All notable changes to this template are documented in this file.
This project uses Semantic Versioning for the template itself (structure, tooling, workflows, devcontainer, and templates).
- Added a first-run downstream cleanup workflow for repositories created from this template, including
scripts/Initialize-DownstreamRepo.ps1, a repo-local cleanup skill, and validation coverage. - Added manual GitHub Release publishing to the template release process and documented the decision in an ADR.
- Added an ADR that records the expansion of downstream guidance sync to deliver cleanup workflow assets into older downstream repositories.
- Expanded downstream guidance sync so existing downstream repositories can receive the downstream cleanup workflow assets and updated workflow guidance before running cleanup locally.
- Added an Architecture Decision Record convention and the first ADR for downstream guidance sync boundaries.
- Added an ADR for repo-local agent workflows as an orchestration layer over deterministic scripts, Pester validation, and human review.
- Added downstream guidance sync support for the ADR scaffold README without syncing numbered project-specific ADRs.
- Added a README pointer to the Architecture Decision Records for durable template decisions.
- Added text-editing guidance for preserving line endings and running whitespace checks before commits.
- Clarified README wording that distinguishes template validation tests from downstream project test implementations.
- Moved the README engineering philosophy section higher for earlier reader context.
- Aligned the Dev Container base image tag with the PowerShell 7.4 LTS Ubuntu 22.04 image published in Microsoft Artifact Registry.
- Updated Dev Container profile setup to use PowerShell's all-users profile path instead of a hardcoded installation directory.
- Clarified why repo-local sync and runtime policy workflows exist and where their boundaries come from.
- Added success criteria to repo-local skills so agents can identify completed workflows more clearly.
- Added a maintainer-facing template health report for generated Markdown, runtime policy, template version metadata, repo-local agent workflow discoverability, and Git release posture.
- Added a human-readable guide for repo-local agent workflows.
- Clarified that repo-local skill changes should use Pester as the repository validation standard, with Codex
quick_validate.pyas an optional authoring check.
- Added a repo-local Codex skill and version metadata validator for template release preparation and tagging.
- Added a repo-local Codex skill that guides agents through the runtime and tooling policy update workflow.
- Added a repo-local Codex skill that guides agents through the downstream AI guidance sync workflow.
- Added a template-owned downstream guidance sync script for auditing and updating AI guidance files and README template-version badges.
- Added Pester coverage for downstream guidance sync behavior and safety checks.
- Added README documentation for the downstream guidance sync workflow.
- Clarified downstream sync boundaries so project-owned tooling, CI, source, tests, and scaffolds are not treated as default sync targets.
- Clarified template versioning documentation and reduced duplicated AI instruction guidance.
- Added root-level
AGENTS.mdto direct coding agents to the repository's authoritative AI guidance. - Added complexity management guidance to Copilot instructions to discourage unnecessary abstractions, speculative architecture, and unsolicited refactoring.
- Added Conventional Commits guidance for AI-generated commit messages.
- Added
README.mdguidance to reviewAGENTS.mdand.github/copilot-instructions.mdbefore using AI-generated changes.
- Clarified AI generation expectations for simplicity, maintainability, and commit message quality.
- Clarified
README.mdtemplate usage guidance for adapting scaffolds for functions, scripts, modules, and tests.
- Added
eng/runtime-policy.jsonas the source of truth for pinned PowerShell, Ubuntu, GitHub Actions runner, and baseline tooling versions. - Added version policy validation for Dev Container, CI, tooling, and documentation references.
- Added generated Markdown block support for policy-managed runtime and tooling documentation.
- Added runtime update workflow documentation for coordinated policy, container, CI, tooling, and generated documentation changes.
- Updated CI triggers to remove the retired
Devbranch and add manualworkflow_dispatchruns for validating short-lived branches before opening a pull request. - Updated repo checks to validate generated Markdown freshness and runtime policy alignment.
- Updated README and environment setup documentation to use generated blocks for runtime and tooling version references.
- Removed runtime versions from live documentation headings so versions stay in policy-managed content.
- Classified Dependabot Docker image updates as runtime upgrade candidates with conventional commit prefixes.
- Pinned the GitHub Actions runner image to
ubuntu-22.04. - Pinned CI PSScriptAnalyzer installation to
1.25.0.
- Fixed generated Markdown replacement so only the intended block is updated.
- Fixed generated Markdown writes to preserve LF line endings and a final newline.
- Fixed repo check orchestration to avoid forwarding verbose preferences as switch values.
- Added portfolio context and practical usage guidance to
README.md. - Added CI, PowerShell version, and template version badges to
README.md. - Added scaffold smoke tests that validate PowerShell script templates parse and PowerShell data files import.
- Added ignore rules for local validation artifacts and environment files.
- Simplified GitHub Actions validation to a single CI workflow.
- Updated CI to run
Invoke-RepoChecks.ps1with template validation enabled. - Updated GitHub Actions workflow dependencies to Node 24-compatible major versions.
- Pinned CI and Dev Container PowerShell tooling versions for more predictable validation.
- Reworked
docs/copilot-instructions-reference.mdinto a maintainer reference instead of duplicating the canonical Copilot instructions. - Updated
CODEOWNERSto identify the portfolio template maintainer while noting that downstream repositories should customize ownership. - Aligned AI governance path guidance with the lowercase
testsfolder.
- Fixed invalid Bash-style line continuation syntax in PowerShell templates.
- Fixed PSScriptAnalyzer result accumulation in
Invoke-RepoChecks.ps1. - Cleaned template analyzer warnings so shipped scaffolds validate cleanly.
- Added AI Behavioral Contract documenting expected AI behavior for truthfulness, transparency, verifiability, risk awareness, integrity, and data reliability.
- Added AI Interaction Loop documenting a repeatable workflow for defining, generating, evaluating, challenging, refining, validating, and accepting AI-assisted work.
- Added AI governance alignment to Copilot instructions, linking repository-wide generation behavior to the AI Behavioral Contract and AI Interaction Loop.
- Added Copilot instructions reference updates documenting the layered AI governance model.
- Clarified that Copilot instructions act as the enforcement layer for repository AI governance expectations.
- Reorganized and simplified copilot-instructions.md as well as updated the "AI Governance Model."
- Expanded AI usage guidance from code generation standards into a broader governance model for AI-assisted PowerShell development.
- Local repo checks entrypoint (
scripts/Invoke-RepoChecks.ps1) - CI + Pester workflows under
.github/workflows/ - Dependabot configuration (
.github/dependabot.yml) - Repo hygiene templates (PR + issue forms,
CONTRIBUTING.md,SECURITY.md,CODEOWNERS) - Expanded templates (module/script scaffolds) and template index
- Standardized test folder casing to
tests/(lowercase) - Improved Copilot instructions to reference templates consistently
- Stable baseline devcontainer + repository structure and documentation