Add Copilot encoding instructions banning non-ASCII/emoji characters

.github/copilot-instructions.md

@@ -21,4 +21,5 @@ The architectural decisions and basis for the project in that document are only
 - The project is meant to be used by developers and should be easy to use, with a focus on developer experience.
 - The philosophy when architecting and implementing the project is to prime speed and simplicity over complexity. Do NOT over-engineer, but rather build a solid foundation that can be iterated on.
 - APM is an active OSS project under the `microsoft` org with a growing community (250+ stars, external contributors). Breaking changes should be communicated clearly (CHANGELOG.md), but we still favor shipping fast over lengthy deprecation cycles.
-- The goal is to deliver a solid and scalable architecture but simple starting implementation. Not building something complex from the start and then having to simplify it later. Remember we are delivering a new tool to the developer community and we will need to rapidly adapt to what's really useful, evolving standards, etc.
+- The goal is to deliver a solid and scalable architecture but simple starting implementation. Not building something complex from the start and then having to simplify it later. Remember we are delivering a new tool to the developer community and we will need to rapidly adapt to what's really useful, evolving standards, etc.
+- **Cross-platform encoding rule**: All source code and CLI output must stay within printable ASCII (U+0020–U+007E). Do NOT use emojis, Unicode symbols, box-drawing characters, em dashes, or any character outside the ASCII range in source files or CLI output strings. Use bracket notation for status symbols: `[+]` success, `[!]` warning, `[x]` error, `[i]` info, `[*]` action, `[>]` running. This is required to prevent `charmap` codec errors on Windows cp1252 terminals.

.github/instructions/cli.instructions.md

@@ -14,24 +14,20 @@ description: "CLI Design Guidelines for visual output, styling, and user experie
 - Wrap Rich imports in try/catch with colorama fallbacks
 
 ### Command Help Text
-- **ALWAYS** include contextual emojis in command help strings
-- Format: `help="🚀 Initialize a new APM project"`
-- Use semantic emojis that match the command purpose
+- Keep command help strings plain ASCII — no emojis
+- Format: `help="Initialize a new APM project"`
 
 ### Status Symbols & Feedback
-- Use `STATUS_SYMBOLS` dict for consistent iconography:
-  - `✨` success/completion
-  - `🚀` running/execution
-  - `⚙️` configuration/setup
-  - `💡` information/tips
-  - `📋` lists/display
-  - `👀` preview/inspection
-  - `🤖` AI/models/runtime
-  - `📊` status/metrics
-  - `⚠️` warnings
-  - `❌` errors
-  - `✅` installed/confirmed
+- Use `STATUS_SYMBOLS` dict for consistent ASCII bracket notation:
+  - `[+]` success / confirmed
+  - `[>]` running / execution / progress
+  - `[*]` action / configuration / processing
+  - `[i]` information / tips
+  - `[#]` lists / metrics
+  - `[!]` warnings
+  - `[x]` errors
 - Use helper functions: `_rich_success()`, `_rich_error()`, `_rich_info()`, `_rich_warning()`
+- Pass the appropriate key from `STATUS_SYMBOLS` via the `symbol=` parameter (e.g. `symbol="check"`, `symbol="warning"`)
 
 ### Structured Output
 - **Tables**: Use Rich tables for structured data (scripts, models, config, runtimes)
@@ -58,23 +54,23 @@ description: "CLI Design Guidelines for visual output, styling, and user experie
 
 ### Color Scheme
 - Primary: cyan for titles and highlights
-- Success: green with ✨ symbol
-- Warning: yellow with ⚠️ symbol  
-- Error: red with ❌ symbol
-- Info: blue with 💡 symbol
+- Success: green with `[+]` symbol
+- Warning: yellow with `[!]` symbol
+- Error: red with `[x]` symbol
+- Info: blue with `[i]` symbol
 - Muted: dim white for secondary text
 
 ### Table Design
-- Include meaningful titles with emojis
+- Include meaningful titles (plain ASCII, no emojis)
 - Use semantic column styling (bold for names, muted for details)
 - Keep tables clean with appropriate padding
-- Show status with symbols in dedicated columns
+- Show status with bracket symbols in dedicated columns
 
 ## Implementation Patterns
 
 ### Command Structure
 ```python
-@cli.command(help="🚀 Action description")
+@cli.command(help="Action description")
 @click.option(...)
 def command_name(...):
     """Detailed docstring."""
@@ -83,16 +79,16 @@ def command_name(...):
 
         # Main logic here
 
-        _rich_success("Operation complete!", symbol="sparkles")
+        _rich_success("Operation complete!", symbol="check")
     except Exception as e:
-        _rich_error(f"Error: {e}")
+        _rich_error(f"Error: {e}", symbol="error")
         sys.exit(1)
 ```
 
 ### Table Creation
 ```python
 try:
-    table = Table(title="🚀 Title", show_header=True, header_style="bold cyan")
+    table = Table(title="Title", show_header=True, header_style="bold cyan")
     table.add_column("Name", style="bold white")
     table.add_column("Details", style="white")
     console.print(table)
@@ -103,7 +99,7 @@ except (ImportError, NameError):
 ### Panel Usage
 ```python
 try:
-    _rich_panel(content, title="📋 Section Title", style="cyan")
+    _rich_panel(content, title="Section Title", style="cyan")
 except (ImportError, NameError):
     # Simple text fallback
 ```
@@ -135,11 +131,12 @@ except (ImportError, NameError):
 
 ## What NOT to Do
 
-- ❌ Never use plain `click.echo()` without styling
-- ❌ Don't mix color schemes or symbols inconsistently
-- ❌ Avoid walls of text without visual structure
-- ❌ Don't forget Rich import fallbacks
-- ❌ Never sacrifice functionality for visuals
+- **Never** use plain `click.echo()` without styling
+- **Never** mix color schemes or symbols inconsistently
+- **Never** create walls of text without visual structure
+- **Never** forget Rich import fallbacks
+- **Never** sacrifice functionality for visuals
+- **Never** use emojis or non-ASCII characters in source code or CLI output
 
 ## Documentation Sync Requirements
 
@@ -158,7 +155,7 @@ When changing CLI functionality, update these sections in `docs/cli-reference.md
 - Quick reference sections
 
 ### Documentation Standards
-- Use the same emojis in documentation as in CLI help text
+- Use plain ASCII text in documentation (no emojis in CLI help text or output examples)
 - Include realistic, working examples that users can copy-paste
 - Document both success and error scenarios
 - Keep examples current with the latest syntax

.github/instructions/encoding.instructions.md

@@ -0,0 +1,43 @@
+---
+applyTo: "**"
+description: "Cross-platform encoding rules — keep all source and CLI output within printable ASCII"
+---
+
+# Encoding Rules
+
+## Constraint
+
+All source code files and CLI output strings must stay within **printable ASCII** (U+0020–U+007E).
+
+Do NOT use:
+- Emojis (e.g. `🚀`, `✨`, `❌`)
+- Unicode box-drawing characters (e.g. `─`, `│`, `┌`)
+- Em dashes (`—`), en dashes (`–`), curly quotes (`"`, `"`, `'`, `'`)
+- Any character outside the ASCII range (codepoint > U+007E)
+
+**Why**: Windows `cp1252` terminals raise `UnicodeEncodeError: 'charmap' codec can't encode character` for any character outside cp1252. Keeping output within ASCII guarantees identical behaviour on every platform without dual-path fallback logic.
+
+## Status symbol convention
+
+Use ASCII bracket notation consistently across all CLI output, help text, and log messages:
+
+| Symbol | Meaning              |
+|--------|----------------------|
+| `[+]`  | success / confirmed  |
+| `[!]`  | warning              |
+| `[x]`  | error                |
+| `[i]`  | info                 |
+| `[*]`  | action / processing  |
+| `[>]`  | running / progress   |
+
+These map directly to the `STATUS_SYMBOLS` dict in `src/apm_cli/utils/console.py`.
+
+## Scope
+
+This rule applies to:
+- Python source files (`*.py`)
+- CLI help strings and command output
+- Markdown documentation and instruction files under `.github/`
+- Shell scripts and CI workflow files
+
+Exception: binary assets and third-party vendored files are excluded.

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -8,6 +8,10 @@ and this project adheres to [Semantic Versioning](https://semver.org/spec/v2.0.0
 
 ## [Unreleased]
 
+### Added
+
+- Copilot encoding instructions: `encoding.instructions.md` (`applyTo: "**"`) bans non-ASCII characters in source and CLI output; updated `copilot-instructions.md` and `cli.instructions.md` to use ASCII bracket notation (`[+]`/`[!]`/`[x]`/`[i]`/`[*]`/`[>]`) instead of emoji STATUS_SYMBOLS (#282)
+
 ## [0.8.4] - 2026-03-22
 
 ### Added