Data Platform AI Toolkit

A central repository of GitHub Copilot instructions and prompt files for Data Platform Services. It provides reusable agent packages — such as language-specific coding instructions — that are distributed to consuming repositories via APM (Agent Package Manager), ensuring consistent AI-assisted development practices across the platform.

Available Toolkits

Toolkit	Package name	Source path	Description
Universal	universal	toolkits/universal	Universal Copilot instructions for all Data Platform repositories
Platform Engineering	platform-engineering	toolkits/platform-engineering	Platform Engineering Copilot instructions and prompts
Software Engineering	software-engineering	toolkits/software-engineering	Software Engineering Copilot instructions (Python, Django)

Setup Instructions

Consuming repositories declare the toolkits they need in their own apm.yml and install them with apm install. This is the primary, fully automated flow and runs unattended inside a development container.

1. Install the Ministry of Justice Development Container in your repository.

2. Add the APM feature to your .devcontainer/devcontainer.json:

   {
     "features": {
       "ghcr.io/ministryofjustice/devcontainer-feature/apm:": {}
     }
   }

3. Populate .devcontainer/devcontainer-lock.json with the resolved hash:

   {
     "features": {
       "ghcr.io/ministryofjustice/devcontainer-feature/apm:": {
         "version": "1.0.0",
         "resolved": "ghcr.io/ministryofjustice/devcontainer-feature/apm@sha256:b562e126312767cf69b772bce79ae551a82f97c2eda7cce400fe068530261f71",
         "integrity": "sha256:b562e126312767cf69b772bce79ae551a82f97c2eda7cce400fe068530261f71"
       }
     }
   }

4. Create an apm.yml in the root of your repository to declare this toolkit as a dependency:

   name: <name>
   version: 1.0.0
   description: APM project for <name>
   author: Data Platform Engineering
   targets:
     - copilot
   dependencies:
     apm:
       - ministryofjustice/data-platform-ai-toolkit/toolkits/universal#^1.0.0

   The #^1.0.0 is a SemVer range: APM resolves it to the highest matching universal-v<version> release tag and pins the exact commit in apm.lock.yaml. Use a caret range to accept compatible updates, or pin an exact tag (#universal-v1.0.0) or branch (#main) instead.

5. Add apm install to your .devcontainer/post-create.sh script:

   #!/usr/bin/env bash
   apm install

Optional: discovering toolkits via the marketplace

This repository is also published as an APM marketplace — a curated index of the toolkits above. The marketplace is a discovery and naming layer; it is not required for the automated apm install flow described above, which resolves dependencies directly from apm.yml.

It is useful when a developer wants to browse what is available and add a toolkit by friendly name rather than by repository path:

apm marketplace add ministryofjustice/data-platform-ai-toolkit   # register the catalogue (one-time)
apm marketplace browse data-platform                             # list available toolkits
apm install universal@data-platform                              # add a toolkit by name

apm install <toolkit>@data-platform resolves the toolkit through the marketplace and writes an ordinary entry into your apm.yml dependencies, after which the standard apm install flow takes over. The registration step (apm marketplace add) is interactive, so it does not replace the unattended apm install in your post-create.sh.

Maintaining the marketplace

The marketplace is defined by the marketplace: block in the root apm.yml and compiled to .claude-plugin/marketplace.json. To add or update a toolkit:

1. Edit the packages: list in apm.yml (or use apm marketplace package add ./toolkits/<name>).
2. Regenerate and validate the artifact:

   apm pack --check-versions --check-clean

3. Commit both apm.yml and the generated .claude-plugin/marketplace.json.

Creating a new release

To release a new version of a toolkit (for example bumping universal to 1.1.0), prepare main before drafting the release:

1. Bump version: in both toolkits/<name>/apm.yml and that package's entry in the root apm.yml.
2. Regenerate and validate the artifact:

   apm pack --check-versions --check-clean

3. Commit apm.yml and the updated .claude-plugin/marketplace.json to main.
4. Then draft the release with the new tag (e.g. universal-v1.1.0).

Skipping the bump fails the release gates: --check-clean rejects a committed marketplace.json that does not match a fresh apm pack.

To draft the new release:

1. Go to Releases → Draft a new release.
2. Choose a tag → Create new tag, of the form <package-name>-v<version> (for example universal-v1.0.0). The <package-name> matches the toolkit's source directory (for example universal) and <version> must match that package's version: in the root apm.yml. The v prefix and the matching name are what let consumers pin a SemVer range such as toolkits/universal#^1.0.0.
3. Set Target to main.
4. Expand Set as the latest release and choose Keep existing so the release is not marked as latest.
5. Add a title which matches the tag, and generate release notes, then click Publish release.