[Feedback] Copilot Individual Rate Limits are overly aggressive: Hitting weekly limits, then global limits on "Auto" mode

[DoThaiBinh1990]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Product Feedback

💬 Feature/Topic Area

VS Code

Body

Hi GitHub Team,

I am a paid subscriber to the GitHub Copilot Individual plan ($10/month). I am writing to express my severe frustration with the extremely aggressive rate-limiting heuristics that are completely breaking my workflow.

The Issue (Double Rate Limiting):
My typical workflow involves highly concentrated, intense coding sessions (bursty work). Recently, during one of these sprints, I was hit with a "weekly limit" for using specific models (like Claude 3.5 Sonnet).

To bypass this and continue my work, I switched the model selection to "Auto". However, after working for just a short while on Auto mode, I was hit again—this time with a "global rate limit", forcing me to wait 40-46 minutes to make another request (as shown in my screenshots).

The Impact:
I am being punished simply for having concentrated work sessions rather than spreading my requests lightly across the week. I still have plenty of overall monthly usage left, yet I am constantly getting locked out. Waiting 40+ minutes in the middle of a focused coding sprint makes this paid product feel completely unreliable.

My Request:
I understand the need to protect the service from abuse, but the current algorithm is broken for legitimate developers working in intensive sprints. Please review and adjust the rate-limiting heuristics for Copilot Individual users. We shouldn't be hitting a weekly limit, switching to Auto, and immediately hitting a global limit.

(See attached screenshots for the error messages in VS Code)

Has anyone else in the community been experiencing this double lock-out during focused work sessions? Let's upvote this so the team can address it.

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[ziyumieming]

There are already many such issues in the community. In fact, it's more like a protest.
I was also affected by this limitation. I asked Copilot to explore a repository, but after a long running period, it triggered the limit and stopped. I didn't get any results but consumed the quota. So terrible.

[DoThaiBinh1990]

Exactly! It's incredibly frustrating to see our quota being consumed without even getting a final result, especially for resource-heavy tasks like repository exploration. This is a clear flaw in the current rate-limiting logic—it punishes paying users for simply trying to use the features we paid for. I’ve started this thread to gather all these 'protests' into one place. Please upvote this post and share your specific case in more detail if possible. The more of us who speak up and show the real-world impact on our productivity, the harder it will be for GitHub to ignore. We need a fairer system that respects professional, intensive workflows. Let’s make some noise together!

[rtefrfrtft]

I am also a GitHub Copilot Pro+ subscriber. Since the 22nd, I've been running into rate limits every day, forcing me to wait several hours before I can use it again. But the most frustrating part was last Saturday (April 25, 2026), when it directly told me I had hit the weekly limit and I wouldn't be able to continue using GitHub Copilot Pro+ until after this week (once the time period ending at 00:00:00 on April 27, 2026 passed). I don't even know what to say anymore—I've already submitted a support ticket. There's no point in paying for Copilot Pro+ like this. Even the top-tier personal subscription doesn't give me stable usage, so what's the point?

[Mryan2005]

Me too, but GitHub hasn’t replied to my support ticket.

[DoThaiBinh1990]

It’s absolutely ridiculous, isn’t it? We’re all paying for a professional tool that fails us when we need it most. Let’s stand together—please upvote and keep sharing your cases here so we can force GitHub to reconsider these unfair limits!

[Elgaron]

Like 10 requests with Gpt 5.5 and hit 100% of session limits in less than 2 hours, and i'm a github pro + user, i think these limits are too aggressive considered the cost of a single request.

[DoThaiBinh1990]

Only 10 requests? That is beyond ridiculous for a Pro+ account! It's clear the system is broken. Please upvote and keep sharing these details—we need to show GitHub that these aggressive limits are unacceptable for paying professionals.

[Elgaron]

Actually i think i did like 7, but yes that is ridiculous you are right, i hope they will fix it asap

[DoThaiBinh1990]

yeb bro!

[P-r-e-m-i-u-m]

Yo @DoThaiBinh1990 — I feel your pain, but that "Global Limit" isn't a bug, it's a speed limit.
When you switch to "Auto" after hitting the weekly quota, you're likely hitting the burst limit (requests per minute/hour). Copilot does this to stop people (or bots) from hammering the servers, even if they have a paid plan.
The "Auto" setting tries to route you to a different model, but if you're spamming requests in a sprint, the system just throttles you globally to cool down. It sucks for focused workflow, but unfortunately, there's no setting to turn off the burst protection. You just gotta pace yourself or ride out that 40-minute wait.

[DoThaiBinh1990]

I know that. So, we need everyone to speak up so that adjustments can be made more appropriately!

[Mryan2005]

I’m a Copilot Pro user, but I can only use the Cloud Agent five times per week.

[pattontim]

These rate limits are super aggressive. I can finish like one and a half pre-planned copilot sessions before hitting the limit. That's one and a half session every 8 hours

[risharde]

I just met the weekly limit and I'm trying to withhold my anger. Why am I paying for PRO and haven't hit my payment limit but then you guys decide to limit weekly. Now I literally have to wait 5 days to use what I paid for. For a company selling AI and intelligence, how stupid can the people who made this decision be? Fix this before I make a Youtube video of it.