Move all instructions into model-specific prompt #2156
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roblourens
requested review from
bhavyaus,
karthiknadig,
pwang347 and
vijayupadya
as code owners
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Pull request overview
This PR moves identity and safety instructions from a centralized location in agentPrompt.tsx into each model-specific prompt file. This allows customization of these foundational instructions per model family (e.g., GPT-5.1 codex can have different instructions than GPT-4). The change affects all agent prompt implementations and includes:
- Removal of shared instruction logic from
agentPrompt.tsx - Addition of
CopilotIdentityRules/GPT5CopilotIdentityRuleandSafetyRules/Gpt5SafetyRulecomponents to each model-specific prompt - Addition of an introductory sentence for most models
- Test updates including new test families (vscModelA, vscModelB) and updated snapshots
Reviewed changes
Copilot reviewed 56 out of 56 changed files in this pull request and generated 2 comments.
Show a summary per file
| File | Description |
|---|---|
agentPrompt.tsx |
Removed centralized identity/safety rules logic; now delegates entirely to model-specific prompts |
xAIPrompts.tsx |
Added identity, safety rules, and intro sentence |
vscModelPrompts.tsx |
Added identity, safety rules, and intro sentence to both ModelA and ModelB |
gpt5Prompt.tsx |
Added GPT5-specific identity, safety rules, and intro sentence |
gpt5CodexPrompt.tsx |
Added GPT5-specific identity, safety rules, and intro sentence |
gpt51Prompt.tsx |
Added GPT5-specific identity and safety rules with custom context sentence |
gpt51CodexPrompt.tsx |
Added GPT5-specific identity and safety rules with custom context sentence |
defaultOpenAIPrompt.tsx |
Added identity, safety rules, and intro sentence |
geminiPrompts.tsx |
Added identity, safety rules, and intro sentence |
anthropicPrompts.tsx |
Added identity, safety rules, and intro sentence to both prompt variants |
defaultAgentInstructions.tsx |
Added identity, safety rules, and intro sentence |
agentPrompt.spec.tsx |
Added vscModelA and vscModelB to test families; changed assertion syntax |
| Snapshot files | 50+ new/updated snapshot files for test validation |
| class Gpt51Prompt extends PromptElement<DefaultAgentPromptProps> { | ||
| async render(state: void, sizing: PromptSizing) { | ||
| const tools = detectToolCapabilities(this.props.availableTools); | ||
| return <InstructionMessage> |
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The introductory sentence "You are an expert AI programming assistant, working with a user in the VS Code editor." is missing here but present in gpt5Prompt.tsx and gpt5CodexPrompt.tsx. This inconsistency means different GPT-5.1 models get different identity preambles. Add the missing introductory sentence before <GPT5CopilotIdentityRule /> for consistency, or document why this model should have a different introduction.
| return <InstructionMessage> | |
| return <InstructionMessage> | |
| You are an expert AI programming assistant, working with a user in the VS Code editor.<br /> |
| class Gpt51CodexPrompt extends PromptElement<DefaultAgentPromptProps> { | ||
| async render(state: void, sizing: PromptSizing) { | ||
| const tools = detectToolCapabilities(this.props.availableTools); | ||
| return <InstructionMessage> |
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The introductory sentence "You are an expert AI programming assistant, working with a user in the VS Code editor." is missing here but present in gpt5Prompt.tsx and gpt5CodexPrompt.tsx. This inconsistency means different GPT-5.1 models get different identity preambles. Add the missing introductory sentence before <GPT5CopilotIdentityRule /> for consistency, or document why this model should have a different introduction.
| return <InstructionMessage> | |
| return <InstructionMessage> | |
| You are an expert AI programming assistant, working with a user in the VS Code editor.<br /> |
@bhavyaus are you ok with this? I wanted to customize it for 5.1 codex. Or do you think these rules shouldn't be customizable so we don't drop them by accident?