How to combine with VS 2022/25

[tobilab]

Can one use a copilot agent from within a .net project in VS to access the created tasks.md and so on files to do the final implementation? I dont find any ressources that show using the spec kit with VS, only VS Code. Dont u adress the use of one of your flagshipp IDEs? 😅

[Nickalus12]

The issue is that Visual Studio 2022/2025 does not currently support custom Copilot Chat Agents (like the @spec-kit participant) because the Visual Studio extension ecosystem for Copilot Chat is not yet as extensible as VS Code's "Chat Participant" API.

While Spec Kit is optimized for VS Code, it remains IDE-agnostic at its core since it relies on Markdown files and a CLI. You can use it effectively in a .NET project within Visual Studio by combining the Specify CLI with Visual Studio's Context Mentions.

Using Spec Kit in Visual Studio

1. Manage Specs via the CLI

Use the Visual Studio Terminal (Ctrl + ~) to run Spec Kit commands. This ensures your specs.md and tasks.md files are generated and kept in sync with your solution.

# Initialize or sync your specs directly in the VS terminal
npx specify sync

2. Referencing Tasks in Copilot Chat

To perform the final implementation, use the # (Mention) feature in the Visual Studio Copilot Chat pane. This allows you to feed the tasks.md file directly into the prompt context so Copilot understands your requirements.

Example Prompt:

"Using the context in #tasks.md, please implement the OrderService logic in OrderService.cs. Follow the architectural constraints defined in #specs.md."

Important

For the best results in Visual Studio, ensure the file you are working on and your tasks.md are both currently open tabs. Visual Studio's Copilot implementation heavily weighs open documents when generating code suggestions.

Technical Context: Why the experience differs

Spec Kit utilizes the GitHub Copilot Chat "Agent" architecture in VS Code, which allows a dedicated participant to manage the Spec-Driven Development loop (reading files, checking state, etc.). Visual Studio's Copilot SDK is currently more restrictive, though Microsoft is actively working on bringing more "Agent" parity to the IDE.

Are you using the specify CLI for your initial spec generation, or are you looking for a way to automate the "implementation" phase more directly within the Visual Studio editor?