diff --git a/.github/copilot-instructions.md b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..e7b8665042a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/copilot-instructions.md
@@ -0,0 +1,55 @@
+# Cloudscape components — repo conventions
+
+You are reviewing/writing code as a Cloudscape maintainer: terse, self-explanatory code,
+no parallel implementations, strong types, and the public API kept small and consistent.
+When you flag something, cite the rule and say why. These are the repo's house conventions.
+
+## Comments & documentation
+- Comment only the non-obvious WHY (why a warning is suppressed, why a workaround exists,
+  an a11y constraint). Delete comments that restate what the adjacent code plainly does
+  ("Build tree", "Compute layout"). WHY: restatements are noise; unexplained hacks bite later.
+- Never silently drop an existing explanatory comment during a refactor — the rationale
+  is the part a reader can't reconstruct.
+
+## Reuse before adding
+- Before writing a helper, search `src/internal/` and `@cloudscape-design/component-toolkit`
+  for an existing one (e.g. `useUniqueId`, `isHTMLElement`, `findUpUntil`). Reuse existing
+  constants instead of hardcoding magic numbers. WHY: divergent reimplementations drift and
+  multiply maintenance; the toolkit versions are more complete.
+- Prefer ONE shared implementation over parallel branches (sticky vs virtual, VR vs one-theme,
+  collapsible vs not): factor common logic into one hook/mixin. WHY: parallel copies drift apart
+  and double the bug surface.
+
+## Types over runtime checks
+- Constrain values with unions/enums, not a runtime keyword array + `isX` check. Remove
+  redundant `as X` casts. Never use `as any`. WHY: type-level constraints catch invalid values
+  at compile time; runtime checks fail silently and are hard to debug.
+
+## Naming
+- Never name by physical position — `isRightmost`/`left`/`right` flip under RTL. Use logical
+  names (`isLastColumn`). WHY: the codebase runs RTL; position names become wrong.
+- Name by purpose, not data-structure shape or generic terms (`ColumnGroupsLayout`, not
+  `HierarchicalThing`; `column`, not `leaf`). WHY: shape/generic names force readers to
+  reverse-engineer intent.
+
+## i18n
+- Never hardcode an English fallback. Resolve translatable strings via `useInternalI18n('component')`
+  and let the provider supply the default; `?? ''` is only for type-safety on required string
+  props, never an English string. WHY: a hardcoded fallback bypasses the provider and ships
+  untranslated text.
+
+## Scope & process
+- Keep PRs scoped: don't fold an unrelated change (flipping a shared constant, a drive-by
+  refactor) into a feature PR — land it as its own PR first. WHY: unrelated changes hide
+  regressions and enlarge the blast radius.
+- Treat the public API of an already-public component as a stable contract. Flag changes that break
+  consumers — removing/renaming a public prop or export, narrowing a prop's type, tightening
+  optional→required, changing an observable default, or altering published test-utils behavior — and
+  prefer deprecation (keep it, mark `@deprecated`, add the replacement) over removal. Additive changes
+  and required→optional relaxations are fine. WHY: this is a published component library; a breaking
+  change ripples across every consumer. (See `.github/instructions/component-structure.instructions.md`
+  for the file-level detail.)
+
+---
+Path-specific conventions (component structure & API, tests, SCSS, dev pages, test-utils) are in
+`.github/instructions/*.instructions.md` and apply automatically to matching files.
diff --git a/.github/instructions/component-structure.instructions.md b/.github/instructions/component-structure.instructions.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..508116f3f12
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/instructions/component-structure.instructions.md
@@ -0,0 +1,92 @@
+---
+applyTo: "src/*/{index,internal,interfaces,implementation,internal-interfaces}.{ts,tsx}"
+---
+# Component structure & doc voice
+
+Apply the contract rules below — they hold regardless of a component's shape. But **structure has several
+legitimate shapes** in this repo, so before flagging anything shape-related, check the accepted-variants
+list further down and don't flag a component for matching one of them. Cite the rule when flagging; never
+invent a divergence.
+
+## Contract rules — hard, shape-independent (a violation is almost certainly a bug)
+- **Wrapper checklist (new, non-single-impl components):** `index.tsx` starts with `'use client';` as its
+  first statement, calls `applyDisplayName(X, '${Name}')`, and has `export { ${Name}Props }` + one default
+  export. These are near-universal in the repo — flag any that are absent.
+- **forwardRef ⇔ `Props.Ref`.** If (and only if) the component exposes a `${Name}Props.Ref`, it must use
+  `React.forwardRef` and forward the ref. A component with **no** `Ref` correctly uses a plain function —
+  absence of `forwardRef` is only a problem when a `Ref` exists (or a widgetized seam blocks it).
+- **`Ref` exposes methods, not the DOM node** (`focus()`, `select()`), never `HTMLElement`/`element:`.
+- **This component's own sub-types live under `export namespace ${Name}Props`** — its `Ref`, its
+  `*Detail`/`*ChangeDetail` event payloads, and its variant/size/type aliases must NOT be loose top-level
+  exports. (Private sub-component prop types are exempt — see the allowlist.)
+- **`getBaseProps(...)` reaches the root:** the impl (wherever it lives) calls `getBaseProps` and spreads it
+  on the root — on EVERY return branch (incl. loading/early returns) — so consumer `className`/`id`/`data-*`
+  are not dropped. Flag only if genuinely dropped.
+- **`__internalRootRef` is attached to the root element** (directly or via `useMergeRefs`).
+- **Internal-only props are `__`-prefixed.** Concrete test: a prop on the internal props type but NOT on the
+  public `${Name}Props` is internal-only → it must start with `__`. Flag any that doesn't.
+- **Internal props derive from the public API** — don't re-declare a prop the public `${Name}Props` already
+  has on the internal props type (promote with `SomeRequired<…>`).
+
+## Interface typing
+- A union representing a **visual variant / size / type** must be a named alias in the namespace
+  (`${Name}Props.Variant`). **Do NOT flag** behavioral-mode unions (`keyboardActivationMode`,
+  `contentRenderStrategy`) or unions referencing another component's type.
+- Event handler props (`on*`) use `CancelableEventHandler<Detail>` / `NonCancelableEventHandler<Detail>`,
+  never a bare function. WHY: the build fails for non-standard event-handler types.
+- Doc comments must be Documenter-extractable and describe the prop, not the component. Only flag a MISSING
+  doc when sibling props in the same interface are documented and this one conspicuously is not — do not
+  demand JSDoc on every namespace/`i18nStrings` sub-field.
+
+## API doc voice & tone (SOFT — surface as non-blocking nits, not blocking flags)
+Existing docblocks vary, so treat these as gentle nudges toward the house voice, not hard failures.
+- **Open with a third-person present-tense verb**, declaratively: `Specifies …`, `Determines …`, `Adds …`,
+  `Called when …`. Avoid imperative openers ("Set this to…"), questions, and addressing "you" in the FIRST
+  sentence (a following `Use this to…` guidance sentence may).
+- **Booleans:** a third-person verb + "whether" (`Determines whether …` / `Specifies whether …`), optionally
+  `If \`true\`, …`. **Events:** `Called when …` (+ `The event \`detail\` contains …`). **aria props:**
+  `Adds \`aria-x\` to <element>`.
+- **Enums (3+ values):** a bulleted list of backticked values marking `(default)`. Inline `(default)` /
+  "Defaults to…" prose is fine; only flag a redundant hand-written scalar `@default` **tag** (Documenter
+  extracts defaults). **Mechanics:** capitalize + terminating period; backtick code tokens and sibling-prop
+  references; terse and factual (no marketing, no inline rationale beyond one guidance clause); a
+  `@deprecated` note names its replacement.
+
+## Data flow (in the impl, not the wrapper — subject to the wrapper-side-hooks variant below)
+- State/controllability (`useControllable`), context (`useFormFieldContext`), events
+  (`fireNonCancelableEvent`), i18n (`useInternalI18n`, no hardcoded English fallback) live in the impl.
+- Call `warnOnce` directly — it already gates on the dev environment; don't wrap it in a separate
+  `isDevelopment` check.
+- `useBaseComponent`'s config arg (`{ props, metadata }`) is a fire-once-on-mount usage-telemetry
+  snapshot, so put only stable, low-cardinality config in it. `props` carries actual public config prop
+  values passed through directly — enumerated `variant`/`size`/`type`/density unions, booleans, and
+  low-cardinality numbers (a numeric prop value like `limit` in `props` is fine). `metadata` carries
+  derived facts — booleans (`hasX: Boolean(...)`) or numbers (counts) — especially reductions of
+  high-cardinality inputs. Never pass `children`, i18n strings, handlers, ids/identifiers, labels, or
+  user values; reduce any high-cardinality signal to a boolean/number in `metadata`. Omit the arg when
+  nothing is trackable.
+
+## Accepted architectural variants — DO NOT flag these
+- **Single-impl:** a component with no `internal.tsx` folds its implementation into `index.tsx` (plus
+  helper files). `getBaseProps`, state, events, context, `forwardRef` and the root node legitimately live
+  in `index.tsx` here (e.g. tabs, tag-editor, badge, textarea).
+- **Widgetized / loadable:** `internal.ts(x)` creates or re-exports a widgetized component, optionally
+  wrapping its implementation in `createLoadableComponent`; the real implementation may live in
+  `implementation.tsx`, and internal props may live there or in `internal-interfaces.ts` (e.g. flashbar,
+  breadcrumb-group, drawer, split-panel, side-navigation, help-panel). Don't expect the implementation
+  body, `getBaseProps`, or root element in `internal.tsx`; `forwardRef` may be impossible through the seam.
+- **Wrapper-side hooks:** `index.tsx` may run analytics/funnel hooks, `useSetGlobalX`,
+  `getAnalyticsMetadataAttribute`, or a loading/skeleton fallback (alert, modal, breadcrumb-group, button,
+  input). "Thin wrapper" is a tendency, not a rule — only flag wrapper logic with no such purpose.
+- **`internal.tsx` holding private sub-components** (`TagControl`, `UndoButton`) rather than an `InternalX` is fine.
+- **Sanctioned imports:** importing a sibling's `internal.tsx`/`implementation.tsx`, or another component's
+  **publicly exported** interface, is normal. Only flag importing another component's **styles** or clearly
+  private files across `src/<other>/`.
+- **Top-level prop types of private SUB-COMPONENTS** (`BreadcrumbItemProps`, `TagControlProps`) are not
+  `${Name}Props` sub-types — do not force them into the namespace. (This exemption is ONLY for sub-component
+  prop types — see the namespace contract rule for the component's own sub-types.)
+
+## Generic sweep (best effort, lowest priority)
+- After the above, compare against 2–3 sibling components and flag any OTHER real divergence not covered
+  here (an undocumented prop where siblings document theirs, unusual file naming). Respect the accepted
+  variants — do not flag a shape that matches a known variant. Name the sibling you compared against.
diff --git a/.github/instructions/dev-pages.instructions.md b/.github/instructions/dev-pages.instructions.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..696460b7b62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/instructions/dev-pages.instructions.md
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+---
+applyTo: "pages/**"
+---
+# Dev / demo page conventions
+- Build pages with the `SimplePage` helper (h1, content paddings, i18n, screenshot area), not
+  hand-rolled bespoke scaffolding. WHY: consistent, low-boilerplate, avoids a11y violations.
+  EXCEPTIONS — don't flag these page types for not using `SimplePage`: (a) **AppLayout demo pages**,
+  which can't nest inside `SimplePage` (itself a content wrapper); (b) **permutations pages** — the
+  `*.permutations.page.tsx` shape built from `createPermutations` + `PermutationsView` + `ScreenshotArea`
+  with a bare `<h1>` heading is the established structure for screenshot-matrix pages.
+- Keep pages minimal: render the components under test directly (a single `SpaceBetween` is enough);
+  no decorative containers/subtitles, no hand-maintained prose list of components. WHY: test pages
+  should isolate behavior; decorative structure and lists drift.
+- Drive page configuration (variant, selection, toggles) from URL query params via `AppContext`,
+  not local `useState` or click-only buttons. WHY: URL state is directly targetable by integ tests
+  and shareable as a link.
+- Reuse shared fixtures (`generateItems`, shared column configs, `common-props`) instead of
+  duplicating; add `screenshotArea={{}}` for coverage and keep the page header outside it. WHY:
+  deduplicates fixtures, keeps screenshots isolated.
diff --git a/.github/instructions/styles.instructions.md b/.github/instructions/styles.instructions.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..f900fa7afad
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/instructions/styles.instructions.md
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+---
+applyTo: "src/**/*.scss"
+---
+# SCSS conventions
+- Use existing design tokens instead of hardcoded values (`$box-shadow-focused-width`, radius
+  tokens). WHY: keeps theming consistent.
+- Put classes that exist only for test selection in `src/<component>/test-classes/styles.scss`.
+  WHY: segregated test classes keep integ selectors stable.
+- Don't disable lint rules or depend on raw DOM structure / `nth-child` merely as a shortcut — add
+  class names to inner elements and target those when possible. When a structural selector or suppression
+  is necessary for component behavior, scope it narrowly and document why. WHY: unqualified
+  structure-dependent selectors and rule overrides are brittle and re-break as markup changes.
diff --git a/.github/instructions/test-utils.instructions.md b/.github/instructions/test-utils.instructions.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..eda8e22ae88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/instructions/test-utils.instructions.md
@@ -0,0 +1,10 @@
+---
+applyTo: "src/test-utils/**"
+---
+# Test-utils (public contract) conventions
+- Selector methods must generate a STATIC CSS selector with no access to query results — they
+  can't branch on `nth-child` conditionally. Design the DOM (e.g. always-present `data-column-index`)
+  so one static selector works, or take an explicit mode param. WHY: test-utils are a cross-version
+  consumer contract; a selector that needs results to decide its shape can't be generated.
+- Test-utils methods declare explicit return types; wrapper classes expose a static `rootSelector`;
+  always-present results use a non-null assertion. WHY: documented public-contract conventions.
diff --git a/.github/instructions/tests.instructions.md b/.github/instructions/tests.instructions.md
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..49a884b5a62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.github/instructions/tests.instructions.md
@@ -0,0 +1,23 @@
+---
+applyTo: "**/{__tests__,__integ__,__a11y__,__motion__}/**"
+---
+# Testing conventions
+- Assert the observable EFFECT (focus lands on the specific element, value/count/position is
+  correct), never `toBeDefined()`/"renders"/"does not crash". A test with no real assertion isn't
+  a test. WHY: `toBeDefined()` passes even when focus lands on `document.body`.
+- Never write filler tests just to keep patch/codecov green — restructure or test real behavior.
+  WHY: coverage-gaming tests assert accidental behavior and are frequently AI-generated noise.
+- Test through the component/public surface; find elements with official test-utils
+  (`createWrapper().findX()`), not raw class-name/DOM selectors. WHY: proves the helper works AND
+  is wired correctly; test-utils are the stable contract. EXCEPTION: when no test-utils finder exists
+  for the element/state (e.g. an animation/settle state, or a styling primitive like Box whose public
+  contract IS its class names), a scoped class assertion is acceptable.
+- Split unit vs integ by what each can verify: explicit handlers/logic in unit, real focus/Tab in
+  integ. Don't fire an event on an element the user can't focus. WHY: emulating an impossible
+  interaction verifies nothing; integ repetition is expensive.
+- Don't `istanbul ignore` testable code (e.g. keyboard nav — testable on a plain `<table>`).
+  Restructure so the util is reachable. WHY: ignored branches hide real, testable behavior.
+- Assert dev warnings by mocking `warnOnce` from `@cloudscape-design/component-toolkit/internal`
+  and asserting `(componentName, message)`. WHY: the established deterministic pattern.
+- Name tests by user-observable behavior, not internal util names. WHY: internal names in titles
+  rot and don't communicate intent.
diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index d9c849c1580..bce852371f8 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -11,6 +11,14 @@ See [docs/SETUP.md](docs/SETUP.md) for setup, building, and running locally.
 See [docs/CLOUDSCAPE_COMPONENTS_GUIDE.md](docs/CLOUDSCAPE_COMPONENTS_GUIDE.md) for guides on component conventions, styling, writing tests, and more.
 For running tests and configs, see [docs/RUNNING_TESTS.md](docs/RUNNING_TESTS.md).
 
+## Coding conventions
+
+Conventions for writing and reviewing code in this repo live in
+[.github/copilot-instructions.md](.github/copilot-instructions.md) (repo-wide) and
+[.github/instructions/](.github/instructions/) (file-scoped: component structure & public API, tests,
+SCSS, dev pages, test-utils). Tools that support these files apply them automatically; they also serve as
+the review bar for hand-written code. Follow them when writing or changing code here.
+
 ## Conventions to watch
 
-- **Commit and PR titles: `type: subject`, no scope.** The PR-title lint (`cloudscape-design/actions/.github/workflows/lint-pr.yml`) allows exactly these types: `chore`, `feat`, `fix`, `refactor`, `test`, `revert`. The title must start with `type:` followed by the subject (for example `feat: Add multi-column sort`). Scope parentheses are not supported (`feat(table): …` fails the check), and other Conventional Commits types such as `docs` or `style` are not allowed — use `chore:` for documentation and tooling changes.
+- **PR titles: `type: subject`, no scope.** The PR-title lint (`cloudscape-design/actions/.github/workflows/lint-pr.yml`) allows exactly these types: `chore`, `feat`, `fix`, `refactor`, `test`, `revert`. The title must start with `type:` followed by the subject (for example `feat: Add multi-column sort`). Scope parentheses are not supported (`feat(table): …` fails the check), and other Conventional Commits types such as `docs` or `style` are not allowed — use `chore:` for documentation and tooling changes. Only the PR title is checked; individual commit messages are not.