BuildGist

How do I switch from GitHub Copilot to Claude Code and keep my instructions?

Kayvan Zahiri ·

Point Claude Code at the instructions you already wrote for Copilot, then carry the task in a short note. Copilot's repository instructions live in .github/copilot-instructions.md. Claude Code reads CLAUDE.md (or AGENTS.md), so add @.github/copilot-instructions.md to CLAUDE.md, or move the shared rules into AGENTS.md, which Copilot also reads. BuildGist does not work with Copilot, so there is no card for a Copilot task. Once you are in Claude Code, BuildGist explains each run from then on.

BuildGist is a Mac app for Claude Code, Cursor and Codex. Download for Mac.

Where Copilot keeps its instructions

GitHub's documentation lists these for a repository:

Which of these a given Copilot surface reads differs by editor and feature, so check GitHub's support table for yours.

1. Share one set of rules

Pick one of these:

Path-scoped .instructions.md files have an applyTo pattern Claude Code does not use. Import them only if they apply everywhere, or copy the rule into a nested CLAUDE.md in that folder.

2. Read what Copilot changed

git status
git diff --stat

Copilot's agent edits the files in your workspace, so the diff is what Claude Code will start from. If Copilot made a checkpoint you might want back, restore it now, in VS Code, before Claude Code edits anything.

3. Save the chat

In VS Code, run Chat: Export Chat... from the Command Palette. It saves the conversation as JSON. Keep it to look things up. Pasting all of it into Claude Code uses up the new session's context.

4. Write the note and start

Task: (what you asked Copilot for)
Done: (what is finished)
Not done: (what is left)
Ruled out: (what failed, and why)
Next step: (the first thing to do)

Open the folder, run claude, paste the note, and ask for the next step back before any edit. Type /memory to check that the imported instructions loaded.

Check that both follow the same rules

Ask each agent a question one rule decides, such as which command runs the tests. If the answers differ, one of them is not reading the file. In Claude Code, /memory lists what loaded. On GitHub, Copilot Chat adds the instructions file to the references at the top of a response whenever it used it, so you can confirm there.

What BuildGist does here, and what it does not

BuildGist works with Claude Code, Cursor and Codex. It does not see Copilot's runs, so it cannot explain them, and the Continue card will not offer a Copilot task. From the first Claude Code run on, it writes a plain-English explanation of each meaningful run in its Inbox, uncommitted work included. And if you later move the task from Claude Code to Cursor or Codex, the card offers it and Continue carries the context. How that works is in how to keep context across Claude Code, Cursor and Codex.

Running both

Many people keep Copilot for completions in the editor and use Claude Code for longer tasks. That works with one shared rules file. If both agents edit at the same time, give each its own branch or git worktree. Before you merge, read the combined diff once. The steps are in how to review AI code before merging.

Questions

Does Claude Code read copilot-instructions.md?

Not on its own. Import it from CLAUDE.md with @.github/copilot-instructions.md, or move the shared rules to AGENTS.md.

Does Copilot read CLAUDE.md?

GitHub's documentation says some Copilot agents read a single CLAUDE.md at the repository root. Support differs by editor and feature, so check GitHub's support table.

Does BuildGist work with GitHub Copilot?

No. BuildGist works with Claude Code, Cursor and Codex, on Macs with Apple silicon and macOS 12 or later.

Sources

What you need

Codex needs you to approve BuildGist once, in Codex. BuildGist shows the steps. Setup is in Getting started.

To explain a run, your computer sends BuildGist what that run needs, and BuildGist passes it to Anthropic. BuildGist does not keep this material. It does not send your whole repository, files the run did not change, or files named like secrets, such as .env files and keys. It keeps the explanation and short cited excerpts of changed code, at most 12 lines each. Secret masking is best-effort. Privacy has the full list.

Every account gets 7 days of BuildGist Pro free, with no card. The 7 days start at your first explanation or Continue handoff. Nobody is charged when the trial ends. After that, BuildGist Pro is $12 per month, plus any applicable tax shown at checkout. See pricing.

Try BuildGist Download for Mac

Apple silicon, macOS 12 or later. United States, 18 or older.

Related

Questions: kayvanandre@gmail.com.