🎯 Follow this guide and Copilot
⚡ Type /start ~30min to ready
🔰 No prior knowledge: just follow the guide
🇬🇧 🇫🇷
- Create an account on github.com and activate your Copilot subscription — you can use the free plan
curldownloads files from the internet via terminal — usually pre-installed on Mac
curl --version
# should show: curl 8.7.1 or higher- If
curlisn't installed, see curl.se
- Mac's package manager (like an app store for developers)
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"-
⏱️ Takes ~10 min
-
After installation, add Homebrew to your PATH (the installer will show these commands):
echo 'eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"' >> ~/.zprofile
eval "$(/opt/homebrew/bin/brew shellenv)"- Your code editor — Copilot lives here
brew install --cask visual-studio-code- Create a folder and download this project:
mkdir -p ~/Developer/devspace-AI
cd ~/Developer/devspace-AI
git clone https://github.com/punkyard/devspace-ai.git .- Note: if
gitwasn't installed yet, install it first:
brew install git- launch VS Code
- click File > Open folder...
- navigate to
~/Developer/devspace-AIand click Open - click your profile icon (bottom left) and sign in with GitHub
- open the chat box (
Alt+Cmd+BorOption+Cmd+B) - type:
/start
🤔 What is all this stuff by the way?
What: version control — tracks every change you make to code
Why: collaborate with others, undo mistakes, keep history, publish on GitHub
In practice: save your work at important moments, go back if something breaks, share code with teammates
What: JavaScript runtime + package manager (like an app store for code libraries)
Why: many modern projects need it; npm installs pre-made code others wrote
In practice: run JavaScript code on your Mac, download useful tools instead of writing them from scratch
What: Node Version Manager — lets you switch between different Node.js versions
Why: different projects need different versions
In practice: some projects work with Node 16, others need Node 18 — NVM lets you switch without breaking anything
What: AI assistant that writes code with you
Why: explains code, suggests solutions, helps you learn faster
In practice: you describe what you want, Copilot writes it, you learn how it works
What: Model Context Protocol — connections that give Copilot superpowers
Why: search the web, read docs, access tools — all inside VS Code
In practice: ask Copilot a question, it searches the web for the answer and explains it to you — no tab-switching needed
MCP servers configured in this project:
- Time MCP: canonical UTC timestamps and timezone conversions (no API key required)
- Brave Search MCP: real-time web search from VS Code
- Context7 MCP: instant access to documentation for libraries and frameworks
What: macOS package manager
Why: installs developer tools easily
In practice: instead of downloading installers manually, use brew install commands
What: command-line tool for transferring data with URLs
Why: downloads files and scripts from the internet via terminal
In practice: used to install Homebrew and other tools
-
💬 questions about your Mac
identifies your environment, stored incontext/environment.md -
🛠️ install Git, Node.js (LTS), and NVM
version manager for Node via installer script -
🔑 create API keys
for Brave Search MCP (free) and Context7 MCP (free, optional) -
⚡ set up MCP servers
Brave Search (web search) + Context7 (docs access) -
🧪 test your first prompt
write a prompt, see Copilot work -
✅ done!
your Mac is production-ready
🔒 Each step asks for your confirmation before running: You're in control.
🚀 Start Building: clone boilerspace-ai templates for AI-assisted projects
🌐 Search & Code: Web search in your editor with Brave MCP, no tab-switching
👥 Join & Learn: follow communities like Dev.to, Hashnode, local meetups
📥 Download & Study: clone projects from GitHub, see how real code works
🤝 Code with AI: Copilot explains each line as you write or codes for you
📰 Stay updated: Follow daily.dev, Code Report
- API keys are safe: we use VS Code inputs and environment variables (never committed to GitHub)
- you stay in control: each step asks for your confirmation
- open source: see
.github/copilot-instructions.mdfor the full ruleset - canonical docs: all Copilot rules live in
.github/folder (the Single Source of Truth) - file structure: folder structure and instruction files are indexed in
.github/copilot-instructions.md
- problems during setup? open an issue
- have an idea? suggest it in Discussions
- roadmap: see GitHub Issues for planned features