Proposal to change GitHub Copilot Coding Agent rate limit to a queue-based approach

[netdjw]

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Hello GitHub Support,

I've encountered repeated issues with the current GitHub Copilot Coding Agent implementation, specifically related to rate limiting. Currently, when the Copilot Coding Agent hits its rate limit, it abruptly stops execution with an error similar to:

Sorry, you've hit a rate limit that restricts the number of Copilot model requests you can make within a specific time period. Please try again in 1 minute. If the problem persists, please contact GitHub Support, including the request ID `...`. To retry, leave a comment on this pull request asking Copilot to try again.

The primary issue with this mechanism is that restarting the Copilot Coding Agent later is currently not feasible. The only workaround is cumbersome:

1. Close the current pull request.
2. Unassign the task from Copilot Coding Agent.
3. Reassign the task to Copilot Coding Agent, causing it to open a new pull request and start from scratch.

This workflow is particularly problematic when multiple tasks are triggered simultaneously. If a rate limit is encountered, most or all tasks halt abruptly, creating multiple redundant pull requests and negatively impacting repository metrics.

Suggested Improvement

Instead of a hard rate limit that halts tasks, I propose adopting a queue-based mechanism, similar to GitHub Actions. With this approach:

• Requests exceeding the immediate capacity would enter a queue.
• Tasks would automatically resume execution once resources become available.

This adjustment would provide several benefits:

• Reduced redundancy: No more repeated and unnecessary pull request creation.
• Improved user experience: Tasks seamlessly continue without manual intervention.
• Enhanced repository metrics: Cleaner, more accurate data reflecting real activity.

I appreciate your consideration and look forward to your feedback.

Best regards,
Balázs Winkler

[github-actions[bot]]

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