Obsolete advisory to describe folder structure in copilot-instructions

[syntactix-nst]

Code of Conduct

• I have read and agree to the GitHub Docs project's Code of Conduct

What article on docs.github.com is affected?

https://docs.github.com/en/copilot/concepts/prompting/response-customization?tool=vscode#writing-effective-custom-instructions-1

Specifically, this content in the reusable:

docs/data/reusables/copilot/custom-instructions-effective.md

Line 8 in ea18d4b

* Include the folder structure of the repository, including any important directories or files that are relevant to the project.

What part(s) of the article would you like to see updated?

The documentation currently advises users to describe their folder structure in custom instructions for Copilot. However, this appears to be obsolete advice.

When examining the debug view for Copilot Chat in VS Code, the user prompt already includes the current folder structure by default in the <workspace_info> section. For example:

<workspace_info>
I am working in a workspace with the following folders:
- c:\foldername\foo
- c:\differentfolder\bar
I am working in a workspace that has the following structure:

My.Project.A/
	Fobar.cs
	Banana.cs
	...
My. Project.B/
	Apple. cs
	Banana.cs
	... 
</workspace_info>

Since Copilot automatically includes workspace structure information, advising users to manually add this to their custom instructions is redundant and should be removed or updated to reflect current functionality.

Why should the docs be changed?

• Prevents users from adding duplicate information to their custom instructions
• Keeps documentation accurate and aligned with current Copilot behavior
• Helps users focus on custom instructions that actually add value rather than repeating what Copilot already knows

Additional information

This can be reliably reproduced by:

1. Opening the Copilot Chat debug view in VS Code
2. Examining the user prompt that's sent to Copilot
3. Observing that workspace structure is already included by default

This affects all users who follow the current documentation and unnecessarily add folder structure to their custom instructions.

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