GitHub Node for Visual Studio
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Adds GitHub and MCP Servers nodes to Solution Explorer. Quickly access and manage GitHub-specific files like workflows, Copilot instructions, and agents, plus Model Context Protocol (MCP) server configurations - all without leaving Visual Studio.
Features
GitHub Node in Solution Explorer
The extension adds a dedicated GitHub node directly under your solution, providing easy access to the .github folder contents:
- Automatically detects the
.github folder in your repository
- Displays files and subfolders with appropriate icons
- Live updates when files are added, removed, or modified
- Double-click any file to open it in the editor
Context Menu Commands
Right-click on the GitHub node or any subfolder to quickly create new files:
Copilot Customization
- Add Copilot Instructions - Create an instructions file (
.instructions.md) in the instructions folder
- Add Agent - Create a custom Copilot agent (
.agent.md) in the agents folder
- Add Prompt - Create a reusable prompt file (
.prompt.md) in the prompts folder
- Add Skill - Create an agent skill folder with
skill.md in the skills folder
GitHub Configuration
- Add Workflow - Create a new GitHub Actions workflow (
.yml) in the workflows folder
- Add Dependabot Config - Create a
dependabot.yml for automated dependency updates
- Add Issue Template - Create an issue template in the
ISSUE_TEMPLATE folder
- Add Pull Request Template - Create a
PULL_REQUEST_TEMPLATE.md file
- Add CODEOWNERS - Create a
CODEOWNERS file for automatic reviewer assignment
- Add FUNDING.yml - Create a
FUNDING.yml file for sponsor button configuration
- Add SECURITY.md - Create a
SECURITY.md file for security policy documentation
Folder-Specific Commands
When you right-click on a specific folder (e.g., agents, prompts, skills, instructions, or workflows), the relevant "Add" command appears directly in the context menu for quick access.
File and Folder Management
- Copy Path - Copy the full path to the clipboard
- Rename - Rename files or folders directly from the context menu
- Delete - Delete files or folders with confirmation
Utilities
- Open in File Explorer - Open the folder in Windows File Explorer
- Open Containing Folder - Open the parent folder and select the file in File Explorer
- Open on GitHub - Open the file or folder directly on GitHub.com in your browser
Git Status Icons
Files and folders display Git status icons, similar to Solution Explorer:
- Unchanged - Files committed to the repository with no changes
- Modified - Files with local changes
- Staged - Files staged for commit
- Added/Untracked - New files not yet tracked by Git
- Deleted - Files marked for deletion
- Conflict - Files with merge conflicts
- Renamed - Files that have been renamed
Folders show an aggregate status based on their contents - for example, if any file in a folder is modified, the folder shows a modified icon.
MCP Servers Node in Solution Explorer
The extension adds an MCP Servers node that provides centralized access to all Model Context Protocol (MCP) server configurations in your solution:
- Automatically discovers MCP configuration files from all standard locations:
.github/mcp.json - Repository-level configuration%APPDATA%/Code/User/globalStorage/rooveterinaryinc.roo-cline/settings/cline_mcp_settings.json - Cline global settings- Solution-local
.mcp/mcp.json - Solution-specific configuration
- Displays each configuration file with its servers organized hierarchically
- Live updates when configuration files are added, modified, or removed
- Click on a server entry to view its configuration details
- Shows a helpful hint when no MCP configurations exist
The MCP Servers node appears directly below the GitHub node, making it easy to manage both GitHub-specific files and MCP server configurations from one place.
When creating Copilot agents, instructions, prompts, or skills, the dialog offers a curated collection of community templates sourced from the awesome-copilot repository.
Features:
- Template dropdown - Browse and select from community-contributed templates
- Live preview - See the template content with syntax highlighting before creating the file
- Auto-fill filename - Template names are automatically used as the filename
- Refresh button - Fetch the latest templates from GitHub
- Caching - Templates are cached locally for 7 days for fast access
The preview pane includes syntax highlighting for:
- Markdown headers and formatting
- YAML front matter (keys and values)
- Code blocks and inline code
- Links and URLs
- HTML comments
File Templates
All created files come with helpful starter templates that follow best practices:
- Copilot Instructions - Sections for project overview, coding standards, architecture, and testing
- Agents - YAML frontmatter with name/description, plus sections for role, capabilities, and instructions
- Prompts - YAML frontmatter with mode and description, plus context and task sections
- Skills - YAML frontmatter with structured sections for purpose, instructions, and examples
- Workflows - Basic GitHub Actions workflow with common triggers and job structure
- Issue Templates - YAML frontmatter with description fields and standard issue sections
- CODEOWNERS - Comments explaining syntax with example patterns for teams
- FUNDING.yml - Configuration for GitHub Sponsors and other funding platforms
- SECURITY.md - Sections for supported versions, reporting vulnerabilities, and security updates
Requirements
- Visual Studio 2022 (17.0 or later)
- A solution with a
.github folder in the repository root
How It Works
The extension uses Visual Studio's Solution Explorer extensibility to add an attached collection node. It monitors the .github folder using a FileSystemWatcher to keep the display in sync with the file system.
Contribute
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