Instruction file imported from missionctrlbiz/coset-intel-hub (.github/instructions/safety-rules.instructions.md). Copyright stays with the author.

Copilot Safety Rules — CoSET Intelligence Hub

These rules apply to every file in this project. They exist because previous AI sessions caused regressions, deleted files, and reverted working code.

Git Operations

NEVER run these commands:

git stash          # Causes VS Code source control to lose file diffs
git stash pop
git reset --hard
git reset --soft
git clean -fd
git checkout -- .
git restore .

Safe alternatives:

git diff HEAD -- <file>     # Inspect changes in a specific file
git status                   # Check what's modified
git log --oneline -10        # See commit history

Edit Discipline

1. Read before editing — Always read the actual file content before calling replace_string_in_file. Never work from memory or earlier conversation context — files may have been updated since.

2. Surgical edits only — Only change exactly what is broken or requested. Do not:

   • Refactor surrounding code
   • Rearrange working imports
   • Add error handling for scenarios that cannot happen
   • Change copy/strings you weren't asked to change
   • Add files that weren't requested

3. Never replace a working implementation with a stub — If a component or page has real content, do not reduce it to a placeholder.

4. Never overwrite a file entirely — Use targeted replace_string_in_file or multi_replace_string_in_file. Do not rewrite whole files unless the user explicitly asks to start from scratch.

Files That Must Not Be Touched Unless Explicitly Asked

Before Reporting an Error as Fixed

After making any edit, verify:

1. The file still has all its original working code (nothing accidentally deleted)
2. No new imports reference components that don't exist
3. No new code uses wrong DB column names (summary vs description, categories vs category)
4. The build/typecheck would not fail due to missing modules

Imports — Non-Existent Modules

NEVER import from these paths — these files do not exist:

• @/components/admin-header
• @/components/admin-sidebar
• @/components/theme-logo (verify export exists before importing)
• Any component not listed in .github/instructions/components.instructions.md