[copilot-opt] Eliminate high-frequency late validation failures from slow make build+test runs

[github-actions]

Problem

Multiple sessions run full make build && make test-unit as late validation steps, with single executions taking 233 seconds or more. When these commands time out or fail late in a session (after many prior tool calls), all prior work is wasted and the session must be retried. Additionally, parallel_validation tool calls take up to 181 seconds. Slow validation that occurs late in session flow is the costliest single source of session waste.

Evidence

• Analysis window: 2026-07-06 to 2026-07-20 UTC
• Sessions analyzed: 10 (conversation logs available)
• Key metrics and examples:
  • Session 29722950675: make build && make test-unit took 233 seconds (3 separate occurrences in same session)
  • Session 29722950675: parallel_validation tool calls took 181 seconds each (2 occurrences)
  • Session 29722950675: runtime-tools-secret_scanning took 275 seconds (2 occurrences)
  • 19 slow tool calls (>10s) in session 29722950675 alone vs. 3-7 in better-performing sessions
  • Across all 10 sessions, 95 total slow tool calls detected; sessions with late validation failures have 3-4x the slow call rate

Proposed Change

1. Move make build validation earlier in the agent flow — run a lightweight build check immediately after code edits rather than only at the agent-report-progress stage.
2. Split validation: run make fmt and make lint (fast, <10s) after each edit, reserving make test-unit for a single final validation pass.
3. Add an explicit timeout budget for validation commands: if make test-unit is expected to exceed 120s, the agent should split test targets or defer non-critical tests.
4. Investigate the parallel_validation and runtime-tools-secret_scanning slow paths — if they are external service calls, add explicit timeouts and fallback handling.

Expected Impact

• Catch build/lint failures within the first 5 turns instead of turn 50+
• Reduce wasted session work from late validation failures by an estimated 30-50%
• Reduce average session duration by eliminating redundant full rebuild+test cycles

Notes

• Distinct root cause category: late validation strategy / slow tool calls
• Data quality: 10 of 50 sessions have conversation logs; remaining 40 sessions have no logs available for analysis

Generated by ⚡ Copilot Opt · 33.8 AIC · ⌖ 9.79 AIC · ⊞ 6.8K · ◷

[github-actions]

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If assignment succeeds, the Copilot coding agent will analyze the issue and create a pull request with the fix.

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