome-copilot/tree/main/plugins/automate-this