Commands - PM Copilot CLI Mastery

�� Discovery Commands - Understanding Codebases

copilot explain

Get AI-powered explanations of code, features, or architecture

$ copilot explain 'authentication system'
$ copilot explain --file src/auth.ts

PM Use Case: "Explain how our user authentication works" to understand security architecture.

copilot search

Find code patterns, functions, or keywords across the codebase

$ copilot search 'database query' --language sql
$ copilot search 'performance' --all-branches

PM Use Case: "Find all places where we're accessing the user database" to understand data flow.

copilot codebase

Analyze entire codebase for metrics, patterns, or statistics

$ copilot codebase --analyze
$ copilot codebase 'test' --type coverage

PM Use Case: "Analyze test coverage across the codebase" to assess engineering health.

🔍 Analysis Commands - Deep Dives & Investigations

copilot analyze

Perform deep analysis on code quality, performance, or architecture

$ copilot analyze --performance
$ copilot analyze 'memory usage' --context mobile

PM Use Case: "Analyze performance bottlenecks in the mobile app" to identify optimization opportunities.

copilot diff

Understand changes between branches or commits

$ copilot diff main staging
$ copilot diff commit1 commit2 --explain

PM Use Case: "What changed between last release and staging?" to review upcoming features.

copilot estimate

Get effort estimates for features or refactoring

$ copilot estimate 'add dark mode'
$ copilot estimate 'refactor database layer'

PM Use Case: "How much effort would it take to implement feature X?" for roadmap planning.

⚖️ Decision Commands - Making Technical Choices

copilot compare

Compare different technical approaches or implementations

$ copilot compare 'REST vs GraphQL'
$ copilot compare implementation1 implementation2

PM Use Case: "Should we use GraphQL or REST for our new API?" to evaluate architecture options.

copilot recommend

Get recommendations for architecture, patterns, or approaches

$ copilot recommend 'caching strategy' --context 'mobile app'
$ copilot recommend --for-pattern 'database'

PM Use Case: "What's the best approach for handling offline sync?" to drive architecture decisions.

copilot audit

Comprehensive audit for security, performance, or best practices

$ copilot audit --security
$ copilot audit 'GDPR compliance'

PM Use Case: "Audit our codebase for security vulnerabilities" for compliance and risk assessment.

📢 Communication Commands - Explaining to Others

copilot document

Generate documentation from code

$ copilot document --generate readme
$ copilot document 'API endpoints' --format markdown

PM Use Case: "Generate API documentation for stakeholders" to communicate technical capabilities.

copilot summarize

Create executive summaries of technical work

$ copilot summarize --commits last-week
$ copilot summarize 'technical debt'

PM Use Case: "Summarize engineering progress for the exec team" for stakeholder updates.

copilot explain --for-audience

Explain technical concepts at different levels

$ copilot explain 'microservices' --for-audience executives
$ copilot explain --for-audience non-technical

PM Use Case: "Explain this architecture decision to our CEO" for executive communication.

🚀 Advanced Commands - Power User Features

copilot custom-query

Create custom queries for specialized analysis

$ copilot custom-query 'find all payment processing'

PM Use Case: Create targeted searches for specific business concerns (compliance, payment, etc.)

copilot context --set

Provide context for more accurate analysis

$ copilot context --set industry healthcare
$ copilot context --add focus performance optimization

PM Use Case: "Set context to healthcare industry" for compliance-specific analysis.

copilot export

Export analysis results for reports and presentations

$ copilot export --format pdf --file report.pdf
$ copilot export --format json --context audit

PM Use Case: "Export security audit as PDF" for documentation and compliance records.

⚙️ Common Flags & Options

--language

Filter by programming language (javascript, python, go, rust, etc.)

--context

Provide additional context for more accurate results (mobile, backend, security, etc.)

--all-branches

Search/analyze across all branches, not just current branch

--format

Output format (json, markdown, pdf, html, csv)

--depth

Analysis depth (shallow, normal, deep)

--compare-with

Compare against best practices, benchmarks, or other codebases

🎯 Quick Command Matrix - Choose Based on Your Need

I Need To...	Command	Example
Understand a feature	`explain`	`copilot explain 'payment flow'`
Find related code	`search`	`copilot search 'database'`
Assess code health	`codebase --analyze`	`copilot codebase --analyze`
Estimate effort	`estimate`	`copilot estimate 'dark mode'`
Compare approaches	`compare`	`copilot compare 'REST vs GraphQL'`
Check security	`audit --security`	`copilot audit --security`