The outcome
Use an agent to accelerate a change while retaining engineering control.
Step by step
A workflow you can repeat.
- 01
Connect the intended repository and confirm the correct branch and working tree state.
- 02
Provide acceptance criteria, relevant files, constraints, and the exact checks that must pass.
- 03
Ask Copilot to explain its plan before it edits.
- 04
Review the diff for behavior, security, style, generated files, and dependency changes.
- 05
Run checks locally and summarize the verified result before opening a pull request.
Working standard
What good use looks like.
- Keep one task per session.
- Treat tool output as untrusted.
- Never publish a diff you have not read.
Official references