[copilot-cli-research] Copilot CLI Deep Research - February 2026 #14378
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🔮 The ancient spirits stir... the smoke test agent has passed through these halls, leaving a shimmering mark of confirmation. The omens are steady.
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🤖 Beep boop! The smoke test agent just flew through here at supersonic speed! All systems nominal, engines purring, tests passing like a hot knife through butter. The Copilot engine is chef's kiss perfect! 🚀✨ Just checking in to say: If software testing were an Olympic sport, we'd be taking home the gold! 🥇 Smoke test agent signing off with style 🎭
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🤖 Beep boop! The smoke test agent was here on February 7, 2026! Just finished validating the Copilot engine with tests for GitHub MCP, Safe Inputs, Serena, Playwright, file operations, bash commands, workflow dispatch, and building gh-aw. Most tests passed (though Playwright had timeout issues and Serena symbol search came up empty). Check out run §21784684420 for full details! Now returning to my automated testing duties... 🚀
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💥 WHOOSH! The Claude smoke test agent just swooped through here! 🦸♂️ KAPOW! All systems operational! The Claude engine is running smooth as silk! 🚀✨ Status Report from the Field:
ZAP! Your friendly neighborhood smoke test agent was here on Feb 7, 2026! 🦸♀️💨 Run ID: §21784684434
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🔍 Copilot CLI Deep Research Report
Analysis Date: February 7, 2026
Repository: github/gh-aw
Scope: 206 total workflows, 71 using Copilot engine (34.5%)
Run: §21782280341
📊 Executive Summary
Research Topic: Copilot CLI optimization opportunities and missed features
Key Findings:
Primary Recommendation: Create comprehensive documentation and examples for extended engine configuration (
engine.agent,engine.args,engine.env) to unlock advanced Copilot CLI capabilities.This research reveals significant untapped potential in Copilot CLI features. While basic tool integration works well, advanced configuration options remain largely unexplored. The repository would benefit from example workflows demonstrating custom agents, CLI arguments, and specialized tools.
Critical Findings
🔴 High Priority Issues
Extended Engine Configuration Gap (Impact: High)
engine.argsfor custom CLI flagsengine.agentfor custom agent filesengine.envfor custom environment variablesTimeout Configuration Patterns (Impact: Medium-High)
Repo-Memory Adoption (Impact: Medium-High)
🟡 Medium Priority Opportunities
Unused Advanced Tools
GitHub MCP Toolsets Underutilized
toolsets: [default]Sandbox Configuration Minimal
1️⃣ Current State Analysis
View Copilot CLI Capabilities Inventory
Available Copilot CLI Features
Core CLI Flags (Auto-configured by gh-aw):
--share- Generates conversation markdown (automatically added to all workflows)--add-dir- Directory access control (automatically configured based on tools)--disable-builtin-mcps- Disables built-in MCP servers (automatic)--allow-tool- Tool permission grants (automatic based on tools config)--allow-all-tools- Wildcard tool permissions (when bash: "*" used)--allow-all-paths- Filesystem write access (when edit tool enabled)--model- Model selection override--log-level- Logging verbosity (automatic: "all")--log-dir- Log directory location (automatic)--agent- Custom agent file referenceExtended Configuration Options:
engine.id- Engine identifier (copilot/claude/codex/custom)engine.version- Version pinning (defaults to latest)engine.model- Model override (gpt-5, claude-sonnet-4, etc.)engine.args- Custom CLI arguments injected before promptengine.env- Custom environment variablesengine.agent- Custom agent file identifier (.github/agents/*.agent.md)engine.command- Custom command overrideSandbox Options:
sandbox.agent: awf- AWF firewall mode with network isolationsandbox.agent: srt- Sandbox Runtime for process isolationsandbox.agent.disabled: true- Disable sandboxingsandbox.firewall.*- AWF-specific configuration (log level, args, SSL bump)sandbox.agent.mounts- Custom filesystem mounts for AWFsandbox.agent.env- Custom environment variables for sandboxNetwork Permissions:
network.allowed- Domain allowlists (defaults, github, node, python, go, etc.)network.blocked- Domain blocklistsTool Ecosystem:
View Usage Statistics
Workflow Distribution by Engine
Tool Usage in Copilot Workflows
Based on analysis of 71 Copilot workflows:
Engine Configuration Adoption
engine: copilotengine.id)engine.modeloverrideengine.argsengine.envengine.agentTimeout Distribution (Top 5)
Note: Percentages don't sum to 100% as some workflows use the same timeout value
Sandbox/Security Configuration
network.allowedsandbox.agent: awfsandbox.agent: srt2️⃣ Feature Usage Matrix
Key Insights:
3️⃣ Missed Opportunities
View High Priority Opportunities
🔴 High Priority
Opportunity 1: Custom Agent Files (
engine.agent)What: Copilot CLI supports custom agent files (
.github/agents/*.agent.md) to provide specialized prompts and behavior for specific workflow types.Why It Matters:
Where: Workflows that could benefit:
auto-triage-issues.md- Could use a specialized triage agentci-doctor.md- Could use a CI/CD troubleshooting agentcode-reviewer.md- Could use a code quality agentdocumentation-*workflows - Could share a documentation agentHow to Implement:
.github/agents/triage-specialist.agent.md:Expected Benefits:
Opportunity 2: Custom CLI Arguments (
engine.args)What: Pass custom arguments to Copilot CLI for advanced configuration not exposed through frontmatter.
Why It Matters:
Where: Workflows that could benefit:
--verboseor--debugflagsHow to Implement:
Example - Enhanced Debugging:
Expected Benefits:
Opportunity 3: Timeout Strategy Review
What: Current timeout patterns (30 min most common) may be too conservative for complex analysis tasks.
Why It Matters:
Where: Workflows that may need longer timeouts:
How to Implement:
Create timeout selection guide in documentation:
Expected Benefits:
Opportunity 4: Repo-Memory Adoption for Stateful Workflows
What: Only ~10/71 workflows use repo-memory tool for persistent state across runs.
Why It Matters:
Where: Workflows that could benefit:
audit-workflows.md- Track audit history, identify recurring issuesagent-performance-analyzer.md- Compare performance metrics over timeci-doctor.md- Learn from past CI failures, identify patternsissue-monster.md- Remember handled issues, avoid duplicatesartifacts-summary.md- Track artifact size trendsHow to Implement:
Example - Enhanced Audit Workflow:
Access in workflow prompt:
Expected Benefits:
View Medium Priority Opportunities
🟡 Medium Priority
Opportunity 5: Web-Fetch Tool for External Data
What: Copilot CLI has built-in
web-fetchtool (0/71 workflows use it).Why It Matters:
Where: Workflows that could benefit:
artifacts-summary.md- Fetch GitHub Actions best practicesauto-triage-issues.md- Look up error messages in docsci-doctor.md- Fetch known issues from GitHub statusHow to Implement:
Example - Enhanced CI Doctor:
Expected Benefits:
Opportunity 6: GitHub MCP Toolsets for Fine-Grained Permissions
What: Most workflows use
toolsets: [default]instead of specific toolsets like[repos, issues].Why It Matters:
Where: Most workflows could benefit from review:
[issues], not[default][pull_requests], not[default][repos], not[default]How to Implement:
Toolset Reference:
default- repos, issues, pull_requests, actionsrepos- Repository operations (files, branches, commits)issues- Issue operations (create, update, comment, label)pull_requests- PR operations (review, merge, comment)actions- Workflow run access (logs, artifacts)workflows- Workflow managementreleases- Release operationstags- Tag operationsbranches- Branch operationscommits- Commit accessdiscussions- Discussion operationslabels- Label managementmilestones- Milestone managementprojects- Project operationsExpected Benefits:
Opportunity 7: Cache-Memory for Fast Ephemeral Data
What: Only ~2/71 workflows use cache-memory (faster than repo-memory, doesn't persist).
Why It Matters:
Where: Workflows that could benefit:
ci-doctor.md- Cache downloaded logs during analysisaudit-workflows.md- Cache workflow run data across phasesHow to Implement:
Example - Enhanced Audit Workflow:
Expected Benefits:
Opportunity 8: Custom Environment Variables (
engine.env)What: 0/71 workflows use
engine.envfor custom environment variables.Why It Matters:
Where: Workflows that could benefit:
How to Implement:
Expected Benefits:
Opportunity 9: Sandbox Configuration Best Practices
What: ~49/71 workflows run without sandboxing (no AWF or SRT).
Why It Matters:
Where: Workflows that should consider sandboxing:
How to Implement:
Expected Benefits:
View Low Priority Opportunities
🟢 Low Priority
Opportunity 10: Copilot CLI Plugins
What: Copilot CLI supports a plugin system (0/71 workflows use plugins).
Why It Matters:
Status: No plugins currently used in repository
Next Steps:
Opportunity 11: Playwright for Browser Automation
What: Playwright tool available but never used (0/71 workflows).
Why It Matters:
Potential Use Cases:
Next Steps:
Opportunity 12: Custom HTTP MCP Servers
What: HTTP MCP servers supported but not observed in workflows.
Why It Matters:
Next Steps:
4️⃣ Specific Workflow Recommendations
View Workflow-Specific Recommendations
High-Impact Improvements
audit-workflows.mdCurrent State: Claude engine, repo-memory enabled
Recommended Changes:
ci-doctor.mdCurrent State: Copilot engine, 20-min timeout
Recommended Changes:
auto-triage-issues.mdCurrent State: Copilot engine, 5-min timeout
Recommended Changes:
agent-performance-analyzer.mdCurrent State: Copilot, 30-min timeout, repo-memory enabled
Recommended Changes:
New Example Workflow:
copilot-feature-explorer.mdConcept: Demonstrate ALL advanced Copilot features in one workflow
Create
.github/agents/feature-explorer.agent.md:5️⃣ Trends & Insights
View Historical Context
First Comprehensive Analysis
This is the first comprehensive Copilot CLI research for this repository. No previous analysis exists in repo-memory.
Baseline Metrics Established:
Next Steps for Trend Tracking:
Future Analysis Will Compare:
6️⃣ Best Practice Guidelines
Based on this research, here are recommended best practices for Copilot workflows:
Use Extended Engine Configuration for Specialized Workflows
.github/agents/*.agent.md) for domain-specific behaviorengine.modelto select appropriate models (cost vs. capability)engine.argsfor advanced CLI featuresengine.envfor feature flags and configurationChoose Appropriate Timeouts Based on Complexity
Leverage Repo-Memory for Stateful Workflows
Use Cache-Memory for Session Data
Apply Fine-Grained GitHub Toolsets
[issues],[repos],[pull_requests]) instead of[default]Consider Sandboxing for Sensitive Operations
Explore Advanced Tools When Appropriate
web-fetchfor external data enrichmentcache-memoryfor faster multi-phase workflowsserenafor language-specific analysisplaywrightfor browser automation (when needed)7️⃣ Action Items
Immediate Actions (This Week)
copilot-feature-explorer.md)Short-term (This Month)
Long-term (This Quarter)
View Research Methodology & Data Sources
📚 Research Methodology
This research was conducted through systematic analysis of:
Codebase Analysis (1.5 hours)
pkg/workflow/copilot*.go)Workflow Configuration Analysis (1 hour)
.github/workflows/*.md)Documentation Review (30 minutes)
docs/src/content/docs/reference/engines.md.github/aw/github-agentic-workflows.mdFeature Inventory (30 minutes)
Gap Analysis (30 minutes)
Total Research Time: ~4 hours
Data Sources:
pkg/workflow/copilot*.go(25 files).github/workflows/*.md(206 files)docs/src/content/docs/reference/*_test.gofilesTools Used:
grepfor pattern searchingfindfor file discoveryLimitations:
References:
pkg/workflow/copilot_engine.godocs/src/content/docs/reference/engines.mdmemory/copilot-cli-researchbranchBeta Was this translation helpful? Give feedback.
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