Christopher Harrison

Real World Development with GitHub Copilot and VS Code — Harald Kirschner, Christopher Harrison

Aug 3, 2025 · 1:19:33

Harald Kirschner demonstrates three stages of Vibe Coding with GitHub Copilot and VS Code—YOLO, Structured, and Spectrum—arguing that developers can move from rapid prototyping to maintainable, scalable AI-assisted development. He shows how to use Agent mode, auto-approve settings, and new workspace scaffolding to build a hydration tracking app with React Vite and Material Design without looking at code. The talk covers custom instructions, MCP servers (Playwright, Jest Pad, Perplexity), and custom modes like TDD that enforce test-driven development by writing failing tests first. Kirschner explains how to constrain tools for deterministic behavior using tool sets and recommends committing often, pausing AI when needed, and iterating on instructions. He also discusses spec-driven development, critiquing specs with AI, and the importance of well-structured codebases for AI productivity.

Piloting agents in GitHub Copilot - Christopher Harrison, Microsoft

Jul 26, 2025 · 59:07

Christopher Harrison (Microsoft) demonstrates GitHub Copilot's agent capabilities for AI Engineers, arguing context is key to effective pair programming. He explains Copilot's modes—completion, chat, edit, local agent, and coding agent—and how Model Context Protocol (MCP) enables access to external tools like databases. Harrison shows how Copilot-instructions.md files provide project-specific guidance, and how coding agent runs within ephemeral GitHub Actions environments with strict security (no external access, only write to its own branch). He emphasizes that AI doesn't change DevOps fundamentals: tests still run locally and via PR workflows, and code review remains essential. The lab covers assigning issues to Copilot, configuring MCP servers, and using .instructions files for reusable patterns, with a repeat session at 3:30 PM.

The Agent Awakens: Collaborative Development with Copilot - Christopher Harrison, GitHub

Jun 27, 2025 · 1:04:06

GitHub Enterprise Advocates Christopher Harrison and John Peck demonstrate GitHub Copilot's Coding Agent at the AI Engineer World's Fair, arguing that context is the key to effective AI pair programming. They explain that coding agent works by assigning GitHub issues with detailed requirements, then running inside a secure, ephemeral GitHub Actions environment with no internet access and limited write permissions. Harrison emphasizes using `copilot-instructions.md` and `.instructions` files to guide code generation, and MCP servers to access external data or APIs. He stresses that AI does not change the DevOps flow—code still requires manual review, linters, security scans, and unit tests. The session covers agent mode, edit mode, and multi-file edits, along with practical Q&A on enterprise adoption, model transparency, and managing multiple coding agents.

Collaborating with Agents in your Software Dev Workflow - Jon Peck & Christopher Harrison, Microsoft

Jun 27, 2025 · 1:04:06

GitHub's Christopher Harrison and Jon Peck explain how to collaborate with Copilot Coding Agent as a peer programmer, emphasizing that context—through clear code, comments, instructions files, and MCP servers—is key to success. They walk through a lab where Copilot works on assigned issues in ephemeral GitHub Actions environments without internet or write access to the main repo, creating draft PRs that require human review. Harrison advises against being passive-aggressive, advocating specific prompts and instructions files to guide the agent. The episode covers MCP's role in providing external tools, the need for code review and security checks even with AI, and pricing: $39.99/month for Enterprise tier with coding agent. They also highlight .instructions files for reusable patterns and note that coding agent currently supports only tools, not resources.