URL Lookup

When the user asks to find something in a repository, search for it and return a direct GitHub URL so they can open it in a browser immediately.

URL format

Use the appropriate GitHub URL pattern:

• •File or folder on a branch: https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/tree/{branch}/{path}
• •File at a specific commit: https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/blob/{commit_sha}/{path}
• •Line in a file: https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/blob/{branch}/{path}#L{line}
• •Line range: https://github.com/{owner}/{repo}/blob/{branch}/{path}#L{start}-L{end}

Prefer permalinks with commit SHA over branch names when the user is referencing a specific version.

Workflow

1. •Identify the target repository from user context. Refer to the ## Key Terminology section in copilot-instructions.md for repo aliases and local paths.
2. •Search the repository for the requested string, file, or path.
3. •Return the result as a clickable HTTP URL with a brief description of what was found.

Output format

Always include:

• •The full clickable URL
• •A short description of what the link points to (e.g., file name, matched line content)

Example:

The `Client` class is defined here:
https://github.com/Azure/azure-sdk-for-python/blob/main/sdk/core/azure-core/azure/core/_pipeline_client.py#L30

Rules

• •If a local repo path is available (e.g., C:/dev/azure-rest-api-specs), search locally first, then construct the remote GitHub URL from the relative path.
• •If the content is not found, say so clearly rather than guessing a URL.
• •When multiple matches exist, return the most relevant match first, then list others.
• •Exclude examples folders from search results by default. Only include them if the user explicitly asks for examples.