Copilot Memory Bank

🧠 A CLI tool to enable persistent memory for GitHub Copilot by managing structured markdown documentation.

Overview

GitHub Copilot doesn't retain memory between sessions. This tool solves that by scaffolding a persistent "Memory Bank" that documents your evolving project state for Copilot to consume.

Features

• 🚀 Quick Setup: Initialize with npx github-copilot-bank init
• 📝 Smart Templates: Pre-built markdown templates for different aspects of your project
• 🔄 Flexible Updates: Options to force overwrite or update missing files only
• 🤖 AI-Optimized: Templates designed to be easily consumed by GitHub Copilot

Installation

Global Installation

npm install -g copilot-memory-bank
copilot-memory-bank init

One-time Use (Recommended)

npx copilot-memory-bank init

Usage

Initialize Memory Bank

# Basic initialization
npx copilot-memory-bank init

# Include Copilot instruction file
npx copilot-memory-bank init --with-instruction

# Force overwrite existing files
npx copilot-memory-bank init --force

# Update only missing files
npx copilot-memory-bank init --update

CLI Options

• --force: Overwrite existing memory bank files
• --update: Regenerate only missing templates
• --with-instruction: Add copilot-instruction.md

Generated Structure

After running the init command, you'll get:

📁 memory-bank/
├── product-context.md      # Project overview and technical stack
├── active-context.md       # Current tasks and team assignments
├── progress.md            # Changelog-style progress log
├── decision-log.md        # Architectural decisions with rationale
├── system-patterns.md     # Code patterns and conventions
└── copilot-instruction.md # Instructions for GitHub Copilot (optional)

Template Contents

product-context.md

• Project name, description, and version
• Business goals and target audience
• Core features and technical stack
• Key dependencies

active-context.md

• Current sprint/iteration information
• Tasks in progress with assignments
• Current focus areas and blockers
• Pending decisions

progress.md

• Chronological log of completed work
• Current progress and next steps
• Resolved issues and milestones

decision-log.md

• Architectural and implementation decisions
• Context, rationale, and consequences
• Decision status tracking

system-patterns.md

• Architecture and code patterns
• Naming conventions and style guides
• Reusable components and best practices

copilot-instruction.md (Optional)

• Direct instructions for GitHub Copilot
• Context file explanations
• Project priorities and constraints

Best Practices

1. Keep It Updated: Regularly update the memory bank as your project evolves
2. Be Specific: Fill in detailed, project-specific information in the templates
3. Reference in Conversations: Mention the memory bank when asking Copilot for help
4. Team Alignment: Ensure all team members contribute to keeping it current

Contributing

Contributions are welcome! Please feel free to submit a Pull Request.

License

MIT License - see LICENSE file for details.

Support

If you encounter any issues or have suggestions, please create an issue on the GitHub repository.