[prompt-analysis] Copilot PR Prompt Analysis - 2026-07-25

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Summary

Analysis Period: Last 30 days
Total PRs: 1000 | Merged: 764 (76.4%) | Closed (not merged): 233 (23.3%) | Open: 3 (0.3%)

Prompt Categories and Success Rates

Category	Total	Merged	Closed	Success Rate
Testing	240	191	46	80.6%
Bug Fix	421	326	95	77.4%
Documentation	111	85	26	76.6%
Refactor	105	80	25	76.2%
Feature	73	50	23	68.5%
Other	50	32	18	64.0%

Prompt Analysis

✅ Successful Prompt Patterns (Merged)

Common characteristics in merged PRs:

• Average prompt length: 200 words
• Most common keywords: github, workflow, sous, chef, https, actions, copilot, engine, agent
• Action verbs: add, update, fix, implement, strengthen

Example successful prompts:

1. PR docs: add GEO-compliant AI discovery endpoints to docs site #48046 (docs: add GEO-compliant AI discovery endpoints to docs site): "The docs site scored 0/100 on AI Discovery across all audited pages — no explicit guidance for AI crawlers..." → Merged
2. PR Update CLI version checker for Docker image digests #48043 (Update CLI version checker for Docker image digests): "The CLI version checker now tracks registry digest changes for Docker images used by compile-time stubs..." → Merged
3. PR SPDD 2026-07-25: strengthen normative specs across ADRs 27479, 27523, 27626, 27639, 27707 #48041 (SPDD 2026-07-25: strengthen normative specs across ADRs): "Five Draft ADRs had weak or missing normative sections in Part 2, and safe-outputs.md didn't document..." → Merged

❌ Unsuccessful Prompt Patterns (Closed)

Common characteristics in closed PRs:

• Average prompt length: 208 words (slightly longer than merged)
• Most common keywords: github, workflow, daily, copilot, actions, report, docs, agent
• Issues: Higher frequency of "daily" and "report" terms suggests scheduled/automated analysis tasks are more often rejected

Example unsuccessful prompts:

1. PR Reduce lint-monster function-length backlog in pkg/cli by extracting audit diff helpers #47987 (Reduce lint-monster function-length backlog in pkg/cli): "This PR takes one focused slice of the shared long-function backlog in pkg/workflow and pkg/cli..." → Closed
2. PR hippo: prune four low-signal memories and switch audit to --fix mode #47986 (hippo: prune four low-signal memories): "hippo audit flagged four memories... mem_650c0682ae4c..." → Closed
3. PR Validate live container digests during gh aw update #47985 (Validate live container digests during gh aw update): "gh aw update already verified action SHAs after rewriting actions-lock.json, but container pins..." → Closed

Key Insights

• Testing prompts lead the pack (80.6% success): PRs focused on test coverage and validation have the highest merge rate. Prompts that frame changes around correctness and verifiability are well-received.
• Prompt length sweet spot is ~200 words: Merged PRs average 200 words vs 208 words for closed. Slightly more concise prompts perform better — over-explaining may signal lack of focus.
• Feature additions are the riskiest category (68.5%): Prompts proposing new capabilities have the lowest success rate. Adding strong justification and linking to existing patterns improves acceptance.
• "Daily" and "report" keywords appear disproportionately in closed PRs: Automated or scheduled analysis tasks are reviewed more critically; ensure such PRs have clear, specific value propositions.

Recommendations

Based on today's analysis:

1. DO: Frame prompts around testing and verification — "add test for X" or "ensure Y is validated" consistently succeeds.
2. DO: Reference specific files, functions, or error messages. Specificity correlates with higher merge rates.
3. DO: Keep prompts focused and ~200 words. State the problem, solution, and impact concisely.
4. AVOID: Vague "general improvement" or broad refactoring prompts without clear scope — these fall into the "other" category with only 64% success.
5. AVOID: Proposing new features without linking them to existing patterns or user-facing needs.

Historical Trends (Last 7 Days)

Date	PRs	Merged	Success Rate
2026-07-25	1000	764	76.4%
2026-07-24	1000	766	76.6%
2026-07-23	1000	764	76.4%
2026-07-22	1000	760	76.0%
2026-07-21	1000	764	76.4%
2026-07-20	1000	755	75.5%
2026-07-19	1000	762	76.2%

Trend: Merge rates are stable, hovering between 75.5%–76.6%. Today matches the recent average, with no significant deviation.

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References: §30174532850

Generated by 🔍 Copilot PR Prompt Pattern Analysis · sonnet46 · 24.1 AIC · ⌖ 12.4 AIC · ⊞ 7.6K · ◷

• expires on Jul 26, 2026, 1:01 PM UTC-08:00

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This discussion has been marked as outdated by Copilot PR Prompt Pattern Analysis.

A newer discussion is available at Discussion #48228.