applyTo field is not being applied correctly in custom instructions

[ayush-shukla-maersk]

Select Topic Area

Bug

Copilot Feature Area

VS Code

Body

Hi team,

I’m trying to organize my Copilot instructions by file type, but it seems Copilot only references the main .github/copilot-instructions.md file.

Here’s my setup:

.github/
 └─ instructions/
     └─ tests.instructions.md

Inside tests.instructions.md I have:

---
applyTo: "**/*.spec.ts"
---
...some more test instructions
---

However, when I edit or ask Copilot to make changes in a .spec.ts file, it doesn’t seem to reference this tests.instructions.md file — it only picks up .github/copilot-instructions.md.

Is there a way to make Copilot recognize multiple instruction files (like one per type) or include them from a subfolder?
Or is it currently limited to only .github/copilot-instructions.md?

Thanks in advance!

[github-actions[bot]]

💬 Your Product Feedback Has Been Submitted 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us! Your feedback is invaluable as we build a better GitHub experience for all our users.

Here's what you can expect moving forward ⏩

• Your input will be carefully reviewed and cataloged by members of our product teams. 
  • Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not always be able to provide individual responses.
  • Rest assured, your feedback will help chart our course for product improvements.
• Other users may engage with your post, sharing their own perspectives or experiences. 
• GitHub staff may reach out for further clarification or insight. 
  • We may 'Answer' your discussion if there is a current solution, workaround, or roadmap/changelog post related to the feedback.

Where to look to see what's shipping 👀

• Read the Changelog for real-time updates on the latest GitHub features, enhancements, and calls for feedback.
• Explore our Product Roadmap, which details upcoming major releases and initiatives.

What you can do in the meantime 💻

• Upvote and comment on other user feedback Discussions that resonate with you.
• Add more information at any point! Useful details include: use cases, relevant labels, desired outcomes, and any accompanying screenshots.

As a member of the GitHub community, your participation is essential. While we can't promise that every suggestion will be implemented, we want to emphasize that your feedback is instrumental in guiding our decisions and priorities.

Thank you once again for your contribution to making GitHub even better! We're grateful for your ongoing support and collaboration in shaping the future of our platform. ⭐

[LOCYZZ]

This is expected behavior at the moment.
GitHub Copilot only looks for the single file .github/copilot-instructions.md in the repository root. It doesn’t currently support multiple instruction files or subfolder-based configurations.

If you want to maintain different instruction sets, the current workaround is to merge them into one file and use applyTo sections inside .github/copilot-instructions.md, for example:

---
applyTo: "**/*.spec.ts"
---
Testing-related instructions here
---
applyTo: "**/*.ts"
---
General TypeScript instructions here

There’s no official support yet for including or importing additional .md instruction files, but it could be a useful feature request for future updates.

[ayush-shukla-maersk]

It seems sometimes it picks the correct instruction also as mentioned in the documentation it says this should work. docs: http://docs.github.com/en/copilot/how-tos/configure-custom-instructions/add-repository-instructions#creating-path-specific-custom-instructions-1

[ayush-shukla-maersk]

Sometime it works