Better Init Plugin
Better Init runs through GitHub Copilot CLI to create or refresh repository
guidance, including skills consumed by GitHub Copilot code review. It keeps
portable repository facts in AGENTS.md while moving Copilot-only behavior,
path-specific rules, reusable workflows, review procedures, and specialist
roles to their native locations.
The plugin provides:
/better-init— inspects the repository and writes the smallest useful set of instruction, skill, and agent files, including a repository-local code-review skill by default.repo-instruction-researcher— an optional read-only custom agent for discovering commands, architecture, and existing guidance in large repositories.
Better Init does not replace Copilot CLI's built-in /init command. It provides
a more deliberate workflow that can improve existing /init output or start
from an uninitialized repository.
Prerequisites
- GitHub Copilot CLI with plugin, skill, and custom-agent support.
Installation
copilot plugin marketplace add scaryrawr/scarypilot
copilot plugin install better-init@scarypilot
Usage
Invoke the skill directly:
/better-init
You can also provide a focus:
/better-init prioritize the contributor workflow and fast validation commands
Refresh this repository's Copilot instructions and remove duplicated guidance.
The skill chooses among these surfaces:
| Surface | Purpose |
|---|---|
AGENTS.md | Portable repository structure, commands, conventions, and safety constraints |
.github/copilot-instructions.md | Copilot-specific operating behavior |
.github/instructions/*.instructions.md | Guidance limited to matching paths |
.github/skills/*/SKILL.md | Reusable workflows loaded only when relevant |
.github/agents/*.agent.md | Specialist roles suitable for subagent delegation |
By default, initialization and general guidance refreshes include AGENTS.md
and .github/skills/code-review/SKILL.md. Other surfaces are created only when
needed. Each file must contain verified guidance that would be misplaced or
distracting elsewhere.
Copilot code review
Better Init creates or refreshes .github/skills/code-review/SKILL.md by default,
even without an explicit review request. The review-focused name and description
help GitHub Copilot code review discover the skill from a pull request's head
branch. An explicitly narrower request, such as "update only AGENTS.md," or a
request to skip the review skill takes precedence.
For a simple repository, the skill maps changed paths to entrypoints, tests, and applicable validation. Where supported by evidence, it adds checks such as migration artifact synchronization, API compatibility, or use of MCP context verified in repository Copilot settings. Local or plugin MCP configuration alone does not establish hosted review access. Better Init preserves useful existing checks and does not create a generic bug, security, test, or style checklist.