Assign a GitHub issue to Copilot and review the PR

A developer used GitHub Copilot to tackle a backlog issue, then checked its branch choice, tests, and pull request before deciding what to merge.

Done with GitHub Copilot· Intermediate

What they did
They handed a GitHub issue to Copilot and let it spin up a branch, open a pull request, work through the task, run tests, and push updates without manual coding. To get better results, they rewrote the issue with much more specific guidance, then used PR comments to steer the work while keeping review, testing, and deployment decisions with them.
How it went
After a few attempts, Copilot finished a real backlog item. The one recurring problem was branch selection: it kept starting from the default branch even when asked to use a specific feature branch.
Tips
Detailed instructions mattered a lot, and simpler issues were a better fit. Keep a human in the loop for review and any irreversible step, including merging or deploying.

Try it yourself with GitHub Copilot

Take this GitHub issue: [issue link]. Work on it in a new branch based on [feature branch name], not the default branch. Open a pull request with a brief summary of your changes, run the relevant tests, and ask me before you do anything that would merge, delete, submit, or deploy. If you need clarification, leave a comment in the pull request and wait for my answer before continuing.

Fill in the [brackets]. Agents can make mistakes, so review anything before it is sent, paid or deleted.

Read the original on reddit.com ↗

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