Articles
Articles
Comparisons, buying decisions and failure modes — the questions the curriculum does not answer because they are not lessons. Every article names its sources and records the date its facts were last checked. If you only need the answer, the answer file carries the short version of several of these with its sources attached.
- TroubleshootingGitHub Copilot Code Review Not Running on Pull Requests? A Diagnostic Checklist
Copilot code review not on a pull request? Eight causes in order: plan, policy, ruleset targeting, enforcement, drafts, pushes after review, author access, forks.
Facts last checked · 4 sources
- Explainercopilot-setup-steps.yml Explained: Prepare GitHub Copilot Coding Agent for Python and Node.js
What copilot-setup-steps.yml does, the one job it must contain, which keys count, and complete Python and Node.js examples with least-privilege permissions.
Facts last checked · 4 sources
- ExplainerGitHub Copilot in a Monorepo: Scoped Instructions for Frontend, Backend, and Terraform
A shared copilot-instructions.md plus three applyTo files for a TypeScript frontend, a FastAPI backend and Terraform — how they combine, how to debug a pattern, how to keep them true.
Facts last checked · 4 sources
- ExplainerGitHub Copilot AI Credits Explained: Estimate Your Monthly Usage Before You Upgrade
What a GitHub AI Credit is, why similar prompts cost different amounts, where to read your usage, and a browser-local calculator that projects the rest of your allowance period.
Facts last checked · 4 sources
- TroubleshootingGitHub Copilot Ignoring Your Instructions? Diagnose the File, Scope, and Session
Copilot ignoring copilot-instructions.md, a path-specific file or AGENTS.md? Five causes, in order: not discovered, stale session, scope mismatch, unfollowable rule, conflict.
Facts last checked · 4 sources
- ExplainerNobody Has Measured Which Copilot Model Is Best
Rankings of Copilot models are almost never measured, and the benchmarks they cite test a different system from the one you use. What is actually knowable, and how to measure it for your own codebase.
Facts last checked · 3 sources
- TroubleshootingCopilot MCP Server Not Connecting? Work Through It in Order
An MCP server that shows as failed, or connects and exposes no tools, almost always fails for one of six reasons. Diagnose them in the order they actually occur, with the commands.
Facts last checked · 3 sources
- ExplainerCopilot Code Review vs Human Review
What automated review reliably catches, what it structurally cannot, and how to sequence the two so the machine handles the pass humans are worst at.
Facts last checked · 3 sources
- ComparisonBest GitHub Copilot Alternatives, Honestly Compared
Four genuine alternatives with prices checked against each vendor's own page, the two we could not verify and why, and the question that actually decides it.
Facts last checked · 3 sources
- ComparisonGitHub Copilot vs Amazon Q Developer
One is an editor assistant that works anywhere; the other knows your AWS account. Where that difference decides it, and where the free tier changes the maths.
Facts last checked · 3 sources
- Buying guideIs GitHub Copilot Worth It? An Honest Assessment
The case for and against paying for Copilot, with the actual numbers — what $10 buys, and the three situations where the answer is genuinely no.
Facts last checked · 3 sources
- TroubleshootingGitHub Copilot Not Working? Diagnose It in Order
A diagnostic order for when Copilot goes silent, sorted by likelihood — starting with the checks that fail most often and the ones that fail invisibly.
Facts last checked · 2 sources
- ComparisonGitHub Copilot vs Claude Code: Which Agent Fits Your Work
One meters monthly allowances, the other rolling five-hour sessions. Where each is genuinely stronger, and when running both is the right answer.
Facts last checked · 4 sources
- ComparisonGitHub Copilot vs Cursor: An Honest Comparison
Copilot attaches to your editor; Cursor replaces it. What that difference means for pricing, governance and which one actually fits your team.
Facts last checked · 4 sources
- Buying guideWhich GitHub Copilot Plan Should You Actually Buy?
Seven tiers, five of them paid. A recommendation for your situation — including the two cases where the correct answer costs nothing.
Facts last checked · 2 sources