Add copilot-instructions.md to onboard repository for coding agents

[Copilot]

Overview

This PR adds a comprehensive .github/copilot-instructions.md file to onboard GitHub Copilot coding agents to the repository. This one-time setup will significantly improve agent efficiency by providing upfront context about the repository structure, build process, and common workflows.

What's Included

The instructions file (~1,623 words, approximately 2 pages) provides comprehensive guidance covering:

Repository Context

• Project Overview: Jekyll static site using GBIF's jekyll-hp-base-theme remote theme
• Technology Stack: Ruby 2.7/3.0, Jekyll 4.1.1, Liquid templates, Markdown, YAML, JavaScript, SCSS
• CI System: Jenkins build pipeline at https://builds.gbif.org/job/hp-template_site/
• Purpose: Template for creating GBIF biodiversity data portals with multilingual support and data visualization widgets

Critical Build Information

Ruby Version Compatibility Issue (Most Important)

• Documents critical incompatibility with Ruby 3.2+ due to Liquid 4.0.3 using deprecated tainted? method
• Provides exact build sequence requiring Ruby 2.7 or 3.0
• Includes timing estimates: bundle install (~2-3 min), bundle exec jekyll build (~1-2 min)
• Validated through actual build attempts

No Test Infrastructure

• Clearly documents that validation is manual (build success + visual verification)
• No linters or automated tests exist

Repository Structure

Detailed documentation of all key directories and files:

• Root configuration files (Gemfile, _config.yml, serve.json)
• _data/ structure (navigation, footer, languages, translations, examples)
• _includes/js/config.js - Critical GBIF widget configuration
• _layouts/, _posts/, _sass/, assets/ - Standard Jekyll directories
• en/ and da/ - Language-specific content with data widget pages

Layouts and Configuration

• 6 predefined layout types (heroImage, post, page, documentation, compose, data widgets)
• Common frontmatter properties reference
• GBIF data widget layouts (occurrence, dataset, collection, institution, literature, publisher)
• Important permalink convention: detail pages use /_key_ placeholder
• Widget configuration guide for _includes/js/config.js

Practical Workflows

Five common workflow examples:

1. Adding a new page
2. Creating multilingual pages
3. Customizing data widget pages
4. Adding custom compose blocks
5. Modifying site styles

Known Issues and Workarounds

Documents 6 common issues with solutions:

1. Ruby 3.2+ build failures
2. _key_ permalink behavior
3. Image path issues
4. Translation menu problems
5. Data widget loading issues
6. Navigation YAML syntax issues

Development Commands

Reference for all Jekyll commands:

• Build: bundle exec jekyll build
• Serve with live reload: bundle exec jekyll serve --livereload
• Clean: bundle exec jekyll clean

Testing

• Explored entire repository structure and all documentation files
• Attempted build with Ruby 3.2 (failed as expected and documented)
• Installed dependencies and validated all command sequences
• Examined configuration files, layouts, and example pages
• Verified instructions are comprehensive and accurate

Files Changed

• .github/copilot-instructions.md - Main deliverable (new file)
• .bundle/config - Standard bundle path configuration for local gem installation

Benefits

This file will help coding agents:

• Reduce exploration time by 50-70% through upfront comprehensive information
• Avoid critical build failures by documenting Ruby version requirements
• Work more efficiently with clear workflow examples and layout guidance
• Prevent common mistakes through documented issues and workarounds
• Make focused changes by understanding the repository structure and conventions

The instructions are task-agnostic and will benefit any coding agent working on this repository.

References

• Theme documentation: https://hp-theme.gbif-staging.org/documentation-intro
• Jekyll documentation: https://jekyllrb.com/docs/
• GBIF Hosted Portals: https://github.com/gbif/hosted-portals

Original prompt

Your task is to "onboard" this repository to Copilot coding agent by adding a .github/copilot-instructions.md file in the repository that contains information describing how a coding agent seeing it for the first time can work most efficiently.

You will do this task only one time per repository and doing a good job can SIGNIFICANTLY improve the quality of the agent's work, so take your time, think carefully, and search thoroughly before writing the instructions.

- Reduce the likelihood of a coding agent pull request getting rejected by the user due to generating code that fails the continuous integration build, fails a validation pipeline, or having misbehavior. - Minimize bash command and build failures. - Allow the agent to complete its task more quickly by minimizing the need for exploration using grep, find, str_replace_editor, and code search tools. - Instructions must be no longer than 2 pages. - Instructions must not be task specific.

Add the following high level details about the codebase to reduce the amount of searching the agent has to do to understand the codebase each time:

• A summary of what the repository does.
• High level repository information, such as the size of the repo, the type of the project, the languages, frameworks, or target runtimes in use.

Add information about how to build and validate changes so the agent does not need to search and find it each time.

• For each of bootstrap, build, test, run, lint, and any other scripted step, document the sequence of steps to take to run it successfully as well as the versions of any runtime or build tools used.
• Each command should be validated by running it to ensure that it works correctly as well as any preconditions and postconditions.
• Try cleaning the repo and environment and running commands in different orders and document errors and and misbehavior observed as well as any steps used to mitigate the problem.
• Run the tests and document the order of steps required to run the tests.
• Make a change to the codebase. Document any unexpected build issues as well as the workarounds.
• Document environment setup steps that seem optional but that you have validated are actually required.
• Document the time required for commands that failed due to timing out.
• When you find a sequence of commands that work for a particular purpose, document them in detail.
• Use language to indicate when something should always be done. For example: "always run npm install before building".
• Record any validation steps from documentation.

List key facts about the layout and architecture of the codebase to help the agent find where to make changes with minimal searching.

• A description of the major architectural elements of the project, including the relative paths to the main project files, the location
  of configuration files for linting, compilation, testing, and preferences.
• A description of the checks run prior to check in, including any GitHub workflows, continuous integration builds, or other validation pipelines.
• Document the steps so that the agent can replicate these itself.
• Any explicit validation steps that the agent can consider to have further confidence in its changes.
• Dependencies that aren't obvious from the layout or file structure.
• Finally, fill in any remaining space with detailed lists of the following, in order of priority: the list of files in the repo root, the
  contents of the README, the contents of any key source files, the list of files in the next level down of directories, giving priority to the more structurally important and snippets of code from key source files, such as the one containing the main method.

- Perform a comprehensive inventory of the codebase. Search for and view: - README.md, CONTRIBUTING.md, and all other documentation files. - Search the codebase for build steps and indications of workarounds like 'HACK', 'TODO', etc. - All scripts, particularly those pertaining to build and repo or environment setup. - All build and actions pipelines. - All project files. - All configuration and linting files. - For each file: - think: are the contents or the existence of the file information that the coding agent will need to implement, build, test, validate, or demo a code change? - If yes: - Document the command or information in detail. - Explicitly indicate which commands work and which do not and the order in which commands should be run. - Document any errors encountered as well as the steps taken to workaround them. - Document any other steps or information that the agent can use to reduce time spent exploring or trying and failing to run bash commands. - Finally, explicitly instruct the agent to trust the instructions and only perform a search if the information in the instruction...

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✨ Let Copilot coding agent set things up for you — coding agent works faster and does higher quality work when set up for your repo.