guidelines

Collection of framework-to-framework migration rules and transformation patterns (e.g., Struts→Spring MVC, JSP→Thymeleaf, EJB→Spring Boot). Triggers: "check…

npx skills add https://github.com/microsoft/github-copilot-modernization --skill guidelines

User Input

You MUST consider the user input before proceeding (if not empty).

Purpose

Guidelines are curated, domain-specific knowledge bases providing:

  • Migration patterns: Technology-to-technology recipes
  • Transformation rules: Concrete mappings and conversion templates
  • Checklists: Step-by-step validation criteria

Directory Structure

skills/guidelines/
├── SKILL.md                    # This file - lookup mechanism
├── struts-to-spring/           # Struts 2 → Spring Boot 3.x
│   └── SKILL.md
└── {domain}/                   # Future guideline domains
    └── SKILL.md

Lookup Mechanism

When other skills need guideline lookup:

  1. Context Analysis: Extract technology keywords from spec/plan/code.
  2. Guideline Discovery: Search skills/guidelines/ subdirectories for matching patterns.
  3. Application: Load matching SKILL.md, extract applicable rules for current phase.

Integration Points

Workflow StepGuideline Application
SpecificationDomain constraints, scope boundaries
PlanningTechnology decisions, architecture patterns
TasksTransformation tasks, file-by-file changes
ImplementationCode transformation rules, test patterns
CompletenessValidation checklists, coverage criteria

Creating New Guidelines

  1. Create directory: skills/guidelines/{domain}/
  2. Create SKILL.md with:
    • Metadata header (name, description, triggers)
    • Rules organized by migration step
    • Concrete transformation examples (before/after)
    • Validation checklist

Documenting Applied Guidelines

When guidelines are applied, document in the relevant artifact:

## Applied Guidelines
- **Guideline**: struts-to-spring
- **Rules Used**: convert-action-to-controller, convert-validation
- **Reference**: skills/guidelines/struts-to-spring/SKILL.md