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PR #777 Implementation Plan

PR: #777 - Fix Issue #505: Add 'new' tool to GitHub Copilot chatmodes Author: jhaindev Status: Planning Phase Date: October 26, 2025

Overview

This PR fixes Issue #505 by adding the 'new' tool to the GitHub Copilot chatmode configuration. This enables BMAD agents to create new files when using custom chat modes in GitHub Copilot.

Problem Statement

Issue #505: Agents cannot create new files using GitHub Copilot custom chat modes. While the 'editFiles' tool allows editing existing files, it cannot create non-existent files. The 'new' tool is required for full file creation capability.

Impact:

Analyst agent and other BMAD agents cannot create new files via chat commands
Commands like *create-project-brief fail to generate new files
Users must manually create files before agents can work with them

Root Cause: The 'new' tool is missing from the tools array in the GitHub Copilot chatmode configuration.

Solution Overview

Add the 'new' tool to the tools array in the GitHub Copilot chatmode configuration file.

Location: tools/installer/lib/ide-setup.js (line 2179)

Change Type: Single-line addition (additive, no breaking changes)

Scope: Minimal - only adds 'new' to existing tools array

Files to Modify

1. tools/installer/lib/ide-setup.js

Current State (line 2179):

tools: [
  'changes',
  'codebase',
  'fetch',
  'findTestFiles',
  'githubRepo',
  'problems',
  'usages',
  'editFiles',
  'runCommands',
  'runTasks',
  'runTests',
  'search',
  'searchResults',
  'terminalLastCommand',
  'terminalSelection',
  'testFailure',
];

Required Change: Add 'new' tool after 'editFiles' to maintain consistent pattern

Target State (line 2179):

tools: [
  'changes',
  'codebase',
  'fetch',
  'findTestFiles',
  'githubRepo',
  'problems',
  'usages',
  'editFiles',
  'new',
  'runCommands',
  'runTasks',
  'runTests',
  'search',
  'searchResults',
  'terminalLastCommand',
  'terminalSelection',
  'testFailure',
];

Change Details:

Insert: 'new', after 'editFiles', on line 2179
Additions: 1 line (6 characters + comma + space)
Deletions: 0 lines
Pattern: Maintains existing structure from PR #324

Implementation Strategy

Phase 1: File Modification (5 minutes)

Make the single-line change to add 'new' to the tools array
Verify syntax is correct
Confirm file saves properly

Phase 2: Validation (10 minutes)

Run npm validate to check configuration
Run npm lint to check for linting errors
Verify installer can be executed
Check that chatmode files are properly generated with 'new' tool

Phase 3: Testing (15 minutes)

Execute installer to generate chatmode files
Verify chatmode files include 'new' in tools array
Verify all 10 agent chatmodes have 'new' tool
Check for any warnings or errors

Phase 4: Documentation (10 minutes)

Create comprehensive test results documentation
Document validation results
Generate git diff
Create implementation summary

Phase 5: Git Operations (5 minutes)

Commit changes with detailed message
Verify commit on feature branch
Prepare for GitHub integration

Research Evidence (from PR Description)

Microsoft Documentation:

Issue #12568 (vscode-copilot-release): 'new' identified as distinct tool for file creation
Issue #10253: Documents 'editFiles' limitation with non-existent files
Fixed in Copilot extension v0.28.2025052204+

Pattern Reference:

PR #324 established pattern for GitHub Copilot tool configurations
This change follows the same additive pattern

Expected Behavior After Fix

Before Fix

❌ Agent requests to create files fail
❌ 'new' tool not available in chat mode
❌ Only 'editFiles' available (limited to existing files)

After Fix

✅ Agent can create new files
✅ 'new' tool available in all agent chat modes
✅ Commands like *create-project-brief successfully generate files
✅ All 10 agents have 'new' capability

Test Plan

Test 1: Configuration Validation

Objective: Verify the change doesn't break configuration parsing
Method: Run npm validate
Expected Result: All configurations valid, no errors

Test 2: Linting Check

Objective: Ensure no new linting errors introduced
Method: Run npm lint
Expected Result: No new linting issues

Test 3: Installer Execution

Objective: Verify installer can generate chatmode files with 'new' tool
Method: Execute installer to generate chatmodes
Expected Result: Chatmode files created successfully with 'new' in tools array

Test 4: Chatmode Generation

Objective: Verify all agent chatmodes include 'new' tool
Method: Inspect generated .github/chatmodes/*.chatmode.md files
Expected Result: All 10 agents have 'new' in tools array

Test 5: Pattern Verification

Objective: Ensure 'new' is positioned correctly in tools array
Method: Verify 'new' appears after 'editFiles'
Expected Result: Tools array has correct order and structure

Success Criteria

✅ Single-line change applied correctly ✅ npm validate passes - no errors ✅ npm lint passes - no new errors ✅ Installer executes successfully ✅ All chatmode files generated with 'new' tool ✅ All 10 agents have 'new' capability ✅ No regressions to existing functionality ✅ Pattern matches PR #324 precedent ✅ Fixes Issue #505 completely

Git Commit Message

fix(github-copilot): add 'new' tool to chatmode configuration for file creation

- Add 'new' tool to tools array in GitHub Copilot chatmode config
- Enables BMAD agents to create new files via chat commands
- Positioned after 'editFiles' to maintain consistent pattern
- Complements existing file editing capability
- Fixes Issue #505: Analyst agent cannot create files

This change follows the pattern established in PR #324 and aligns with
Microsoft's GitHub Copilot extension documentation for file creation
capabilities. The 'new' tool is essential for agents to create
non-existent files when using custom chat modes.

Fixes #505

Affected Components

Direct Impact:

GitHub Copilot chatmode tool configuration
All 10 BMAD agent chatmodes
Installer's IDE setup module

Indirect Impact:

File creation commands in agents
Chat mode initialization
User experience with file creation tasks

No Impact:

Core agent definitions
Task definitions
Team configurations
Other IDE integrations (VS Code settings, Cursor, Kiro)

Risks & Mitigations

Risk	Probability	Impact	Mitigation
Tool not recognized by Copilot	Low	High	Verified in latest Copilot version
Breaking existing behavior	Very Low	Medium	Additive only, no removals
Configuration parsing error	Very Low	High	npm validate verification
Linting failure	Low	Low	npm lint verification

Dependencies

Version Requirements:

VS Code: Latest with GitHub Copilot extension (v1.x+)
GitHub Copilot: v0.28.2025052204+ (has 'new' tool)
Node.js: v18+ (existing requirement)

External Dependencies: None new

Rollback Plan

If issues arise:

Remove 'new' from tools array on line 2179
Regenerate chatmode files via installer
Revert git commit if needed

Estimated Rollback Time: < 2 minutes

Next Steps After Implementation

✅ Implement the single-line change
✅ Run all validations and tests
✅ Generate comprehensive documentation
✅ Create git commit
⏭️ Post implementation comment on GitHub
⏭️ Request review from maintainers
⏭️ Merge to v6-alpha branch when approved

Implementation Checklist

Apply single-line change to ide-setup.js
Verify syntax correctness
Run npm validate
Run npm lint
Execute installer successfully
Verify chatmode files generated correctly
Check all 10 agents have 'new' tool
Create test results documentation
Generate git diff
Commit changes
Verify feature branch
Post GitHub comment
Ready for merge

Implementation Status: Planning Complete - Ready to Execute Estimated Total Time: 45 minutes Complexity: Very Low (single-line change) Risk Level: Very Low (additive, no breaking changes)

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