Copilot changes show busy spinner indefinitely

[warnes]

Title: Files with pending Copilot changes show busy spinner indefinitely without Keep/Undo options, changes not applied

Bug Category: Agent Mode / UI State Management

Environment:

• Operating System: macOS (Darwin x64 24.5.0)
• VS Code Version: 1.100.3 (Commit: 258e40f, Date: 2025-06-02T13:30:54.273Z)
• Electron: 34.5.1 (Build: 11369351)
• Chromium: 132.0.6834.210
• Node.js: 20.19.0
• GitHub Copilot Extension Version: 1.330.0
• GitHub Copilot Chat Extension Version: 0.27.3
• Programming Language: Python with pytest testing framework
• Project Type: Financial trading system with Python/R integration
• Default Shell: zsh
• Date: June 9, 2025

Description:

After requesting code changes through GitHub Copilot Chat, files enter a state where they display a busy spinner indicator but never show the expected "Keep" or "Undo" buttons for pending changes. The proposed changes are not reflected in the file content, and the file remains in this indeterminate state indefinitely.

Steps to Reproduce:

1. Open a Python file in VS Code (e.g., model.py, test files)
2. Request code modifications through Copilot Chat (e.g., "Please add error handling to this function")
3. Copilot acknowledges the request and indicates it will make changes
4. File tab shows a busy spinner indicator
5. Wait for changes to appear - spinner continues indefinitely
6. No "Keep" or "Undo" buttons appear
7. File content remains unchanged from original state
8. File remains "stuck" with busy spinner

Expected Behavior:

• Copilot should apply proposed changes to the file
• User should see highlighted code blocks with "Keep" and "Undo" buttons
• Changes should be visible in the editor immediately
• User should be able to review and confirm/reject changes
• Spinner should disappear once changes are presented

Actual Behavior:

• File shows busy spinner indefinitely
• No changes are applied to the file content
• No "Keep" or "Undo" buttons appear
• File becomes unresponsive to further Copilot requests
• Attempts to manually refresh/reload file to clear the state are unsuccessful

Impact:

• Critical: Completely blocks agent mode functionality
• Workflow Disruption: Forces manual file reload and re-request of changes
• Lost Work: Proposed changes are permanently lost
• User Frustration: No feedback on what went wrong or how to recover
• Productivity Impact: Significant time wasted on stuck operations

Frequency:

• Occurs intermittently but regularly, with increasing frequency over time

File Types Affected:

• Python source files (.py)
• Test files (test_*.py)
• Configuration files (.md, .json)
• Both new and existing files
• Files with and without existing Copilot comments

Attempted Workarounds:

1. File Reload: Cmd+R or close/reopen file - clears spinner but loses changes
2. VS Code Restart: Resolves temporarily but issue recurs
3. Extension Restart: Disable/enable Copilot extensions - minimal effect
4. Smaller Requests: Breaking large changes into smaller pieces - partially effective
5. Manual Copy/Paste: Copying proposed changes from chat and applying manually

Additional Context:

Project Structure:

• Multi-folder workspace with financial trading system
• Heavy use of Python/R integration (rpy2)
• Files with extensive docstrings and type hints
• Project includes copilot-instructions.md with specific guidelines

Console Errors:

• No obvious error messages in Developer Console
• No error notifications displayed to user
• Silent failure with no diagnostic information

System Resources:

• Sufficient memory and CPU available
• No other VS Code performance issues
• Network connectivity stable

Recovery Steps:

Currently requires:

1. Close affected file tab
2. Open the Github diff view. Changes will be visible and can be accepted/rejected.
3. Create a new file containing the updated code.
4. Close the file.
5. Delete the existing file
6. Rename the new file to the same name as the deleted file.

• VS Code Version:
• OS Version:

Steps to Reproduce:

[jlixfeld]

One workaround I've found somewhat effective is pausing or stopping the agent and then prompting it with something like "you are stuck editing ${filename}".

After this prompt, it's response seems to immediately complete the edit, properly identifies the changes and carries on.