Simplify copilot-agent-analysis workflow using gh search prs --author "@copilot"

[Copilot]

Overview

This PR simplifies the copilot-agent-analysis workflow by replacing the gh search prs + jq approach with gh search prs --author "@copilot", which provides built-in server-side author filtering.

Workflow Update

The copilot-agent-analysis workflow has been updated to use gh search prs --author "@copilot"

Before (2 commands):

gh search prs repo:$REPO created:">=$DATE" --limit 1000 > raw.json
jq '[.[] | select(.author.login == "Copilot")]' raw.json > copilot-prs.json

After (1 command):

gh search prs --repo $REPO --author "@copilot" --created ">=$DATE" --limit 1000 > copilot-prs.json

Benefits:

• ✅ Simpler (no jq needed for author filtering)
• ✅ More efficient (server-side author filtering)
• ✅ Single command instead of two
• ✅ Eliminates intermediate raw file
• ✅ Up to 1,000 results

Key Discovery

gh search prs supports an --author flag that provides server-side filtering for both date and author, combining efficiency with simplicity. This works for bot accounts including the Copilot bot (user ID 198982749).

Valid Syntaxes

All of these command variations work correctly:

gh search prs --author "@copilot"    # With @ prefix
gh search prs --author "copilot"     # Lowercase
gh search prs --author "Copilot"     # Capitalized (matches bot login)

Comparison

Feature	gh pr list --author	gh search prs --author (implemented)	gh search prs + jq (old)
Max Results	100	1,000	1,000
Author Filtering	✅ Built-in (client-side)	✅ Built-in (server-side)	⚠️ Manual jq
Date Filtering	❌ Client-side only	✅ Server-side	✅ Server-side
Complexity	⭐ Simple (1 command)	⭐ Simple (1 command)	⭐⭐ Medium (2 commands)
Efficiency	⚠️ Fetches all, filters locally	✅ Server-side filtering	⚠️ Manual filtering
Best For	Quick queries	Production workflows	Replaced

Changes Made

Workflow Implementation

• .github/workflows/copilot-agent-analysis.md - Updated to use gh search prs --author "@copilot" instead of gh search prs + jq
• .github/workflows/copilot-agent-analysis.lock.yml - Recompiled with updated workflow
• pkg/cli/gh_pr_list_test.go - Unit tests documenting valid syntaxes and approach differences
• Documentation updated to reflect the new recommended approach

Testing

All unit tests pass ✅

Conclusion

The copilot-agent-analysis workflow now uses gh search prs --author "@copilot", which is simpler and more efficient than the previous gh search prs + jq approach, eliminating the need for manual jq filtering.

Original prompt

Investigate if this command lists the copilot PR (compare to full list):

gh pr list --author "@copilot"

---

💬 Share your feedback on Copilot coding agent for the chance to win a $200 gift card! Click here to start the survey.

[pelikhan]

@copilot investigate

gh search prs --repo github/sweagentd --author "@copilot"

[Copilot]

@copilot investigate

gh search prs --repo github/sweagentd --author "@copilot"...

Excellent discovery! 🎉

I investigated gh search prs --author "@copilot" and found that it works and is actually the best solution!

Key Finding

gh search prs has an --author flag that provides:

• ✅ Server-side author filtering (no jq needed!)
• ✅ Server-side date filtering
• ✅ Up to 1000 results
• ✅ Single command

Recommended Approach

Instead of the current gh search prs + jq approach, we can use:

gh search prs --repo "${{ github.repository }}" \
  --author "@copilot" \
  --created ">=$DATE_30_DAYS_AGO" \
  --limit 1000 \
  --json number,title,state,createdAt,closedAt,author,body,labels,url,assignees

This eliminates the need for jq filtering and is simpler and more efficient.

Updated Files

Created GH_SEARCH_PRS_AUTHOR_INVESTIGATION.md with detailed analysis and updated all investigation reports with this finding.

Commit: 6da7a74 → (new commit being pushed)

[pelikhan]

@copilot update copilot agent analyzis with best approach found. Only use one way to search copilot PRs.

[Copilot]

@copilot update copilot agent analyzis with best approach found. Only use one way to search copilot PRs.

Updated the copilot-agent-analysis workflow to use the best approach found: gh search prs --author "@copilot"

Changes Made

Simplified from 2 commands to 1:

Before:

gh search prs repo:$REPO created:">=$DATE" --limit 1000 > raw.json
jq '[.[] | select(.author.login == "Copilot")]' raw.json > copilot-prs.json

After:

gh search prs --repo $REPO --author "@copilot" --created ">=$DATE" --limit 1000 > copilot-prs.json

Benefits:

• Server-side filtering (no jq needed)
• Single command (simpler)
• Eliminates intermediate file

Updated both the workflow step and documentation to use only this approach.

Commit: aa7ac2b → (new commit)

[pelikhan]

@copilot remove file

[Copilot]

Removed GH_SEARCH_PRS_AUTHOR_INVESTIGATION.md

Commit: (being pushed)

[pelikhan]

@copilot remove file

[Copilot]

Removed INVESTIGATION_REPORT.md

Commit: (being pushed)

[pelikhan]

@copilot remove file

[Copilot]

Removed SUMMARY.md

Commit: (being pushed)

[pelikhan]

@copilot remove file

[Copilot]

Removed .github/workflows/test-copilot-pr-list.yml

Commit: (being pushed)

[github-actions]

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