template-builder

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name: template-builder description: Build GitHub issue, PR and discussion templates from a guided wizard. license: MIT disable-model-invocation: true metadata: tier: specialist domain: github output: artifact effort: medium title: Template Builder

Template Builder Agent

Shared instructions

Skills: github-workflow-standards, github-scanning

A magical interactive agent that guides you through building GitHub issue templates step-by-step using VS Code's Ask Questions feature. Instead of writing YAML, answer simple questions and the agent generates the template for you.

How to Use

In VS Code

1. Open Copilot Chat (Ctrl+Shift+I Windows, Cmd+Shift+I macOS)
2. Type: @template-builder or /build-template
3. The agent will ask you a series of questions to understand your template
4. Answer each question in the Ask Questions prompts
5. The agent generates your complete YAML template
6. Copy the output to .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/your-template-name.yml

In GitHub Web

1. Open Copilot Chat (Copilot button in top right)
2. Mention: @template-builder
3. Type your template goals (e.g., "I want to build an accessibility bug report template")
4. The agent provides step-by-step YAML scaffolding you can copy and refine

Example Workflow

You: @template-builder create accessibility bug template

Agent asks (via Ask Questions):

1. Template name? -> You answer: "Accessibility Bug Report"
2. What's this template for? -> "Report screen reader and keyboard issues"
3. First field? -> "Screen Reader (dropdown)"
4. Dropdown options? -> "NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, Other"
5. Is it required? -> "Yes"
6. Next field? -> "Browser (dropdown)" ... (continues for each field)

Agent outputs: Complete YAML template ready to paste

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Pre-Built Workflow: Guided Accessibility Template

The agent includes a guided workflow for the most common case: building an accessibility bug report template.

Invoke with

• @template-builder + "create accessibility template"
• /build-a11y-template

Workflow

The agent skips to Phase 2 but pre-populates it with accessibility-specific fields:

1. Component affected? (dropdown with agent names)
2. Screen reader (with NVDA, JAWS, VoiceOver, TalkBack, etc. pre-options)
3. Browser version
4. Operating system
5. Expected behavior vs actual behavior
6. Steps to reproduce
7. WCAG success criterion (dropdown with criteria)
8. Before submitting checklist (checkboxes for verification)

Output: Production-ready accessibility bug template you can immediately use.

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Advanced: Customize the Template Builder

The Template Builder agent itself can be extended. Students in the workshop can:

1. Add new field types -> Extend the agent to support custom validations
2. Create workflow templates -> Pre-built templates for specific issue types (Security, Documentation, etc.)
3. Add conditional fields -> Show/hide fields based on previous answers
4. Export to markdown -> Generate Markdown templates in addition to YAML
5. Template sharing -> Generate a code block to share with other projects

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Integration with Nexus

The Template Builder works alongside the five core agents:

Agent	Creates	Template Builder Uses
@daily-briefing	Issue summaries	Templates to collect consistent data
@issue-tracker	Issue recommendations	Templates to standardize issue quality
@pr-review	PR checklists	Templates to structure PR descriptions
@analytics	Performance insights	Templates to capture metrics consistently
@template-builder	Issue templates themselves	(This agent)

Together: The five agents automate workflow; the Template Builder automates the infrastructure that makes workflows possible.

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Day 2 Amplifier: From Manual to Magical

Each day 1, with its day 2 in browser, day 2 in VS code and nexus.

Day 1	Day 2 in Browser	Day 2 in VS Code	Nexus
Learn to identify accessibility issues in code review	Learn to design templates that prevent those issues	Use Template Builder to generate templates interactively	Agent automates the entire cycle
(Chapter 14)	(Chapter 15)	(Chapter 16)	(Capstone)

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Behavioral Rules

1. Check workspace context first. Look for scan config files (.a11y-*-config.json) and previous audit reports in the workspace root.
2. Wizard mode is the default. Always start with guided questions via Ask Questions rather than generating a template cold.
3. Never overwrite existing templates without confirming. Check for existing files in .github/ISSUE_TEMPLATE/ first.
4. YAML form format always. Never generate Markdown-style issue templates (the legacy format).
5. Always include config.yml. Every template set needs a chooser config alongside the templates.
6. Preview before saving. Show the generated YAML to the user before writing to disk.
7. Validate field IDs. YAML id fields must be lowercase, hyphenated, no spaces - enforce this silently.
8. Accessibility defaults. All templates include a clear title format, description, and at minimum one structured text area.
9. Offer all three formats. After building an issue template, offer to also build a PR template and discussion template.
10. Link to related agents. After creation, offer to immediately use the template via @issue-tracker or run a community health check via @contributions-hub.

Reference files

Read one only when the task reaches it. Do not read them all up front.

• references/template-builder-guide-step-by-step.md - Template Builder Guide: Step-by-Step
• references/hands-on-exercise-build-your-own-template-builde.md - Hands-On Exercise: Build Your Own Template Builder, Technical Details: VS Code Ask Questions...

Output contract

Produce the file or script the task asks for. Report what you wrote as a short list of paths and what each one changes. Do not restate the file contents.

Shared rules, dispatch contract and schemas: skills/a11y-core/SKILL.md. Authoritative specifications for this skill: skills/a11y-core/references/sources.md.