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Add AI-assisted development documentation section#3259

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Add AI-assisted development documentation section#3259
jfversluis wants to merge 8 commits intomainfrom
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@jfversluis jfversluis commented Mar 23, 2026

Summary

Adds a new AI-assisted development section to the .NET MAUI docs with 6 guides covering how to set up a MAUI repository for effective AI-assisted development.

New pages

Page Description
index.md Overview and quick-start checklist
copilot-instructions.md Writing effective .github/copilot-instructions.md for MAUI projects
custom-instructions.md Task-specific .github/instructions/*.instructions.md files and AGENTS.md
skills.md .NET Agent Skills marketplace and the dotnet-maui plugin
devflow.md MauiDevFlow for AI-assisted UI debugging (experimental)
best-practices.md Project structure and coding conventions that help AI assistants

Key topics covered

  • Repository instructions for teaching AI your project's structure and conventions
  • Platform-specific code patterns (.ios.cs, .android.cs, Mac Catalyst compilation rules)
  • Blazor Hybrid patterns (XAML/Razor coexistence, CDP debugging, JS interop)
  • .NET Agent Skills installation and usage
  • MauiDevFlow setup, CLI commands, and MCP integration
  • Common pitfalls (lazy initialization, linker/trimmer, safe areas)

Review process

These guides went through 5 rounds of multi-model review with 11 different developer personas (junior dev, senior architect, tech editor, iOS migrant, DevOps engineer, OSS contributor, Blazor dev, accessibility reviewer, UX researcher, cross-platform dev, AI/ML engineer) across 8 AI models. Final round: Approved for publication with no blockers.

TOC placement

New section appears between "Artificial intelligence" and "Deployment & testing" in the main TOC.


Internal previews

📄 File 🔗 Preview link
docs/ai-development/best-practices.md docs/ai-development/best-practices
docs/ai-development/copilot-instructions.md docs/ai-development/copilot-instructions
docs/ai-development/custom-instructions.md docs/ai-development/custom-instructions
docs/ai-development/dev-flow.md docs/ai-development/dev-flow
docs/ai-development/index.md docs/ai-development/index
docs/ai-development/skills.md docs/ai-development/skills

jfversluis and others added 6 commits March 22, 2026 21:55
New section with 6 guides covering:
- Overview of AI tooling for MAUI development
- Writing effective copilot-instructions.md
- Custom instruction files (.github/instructions/)
- .NET Agent Skills marketplace
- MauiDevFlow for AI-assisted debugging
- Best practices for AI-friendly project structure

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Fixes from 6 personas (junior dev, senior architect, tech editor,
Xamarin migrator, DevOps engineer, OSS contributor):
- Fix broken cross-links (agent-skills.md → skills.md, etc.)
- Add security notes for DevFlow (dev-only, port exposure)
- Clarify .ios.cs/.maccatalyst.cs Mac Catalyst overlap with WARNING
- Add contributor guidance (read AGENTS.md before PRing)
- Add Xamarin.Forms migration subsection
- Fix nested code blocks, TFM consistency notes
- Standardize terminology to 'AI coding assistant'
- Add CI/enterprise considerations throughout

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Fixes from iOS dev, tech writer, AI engineer, principal engineer,
accessibility personas:
- Add .NET explanations for Swift/iOS newcomers (partial classes, TFMs, DI)
- Add screen-reader text descriptions before ASCII art structures
- Replace emoji in code with plain text for accessibility
- Add text status column to platform support table
- Consolidate excessive callouts in devflow.md
- Add MCP tool categories and Xcode/DevTools comparison
- Add 'How skills complement instruction files' section
- Reduce cross-page redundancy with links
- Recommend devcontainers for team-wide skill installation

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
Fixes from skeptic, Blazor dev, QA bot, UX researcher, cross-platform
dev personas:
- Replace overselling language with measured claims
- Add 'Choose your path' routing block to index
- Add Blazor Hybrid subsections (copilot-instructions, best-practices, devflow)
- Add template jump-link for quick access
- Remove hardcoded padding values for platform-safe guidance
- Simplify DevFlow port binding docs
- Add CDP snapshot Blazor debugging workflow

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
- Fix orphaned .editorconfig section in best-practices.md
- Remove duplicate macOS/Mac Catalyst platform listing
- Add Linux/GTK setup notes in devflow.md
- Improve best-practices.md opening paragraph

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
- Fix UseSafeArea applied to Grid instead of ContentPage
- Remove placeholder GitHub issue URL

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
@jfversluis jfversluis requested a review from a team as a code owner March 23, 2026 08:21
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- Change ms.topic from 'concept' to 'conceptual' (best-practices.md)
- Change ms.topic from 'concept' to 'overview' (index.md)
- Rename devflow.md to dev-flow.md (filename-incomplete warning)
- Update all cross-references to new filename

Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
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Co-authored-by: Copilot <223556219+Copilot@users.noreply.github.com>
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PoliCheck Scan Report

The following report lists PoliCheck issues in PR files. Before you merge the PR, you must fix all severity-1 and severity-2 issues. The AI Review Details column lists suggestions for either removing or replacing the terms. If you find a false positive result, mention it in a PR comment and include this text: #policheck-false-positive. This feedback helps reduce false positives in future scans.

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Learn Build status updates of commit b68993e:

✅ Validation status: passed

File Status Preview URL Details
docs/ai-development/best-practices.md ✅Succeeded View (>=net-maui-8.0)
docs/ai-development/copilot-instructions.md ✅Succeeded View (>=net-maui-8.0)
docs/ai-development/custom-instructions.md ✅Succeeded View (>=net-maui-8.0)
docs/ai-development/dev-flow.md ✅Succeeded View (>=net-maui-8.0)
docs/ai-development/index.md ✅Succeeded View (>=net-maui-8.0)
docs/ai-development/skills.md ✅Succeeded View (>=net-maui-8.0)
docs/TOC.yml ✅Succeeded View (>=net-maui-8.0)

For more details, please refer to the build report.

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