Delegating Code to AI: Advanced Workflows with GitHub Copilot

This is the repository for the LinkedIn Learning course Delegating Code to AI: Advanced Workflows with GitHub Copilot. The full course is available from LinkedIn Learning.

Course Description

Learn how to delegate complex coding tasks to GitHub Copilot using advanced agent workflows and customization techniques. This course teaches you how to effectively guide AI assistants through multi-step tasks, set boundaries with custom instructions, and leverage agent modes for better code generation results.

The course uses ResourceStack, a modern Next.js resource organizer application, as a hands-on learning environment where you'll practice:

• Creating and refining custom Copilot instructions
• Managing dependencies and scope with agent guardrails
• Debugging and fixing issues with AI assistance
• Implementing features through effective task delegation

Prerequisites

To follow along with this course, you should have:

• Basic understanding of JavaScript/TypeScript
• Familiarity with GitHub Copilot
• Node.js 18+ installed
• Git for version control
• A code editor (VS Code recommended with GitHub Copilot extension)

Quick Start

Running the ResourceStack Application

1. Navigate to the project directory:

   cd resourcestack

2. Copy the environment file:

   cp .env.example .env

3. Run the setup script (installs dependencies, generates Prisma client, runs migrations, seeds database):

   npm run gp:setup

4. Start the development server:

   npm run gp:dev

5. Open your browser to http://localhost:3000

Additional Commands

• Run tests: npm run gp:test
• Lint code: npm run gp:lint
• Reproduce bug (for debugging exercises): npm run gp:repro
• View logs: Check ./logs/app.log

Repository Structure

.
├── resourcestack/          # Main Next.js application
│   ├── app/               # Next.js app router (pages & API routes)
│   ├── components/        # React components
│   ├── lib/               # Utility functions and database setup
│   ├── prisma/            # Database schema and migrations
│   ├── tests/             # Test files
│   └── scripts/           # Helper scripts
├── .github/
│   ├── agents/            # Custom Copilot agent definitions
│   ├── workflows/         # CI workflows
│   └── copilot-instructions.md  # Persistent agent instructions
├── chapter1/              # Chapter 1 exercises and prompts
├── chapter2/              # Chapter 2 exercises and prompts
├── chapter3/              # Chapter 3 exercises and prompts
├── chapter4/              # Chapter 4 exercises and prompts
├── chapter5/              # Chapter 5 exercises and prompts
└── chapter6/              # Chapter 6 exercises and prompts

Course Chapters

Each branch in this repository corresponds to a chapter in the course. Switch to the branch to get the starting state for that chapter's exercises.

Branch	Chapter	Topic
chapter1	Chapter 1	Agent Customization Fundamentals — custom instructions, guardrails, scope, stop conditions
chapter2	Chapter 2	Advanced Task Delegation — refining prompts, scope checkpoints, verification
chapter3	Chapter 3	Golden Path Scripting — enforcing gp: scripts, environment rules
chapter4	Chapter 4	Log-Driven Debugging — using the log-debugger agent to diagnose issues with evidence
chapter5	Chapter 5	Logging, Security & Team Standards — structured logging, safe boundaries, standards review
chapter6	Chapter 6	Delegation Risk & Failure Review — evaluating tasks with delegation-risk-reviewer and delegation-failure-reviewer agents
main	Final state	Fully working app with all features

Custom Agents

This repository includes custom Copilot agent definitions in .github/agents/:

• log-debugger — Diagnoses issues using logs and evidence before suggesting fixes
• team-standards-reviewer — Reviews tasks against team delegation standards before work begins
• delegation-risk-reviewer — Evaluates whether a task should be delegated to AI or remain human-led
• delegation-failure-reviewer — Analyzes failed AI delegation outcomes and recommends corrections

Working with Branches

The branches are structured to correspond to the chapters in the course. Each branch contains:

• Exercise files
• Custom instruction examples
• Prompts for practice

Switching to Chapter Branches

1. First time setup - Fetch all available branches:

   git fetch origin

2. Switch to a chapter branch:

   git switch chapter1
   # or chapter2, chapter3, chapter4, chapter5, chapter6

Git will automatically create a local tracking branch from the remote branch.

Alternatively, you can browse different chapters using the branch menu in GitHub.

Handling Local Changes

If you've made changes and want to switch branches, you may see an error. To resolve:

Option 1 - Commit your changes:

git add .
git commit -m "Your commit message"
git switch <branch-name>

Option 2 - Stash your changes:

git stash
git switch <branch-name>
git stash pop  # To restore your changes later

About ResourceStack

ResourceStack is a full-stack web application built with:

• Next.js 14 - React framework with App Router
• TypeScript - Type-safe development
• Prisma - Database ORM
• Tailwind CSS - Styling
• SQLite - Database (via Prisma)
• Vitest - Testing framework

The application intentionally includes a URL normalization bug for debugging exercises in the course.

Troubleshooting

Database issues: Try resetting the database:

cd resourcestack
npx prisma migrate reset

Dependency issues: Clear node_modules and reinstall:

rm -rf node_modules package-lock.json
npm install --legacy-peer-deps

Port already in use: Kill the process on port 3000 or use a different port:

npm run gp:dev -- -p 3001

Instructor

Tiffany Teasley - Data Sistah | Data Scientist & AI Engineer