What I Built DevFlow Navigator is a Node.js CLI tool that acts like a tech lead in your terminal. It uses GitHub Copilot CLI to understand the current repo, generate implementation plans, suggest shell commands, and explain code or errors in context. ​

DevFlow provides four core commands:

**plan ** – Generate a step-by-step implementation plan for a task in the current repo.

**commands ** – Suggest git/build/test commands you can run in order to execute that task.

**explain ** – Explain a code file or error message in clear language.

session – Entry point for an interactive Copilot-powered session around the current repo. ​

The goal: when you open a repo and think “What should I do next, and how do I actually do it from the command line?”, DevFlow + Copilot CLI give you a guided answer.

Why I Built It I often jump between different projects and repos, and I lose time on two things:

Figuring out what to do next in an unfamiliar codebase.

Remembering the exact shell, git, and test commands to safely implement a change.

GitHub Copilot CLI is extremely good at understanding context and suggesting commands, but it’s still very general. I wanted a focused workflow assistant that wraps Copilot CLI with opinionated prompts for:

Planning features.

Translating tasks into concrete commands.

Explaining code and errors quickly.

DevFlow Navigator is my attempt to turn Copilot CLI into a repo‑aware “tech lead” that lives directly in the terminal.

How It Works (High-Level Design) DevFlow is a Node.js CLI built with:

Commander.js – For commands and argument parsing.

Chalk – For colored terminal output.

Child process exec – To call the copilot CLI with carefully crafted prompts. ​

When you run a command like:

bash node index.js plan "add email verification" DevFlow:

Runs inside your current working directory (the repo you care about).

Builds a structured prompt that describes your task and how Copilot should respond.

Calls copilot -p "..." as a child process.

Prints Copilot’s output back into your terminal.

Because Copilot CLI has access to the files in that directory, it can list files, read package.json, inspect index.js, and reason about the actual project instead of giving generic advice. ​

The Commands in Detail plan Usage:

bash node index.js plan "add email verification" What it does:

Tells Copilot CLI it is a senior tech lead working on this repo.

Includes your task and asks for a concrete implementation plan.

Asks for a short summary, then numbered steps, specific file paths, and test suggestions.

*Explicitly tells Copilot: *“Do NOT ask me questions back, only output the plan in markdown.”

In practice, Copilot will:

List the current directory and key files.

Read package.json and index.js.

Output a repo‑aware description of what DevFlow is and how to extend it.

This becomes your starting blueprint for making changes, and it’s perfect to screenshot for the “planning” phase of your demo. ​

commands Usage:

bash node index.js commands "add email verification" node index.js commands "fix failing tests" What it does:

Prompts Copilot as a senior developer working from the command line.

Asks for only shell commands, one per line, in the right order to work on the task:

git commands (branch, status, commit, push)

install/build commands

test commands

helpful inspection commands (like npm test, ls, cat, etc.)

Explicitly says: “No explanations, no markdown, one command per line, Windows‑friendly where it matters.”

The idea is: you give DevFlow a task, and it gives you a ready‑to‑run script of commands that you can either copy‑paste or adapt. This shows off Copilot CLI’s strength as a terminal co‑pilot, not just a code generator. ​

explain Usage:

bash node index.js explain "index.js" node index.js explain "TypeError: userEmail is undefined" Behavior:

If target looks like a file path (.js, .ts, .jsx, .tsx), DevFlow asks Copilot to:

1)Explain the purpose and key logic of that file.

2)Highlight complex or risky areas.

3)Use headings and bullet points so the explanation is easy to scan.

If target looks like an error message, DevFlow asks Copilot to:

=>Explain what the error likely means in the context of this repo.

Suggest concrete steps to fix or debug it.

This is incredibly helpful when you open a new repo, point DevFlow at a file, and immediately get a high‑level explanation before diving in. ​

session Usage:

bash node index.js session Right now, session is a light wrapper that indicates the start of an interactive Copilot session and guides you to use copilot directly for full chat. The idea is:

-DevFlow gives you structured, repeatable entry points (plan, commands, explain).

-When you want a deeper back‑and‑forth, you switch to Copilot CLI chat while staying in the same repo. ​

In the future, this command could evolve into a richer interactive loop that proxies messages back and forth automatically.

How I Used GitHub Copilot CLI While Building I didn’t just call Copilot once; I used it throughout the build:

Understanding the project itself I ran plan and explain on my own index.js to see how Copilot described DevFlow Navigator. I used that explanation to refine the command descriptions and overall story. ​

Designing prompts I asked Copilot CLI to suggest prompt templates for “only shell commands”, “no explanations”, and “markdown plan with steps and tests”. Then I iterated on those prompts inside runCopilot to get more focused output.

Explaining errors When I hit Node.js and Windows CLI issues (like module resolution or chalk behavior), I used Copilot CLI with explain‑style prompts to understand what went wrong and how to fix it.

Improving UX I experimented with different phrasing (“senior tech lead”, “only output commands”, “do NOT ask me questions back”) and used Copilot’s responses to fine‑tune what prints in the terminal so it feels more like a focused assistant than a generic chat. ​

These interactions are exactly the kind of screenshots and transcripts I’ll include in my demo to show that GitHub Copilot CLI actively shaped both the code and the developer experience.

How to Run It Yourself Prerequisites:

Node.js installed.

GitHub Copilot CLI installed and authenticated on your machine (see GitHub’s official docs).

Steps:

bash git clone <your-repo-url> cd devflow-navigator npm install

# Example usage: node index.js plan "add email verification" node index.js commands "fix failing tests" node index.js explain "index.js" node index.js explain "TypeError: userEmail is undefined" Make sure you run these commands inside a real project repo, so Copilot CLI has files and context to analyze. ​

What I Learned GitHub Copilot CLI is powerful not only for “help me remember a command” but as a repo‑aware thinking partner when you wrap it with consistent prompts.

Even when Copilot occasionally responds with follow‑up questions, structuring the entry points as plan, commands, and explain makes it much easier to reuse in real workflows.

Small, focused tools built around Copilot CLI can significantly reduce the “what do I do next?” friction when jumping into unfamiliar codebases.

If you try DevFlow Navigator on your own projects, I’d love to hear how you’d extend it: automatic edits, safety checks, or deeper interactive sessions are all natural next steps.