first-planner-run.md

First planner run

This tutorial walks through your first end-to-end run with the planner agent in GitHub Copilot Agent mode.

Goal

By the end, you will run one planner prompt from a configured repository and understand what outputs to expect.

Prerequisites

1. Install the vstack CLI with pipx:

pipx install vstack
vstack --version

1. Open your repository root in VS Code.
2. Install project artifacts from repository root:

vstack install
vstack validate

1. Confirm .github/agents/planner.agent.md exists.

Setup in VS Code

1. Open Copilot Chat.
2. Switch to Agent mode.
3. In the agent picker, select planner.

Run your first prompt

Use a small, concrete prompt so the first run is easy to inspect:

Run the workflow for this repository change.

Expected output

On a healthy setup, planner output usually includes:

• a staged workflow response across role boundaries,
• explicit handoff points (for example from planning to implementation),
• references to generated role artifacts under .github/.

If output does not look role-structured, verify that Agent mode is enabled and planner is selected.

Next steps

1. Practice role targeting with Choose agent, skill, or prompt.
2. Learn upgrade checks with Upgrade with checks.
3. Keep command behavior handy with CLI commands.