microsoft/hve-core

---
title: Utility Reference
description: Cross-cutting HVE Core utilities for memory, documentation, media, Git workflows, and diagnostic operations
author: Microsoft
ms.date: 2026-02-18
ms.topic: reference
keywords:
  - utility
  - memory
  - documentation
  - Git workflows
  - cross-cutting
estimated_reading_time: 8
---

Use these cross-cutting utilities when your workflow spans multiple roles or lifecycle stages. HVE Core provides 13 addressable assets for cross-cutting utility workflows. These tools handle memory persistence, documentation maintenance, media processing, Git workflows, and installation management. Use them alongside your role-specific agents and prompts.

## Utility Categories

| Category      | Assets | Purpose                                                  |
|---------------|--------|----------------------------------------------------------|
| Memory        | 1      | Session context and preference persistence               |
| Documentation | 2      | Documentation operations and session context persistence |
| Media         | 1      | Video-to-GIF conversion with FFmpeg optimization         |
| Git           | 3      | Commit messages, merge workflows, PR creation            |
| Installation  | 1      | Collection installation and environment setup            |
| Diagnostics   | 1      | Build information retrieval and CI/CD status checks      |

## Usage Patterns

### Memory Persistence

The **memory** agent stores preferences, context, and notes that persist across sessions. Use it to save coding preferences, project-specific conventions, or working state that should carry forward.

Select **memory** agent:

```text
Save my preference for commit messages: always use conventional commits
format with scope (e.g., feat(api): add pagination endpoint). Enforce
lowercase type and scope. Include the work item ID in the footer.
```

```text
What do you know about our authentication middleware? Summarize which
files implement auth logic, what token formats are supported, how
role-based access control is enforced, and any known limitations
documented in code comments.
```

### Documentation Operations

The **doc-ops** agent handles documentation updates, link validation, and content maintenance. The `/checkpoint` prompt saves and restores conversation context across sessions using memory files.

Select **doc-ops** agent:

```text
Update documentation for the notification service. The v2.3 release added
WebSocket support for real-time notifications. Update the API reference in
docs/api/notifications.md and add a WebSocket connection example to the
getting started guide.
```

```text
/doc-ops-update Sync docs with recent changes
```

```text
/checkpoint Save my current session working on the authentication
refactor. I've identified the token validation files and mapped the
middleware chain but haven't started implementation yet.
```

```text
/checkpoint continue authentication refactor
```

### Media Processing

The video-to-gif skill converts video files to optimized GIF format using FFmpeg two-pass encoding. This skill activates through the **memory** agent or general chat context.

Refer to the [video-to-gif skill](../../.github/skills/experimental/video-to-gif/SKILL.md) for detailed usage, parameters, and optimization options.

### Git Workflows

Git utilities manage commit messages, merge operations, and pull request creation across all roles.

| Prompt             | Purpose                                 | Invoke                |
|--------------------|-----------------------------------------|-----------------------|
| git-commit         | Conventional commit message generation  | `/git-commit`         |
| git-commit-message | Commit message from staged changes      | `/git-commit-message` |
| git-merge          | Merge, rebase, and conflict resolution  | `/git-merge`          |
| pull-request       | Pull request creation with templates    | `/pull-request`       |
| git-setup          | Git configuration and environment setup | `/git-setup`          |

### Asset Resolution

When you reference a prompt, instruction, agent, or skill that does not exist in the current project directory, Copilot falls back to the hve-core repository location. This resolution follows the `hve-core-location.instructions.md` pattern, walking up the directory tree until the asset is found.

This fallback activates automatically. No manual configuration is needed.

## Full Asset Reference

### Agents

| Agent                  | Category      | Description                                  |
|------------------------|---------------|----------------------------------------------|
| **memory**             | Memory        | Session context and preference persistence   |
| **doc-ops**            | Documentation | Documentation operations and maintenance     |
| **hve-core-installer** | Installation  | Collection installation and setup management |

### Prompts

| Prompt             | Category      | Invoke                | Description                                           |
|--------------------|---------------|-----------------------|-------------------------------------------------------|
| git-commit         | Git           | `/git-commit`         | Conventional commit message generation                |
| git-commit-message | Git           | `/git-commit-message` | Commit message from staged changes                    |
| git-merge          | Git           | `/git-merge`          | Merge, rebase, and conflict resolution workflows      |
| pull-request       | Git           | `/pull-request`       | Pull request creation with template support           |
| git-setup          | Git           | `/git-setup`          | Git configuration and environment setup               |
| checkpoint         | Documentation | `/checkpoint`         | Save and restore conversation context across sessions |
| doc-ops-update     | Documentation | `/doc-ops-update`     | Documentation sync and update operations              |
| ado-get-build-info | Diagnostics   | `/ado-get-build-info` | Azure DevOps build status and log retrieval           |

### Skills

| Skill        | Category | Description                             |
|--------------|----------|-----------------------------------------|
| video-to-gif | Media    | FFmpeg two-pass video-to-GIF conversion |

## Tips

| Do                                                              | Don't                                                      |
|-----------------------------------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------|
| Use the **memory** agent to save preferences early in a session | Repeat the same context setup in every conversation        |
| Use `/checkpoint` during long, multi-step workflows             | Lose progress context in extended sessions                 |
| Use `/git-commit` for all commits to maintain conventions       | Write ad-hoc commit messages that skip conventional format |
| Install only the collections your role needs                    | Install `hve-core-all` when you only need one collection   |
| Refer to the skill docs for media processing parameters         | Guess at FFmpeg options without consulting the skill file  |

## Next Steps

> [!TIP]
> Find your role-specific guide: [Role Guides Overview](README.md)
> Explore collection options: [Collection Quick Reference](README.md#collection-quick-reference)
> Get started with installation: [Install Guide](../../getting-started/install.md)

---

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*🤖 Crafted with precision by ✨Copilot following brilliant human instruction,
then carefully refined by our team of discerning human reviewers.*
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