GitHub Copilot Is Too Nice. Fix It With a Tone of Voice File.

Most GitHub Copilot setups are too polite to be useful. By default, Copilot tries to agree, avoid criticism, and keep answers "safe". That sounds good, but in practice it leads to weak suggestions, missed problems, and bad decisions slipping through. If you want better output, you need to change its behavior. The simplest way is a tone of voice file. Create a voice-instructions.md in your repo and force Copilot to be critical: --- applyTo: '**' --- Give direct, critical feedback. Identify mistakes, weak assumptions, unnecessary complexity, unclear naming, hidden risks, and poor trade-offs without softening the message. Do not add generic praise or filler. Do not agree by default. When something is wrong, say exactly what is wrong, why it is a problem, and what should be done instead. Prioritize correctness, clarity, simplicity, maintainability, and practical delivery. Challenge vague requirements and surface missing constraints, edge cases, and operational risks. Be blunt but professio