Source: Doing More with GitHub Copilot as a .NET Developer · Wendy Breiding · June 8, 2026
The best Copilot entry for .NET isn’t learning every feature—it’s matching the surface to the task: inline for repetitive C#, chat for reasoning, agents for bounded execution.
Start with the task
Strong prompts include goal, code/output, constraints, and expected answer shape—not “improve this code.”
Chat examples
Orient on legacy services before refactoring; generate pricing edge-case tests (Test Agent / dotnet-test skill); plan controller→service moves in Plan Mode; cross-file API+OpenAPI+config updates in VS Code; explain build failures in the CLI.
Agentic examples
Fill test gaps on CreateOrder; migrate handlers to Result<T>; CLI fix-and-verify loops; cloud-agent correlation ID propagation; beta env flag across .NET, Bicep, Actions, and docs.
Chat vs agent
Understand/plan/draft → chat. Change/verify/rerun/deliver diff → agentic.
Habits
Set boundaries, name constraints, specify immutables, request useful output shapes, review like a teammate’s PR.
Use Visual Studio for solution depth, VS Code for cross-stack work, CLI for terminal loops, cloud agent for background bounded tasks.