issue-session-notes

name	issue-session-notes
description	Attach relevant Copilot session lessons, mistakes, decisions, model details, token usage, MCP servers, and skills to a GitHub issue comment. Use when the user asks to add session notes, lessons learned, Copilot notes, mistakes, or implementation details to an issue.

Attach Copilot Session Notes to a GitHub Issue

Use this skill to create or update a GitHub issue comment with the useful parts of a Copilot session. The goal is to leave behind context that helps the next person continue the issue without reading the full chat transcript.

Prefer one living comment per issue. Update that comment instead of creating many new comments, because GitHub issue comments notify subscribers and rapid comment creation can hit secondary rate limits.

When to Use

• User asks to attach Copilot session notes to an issue
• User asks for lessons learned, mistakes, discoveries, or implementation details
• User asks to document what happened while working on an issue
• User asks to include model, token usage, MCP servers, or skills used

Do Not Include

• Secrets, credentials, tokens, private URLs, or sensitive logs
• Full raw conversation transcripts
• Large command output unless a short excerpt is needed to explain a failure
• Unrelated exploration
• Speculation that was not verified

Inputs to Gather

Gather only what is available. If a field is unavailable, write Not available rather than guessing.

1. Issue number or URL.
2. Repository, if not the current repository.
3. Related branch, pull request, or commit, if available.
4. Session date.
5. Model used.
6. Token usage.
7. MCP servers or tool servers actually used.
8. Skills actually used.
9. Relevant lessons, mistakes, decisions, blockers, and next actions.

Useful Copilot CLI commands from the help menu:

• /usage for session usage metrics and token information
• /env for loaded MCP servers, skills, agents, plugins, and instructions
• /search to find important moments in the conversation timeline
• /diff to review code changes before summarizing them
• /tasks to review subagents and shell commands used during the session
• /share only when a longer, scrubbed artifact is worth linking

If slash command output is not directly available to the agent, summarize from the visible conversation and tool history, and mark unknown fields as Not available.

Comment Format

Use this markdown template. Keep the note short and concrete.

<!-- copilot-session-notes:v1 issue=<issue-number> -->

## Copilot session notes

**Session date:** <YYYY-MM-DD>
**Related work:** <branch, PR, commit, or Not available>
**Model used:** <model name and model ID, or Not available>
**Token usage:** <input/output/total if available, or Not available>
**MCP/tool servers used:** <comma-separated list, or None observed>
**Skills used:** <comma-separated list, or None observed>
**Available but not used:** <optional short list, or omit>

### What we learned

- <Relevant discovery or lesson. Explain why it matters for this issue.>

### Mistakes or false starts

- <What was tried, what went wrong, and how to avoid repeating it.>

### Important implementation details

- <Decision, constraint, edge case, file, command, or validation detail.>

### Next action

- <One concrete next step, or "None.">

What Counts as Relevant

Include information that would help someone continue the issue later:

Include	Skip
Root cause of a bug	Full raw chat transcript
Failed approach and why it failed	Routine command output
Important repo convention discovered	Token values, secrets, or credentials
Validation commands that matter	Every command that happened to run
Files, functions, or workflows involved	Unrelated exploration
Tradeoff or decision made	Vague notes like "Copilot fixed it"
Open question or blocker	Unverified guesses

Posting the Comment

Prefer GitHub CLI for issue comments:

gh issue comment <issue-number-or-url> \
  --body-file <notes-file> \
  --edit-last \
  --create-if-none

Use standard issue comments for general session notes. For pull request timeline comments, use:

gh pr comment <pr-number-or-url> \
  --body-file <notes-file> \
  --edit-last \
  --create-if-none

Only use pull request review comments when the note belongs on a specific changed line.

API Fallback

If GitHub CLI cannot be used, create an issue comment with the REST API:

POST /repos/{owner}/{repo}/issues/{issue_number}/comments

Request body:

{
  "body": "comment markdown"
}

Use Accept: application/vnd.github+json when making API requests.

Quality Rules

• Keep the comment readable for non-engineers.
• Prefer short bullets with plain language.
• Make unknown metadata explicit with Not available.
• Do not invent token usage, model names, MCP servers, or skills.
• Separate tools actually used from tools that were only available.
• Update the existing notes comment when possible.
• End with a next action so the issue remains actionable.