microsoft/hve-core
Publicmirrored fromhttps://github.com/microsoft/hve-coreAvailable
docs/README.md
145lines · modecode
| 1 | --- |
| 2 | title: HVE Core Documentation |
| 3 | description: Documentation index for HVE Core Copilot customizations |
| 4 | author: Microsoft |
| 5 | ms.date: 2026-02-18 |
| 6 | ms.topic: overview |
| 7 | keywords: |
| 8 | - hve core |
| 9 | - documentation |
| 10 | - copilot customizations |
| 11 | estimated_reading_time: 3 |
| 12 | --- |
| 13 | |
| 14 | HVE Core is a prompt engineering framework for GitHub Copilot designed for team-scale adoption. It provides specialized agents, reusable prompts, instruction sets, and a validation pipeline with JSON schema enforcement. The framework separates AI concerns into distinct artifact types with clear boundaries, preventing runaway behavior through constraint-based design. |
| 15 | |
| 16 | ## Audience |
| 17 | |
| 18 | | Role | Description | Start Here | |
| 19 | |--------------------------|--------------------------------------------------|-------------------------------------------------------------------| |
| 20 | | Engineer | Write code, implement features, fix bugs | [Engineer Guide](hve-guide/roles/engineer.md) | |
| 21 | | TPM | Plan projects, manage requirements, track work | [TPM Guide](hve-guide/roles/tpm.md) | |
| 22 | | Tech Lead / Architect | Design architecture, review code, set standards | [Tech Lead Guide](hve-guide/roles/tech-lead.md) | |
| 23 | | Security Architect | Assess security, create threat models | [Security Architect Guide](hve-guide/roles/security-architect.md) | |
| 24 | | Data Scientist | Analyze data, build notebooks, create dashboards | [Data Scientist Guide](hve-guide/roles/data-scientist.md) | |
| 25 | | SRE / Operations | Manage infrastructure, handle incidents, deploy | [SRE Guide](hve-guide/roles/sre-operations.md) | |
| 26 | | Business Program Manager | Define business outcomes, manage stakeholders | [BPM Guide](hve-guide/roles/business-program-manager.md) | |
| 27 | | New Contributor | Get started contributing to the project | [New Contributor Guide](hve-guide/roles/new-contributor.md) | |
| 28 | | All Roles | Cross-cutting utility tools | [Utility Guide](hve-guide/roles/utility.md) | |
| 29 | |
| 30 | **[Browse All Role Guides →](hve-guide/roles/README.md)** |
| 31 | |
| 32 | ## AI-Assisted Project Lifecycle |
| 33 | |
| 34 | HVE Core supports a 9-stage project lifecycle from initial setup through ongoing operations, with AI-assisted tooling at each stage. The project lifecycle guides walk through each stage, covering available tools, role-specific guidance, and starter prompts. |
| 35 | |
| 36 | * [Stage Overview](hve-guide/lifecycle/README.md) - Full lifecycle map with Mermaid flowchart |
| 37 | * [Stage 6: Implementation](hve-guide/lifecycle/implementation.md) - Highest-density stage with 30 assets |
| 38 | * [Stage 2: Discovery](hve-guide/lifecycle/discovery.md) - Research, requirements, and BRD creation |
| 39 | |
| 40 | **[AI-Assisted Project Lifecycle Overview →](hve-guide/lifecycle/README.md)** |
| 41 | |
| 42 | ## Role Guides |
| 43 | |
| 44 | Find your role-specific guide for AI-assisted engineering. Each guide maps the agents, prompts, and collections relevant to your responsibilities. |
| 45 | |
| 46 | * [Engineer](hve-guide/roles/engineer.md) - RPI workflow, coding standards, implementation |
| 47 | * [TPM](hve-guide/roles/tpm.md) - Requirements, backlog management, sprint planning |
| 48 | * [New Contributor](hve-guide/roles/new-contributor.md) - Guided onboarding with progression milestones |
| 49 | |
| 50 | **[Browse All Role Guides →](hve-guide/roles/README.md)** |
| 51 | |
| 52 | ## Getting Started |
| 53 | |
| 54 | The Getting Started guide walks through installation, configuration, and running your first Copilot workflow. |
| 55 | |
| 56 | * [Installation Methods](getting-started/install.md) - Seven setup options from VSCode extension to submodule |
| 57 | * [MCP Configuration](getting-started/mcp-configuration.md) - Model Context Protocol server setup |
| 58 | * [First Workflow](getting-started/first-workflow.md) - End-to-end example with RPI agents |
| 59 | |
| 60 | **[Getting Started Guide →](getting-started/README.md)** |
| 61 | |
| 62 | ## Agent Systems |
| 63 | |
| 64 | hve-core provides specialized agents organized into functional groups. Each group combines agents, prompts, and instruction files into cohesive workflows for specific engineering tasks. |
| 65 | |
| 66 | * [RPI Orchestration](rpi/README.md) separates complex tasks into research, planning, implementation, and review phases |
| 67 | * [GitHub Backlog Manager](agents/github-backlog/README.md) automates issue discovery, triage, sprint planning, and execution across GitHub repositories |
| 68 | * Additional systems documented in the [Agent Catalog](agents/README.md) |
| 69 | |
| 70 | **[Browse the Agent Catalog →](agents/README.md)** |
| 71 | |
| 72 | ## RPI Methodology |
| 73 | |
| 74 | Research, Plan, Implement (RPI) is a structured methodology for complex AI-assisted engineering tasks. It separates concerns into three specialized agents that work together. |
| 75 | |
| 76 | * [Why RPI?](rpi/why-rpi.md) - Problem statement and design rationale |
| 77 | * [Task Researcher](rpi/task-researcher.md) - Discovery and context gathering |
| 78 | * [Task Planner](rpi/task-planner.md) - Structured task planning |
| 79 | * [Task Implementor](rpi/task-implementor.md) - Execution with tracking |
| 80 | * [Using Together](rpi/using-together.md) - Agent coordination patterns |
| 81 | |
| 82 | **[RPI Documentation →](rpi/README.md)** |
| 83 | |
| 84 | ## Prompt Engineering |
| 85 | |
| 86 | HVE Core provides a structured approach to building AI artifacts with protocol patterns, input variables, and maturity lifecycle management. |
| 87 | |
| 88 | * [Prompt Builder Agent](../.github/agents/hve-core/prompt-builder.agent.md) - Interactive artifact creation with sandbox testing |
| 89 | * [AI Artifacts Overview](contributing/ai-artifacts-common.md) - Common patterns across artifact types |
| 90 | * [Activation Context](architecture/ai-artifacts.md#activation-context) - When artifacts activate within workflows |
| 91 | |
| 92 | ### Key Differentiators |
| 93 | |
| 94 | | Capability | Description | |
| 95 | |-------------------------|-----------------------------------------------------------| |
| 96 | | Constraint-based design | Agents know their boundaries, preventing runaway behavior | |
| 97 | | Subagent delegation | First-class pattern for decomposing complex tasks | |
| 98 | | Maturity lifecycle | Four-stage model from experimental to deprecated | |
| 99 | | Schema validation | JSON schema enforcement for all artifact types | |
| 100 | |
| 101 | ## Contributing |
| 102 | |
| 103 | Learn how to create and maintain AI artifacts including agents, prompts, instructions, and skills. |
| 104 | |
| 105 | * [Instructions](contributing/instructions.md) - Passive reference guidance |
| 106 | * [Prompts](contributing/prompts.md) - Task-specific procedures |
| 107 | * [Agents](contributing/custom-agents.md) - Custom personas and modes |
| 108 | * [Skills](contributing/skills.md) - Executable utilities with documentation |
| 109 | |
| 110 | **[Contributing Guide →](contributing/README.md)** |
| 111 | |
| 112 | ## Architecture |
| 113 | |
| 114 | Technical documentation for system design, component relationships, and build pipelines. |
| 115 | |
| 116 | * [Component Overview](architecture/README.md) - System components and interactions |
| 117 | * [AI Artifacts](architecture/ai-artifacts.md) - Four-tier artifact delegation model |
| 118 | * [Build Workflows](architecture/workflows.md) - GitHub Actions CI/CD architecture |
| 119 | * [Testing](architecture/testing.md) - PowerShell Pester test infrastructure |
| 120 | |
| 121 | **[Architecture Overview →](architecture/README.md)** |
| 122 | |
| 123 | ## Templates |
| 124 | |
| 125 | Pre-built templates for common engineering documents: |
| 126 | |
| 127 | * [ADR Template](templates/adr-template-solutions.md) - Architecture Decision Records |
| 128 | * [BRD Template](templates/brd-template.md) - Business Requirements Documents |
| 129 | * [Security Plan Template](templates/security-plan-template.md) - Security planning |
| 130 | |
| 131 | **[Browse Templates →](templates/)** |
| 132 | |
| 133 | ## Quick Links |
| 134 | |
| 135 | | Resource | Description | |
| 136 | |--------------------------------------------|------------------------------------| |
| 137 | | [CHANGELOG](../CHANGELOG.md) | Release history and version notes | |
| 138 | | [CONTRIBUTING](../CONTRIBUTING.md) | Repository contribution guidelines | |
| 139 | | [Scripts README](../scripts/README.md) | Automation script reference | |
| 140 | | [Extension README](../extension/README.md) | VS Code extension documentation | |
| 141 | |
| 142 | <!-- markdownlint-disable MD036 --> |
| 143 | *🤖 Crafted with precision by ✨Copilot following brilliant human instruction, |
| 144 | then carefully refined by our team of discerning human reviewers.* |
| 145 | <!-- markdownlint-enable MD036 --> |