| name | automating-copilot-reviews |
| description | Use when a PR needs Copilot code review and the full review-fix-rereview cycle should be handled autonomously |
Automating Copilot Reviews
Automate the Copilot review cycle on a PR: request review, wait for completion, handle every comment, re-request, repeat until clean.
REQUIRED: Apply superpowers:receiving-code-review when evaluating each comment. Do NOT bulk-resolve threads without reading and evaluating them first.
The Loop
digraph copilot_loop {
"Check for existing\nunresolved threads" [shape=box];
"Threads already waiting?" [shape=diamond];
"Request Copilot review" [shape=box];
"Poll for review completion\n(30s interval, 10 min cap)" [shape=box];
"Fetch unresolved threads\n(GraphQL)" [shape=box];
"Unresolved threads?" [shape=diamond];
"Evaluate each thread\n(receiving-code-review)" [shape=box];
"Fix or reply,\nthen resolve each" [shape=box];
"Commit and push fixes" [shape=box];
"Round < 5?" [shape=diamond];
"Done — report summary" [shape=doublecircle];
"Surface remaining to user" [shape=box];
"Check for existing\nunresolved threads" -> "Threads already waiting?";
"Threads already waiting?" -> "Evaluate each thread\n(receiving-code-review)" [label="yes"];
"Threads already waiting?" -> "Request Copilot review" [label="no"];
"Request Copilot review" -> "Poll for review completion\n(30s interval, 10 min cap)";
"Poll for review completion\n(30s interval, 10 min cap)" -> "Fetch unresolved threads\n(GraphQL)";
"Fetch unresolved threads\n(GraphQL)" -> "Unresolved threads?";
"Unresolved threads?" -> "Done — report summary" [label="none"];
"Unresolved threads?" -> "Evaluate each thread\n(receiving-code-review)" [label="yes"];
"Evaluate each thread\n(receiving-code-review)" -> "Fix or reply,\nthen resolve each";
"Fix or reply,\nthen resolve each" -> "Commit and push fixes";
"Commit and push fixes" -> "Round < 5?";
"Round < 5?" -> "Request Copilot review" [label="yes"];
"Round < 5?" -> "Surface remaining to user" [label="no"];
}
Bot Identity
The bot login differs between APIs:
| API | Login |
|---|
REST (/pulls/{pr}/reviews, /pulls/{pr}/comments) | copilot-pull-request-reviewer[bot] |
GraphQL (author.login in review threads) | copilot-pull-request-reviewer |
Using the wrong login silently returns zero results. Always use the table above.
Commands
Request review:
gh pr edit <PR> --add-reviewer @copilot
Poll for completion — compare latest Copilot review timestamp against when you requested:
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/{pr}/reviews \
--jq '[.[] | select(.user.login == "copilot-pull-request-reviewer[bot]")] | sort_by(.submitted_at) | last | .submitted_at'
Fetch unresolved threads:
gh api graphql -f query='{
repository(owner: "{owner}", name: "{repo}") {
pullRequest(number: {pr}) {
reviewThreads(first: 100) {
nodes {
id
isResolved
comments(first: 10) {
nodes { databaseId author { login } body path line }
}
}
}
}
}
}'
Filter: isResolved == false AND first comment author is copilot-pull-request-reviewer.
Reply to a thread (use thread root's databaseId):
gh api repos/{owner}/{repo}/pulls/{pr}/comments/{comment_id}/replies -f body="..."
Resolve a thread:
gh api graphql -f query='mutation { resolveReviewThread(input: {threadId: "{thread_node_id}"}) { thread { isResolved } } }'
Step-by-Step
-
Determine PR context: Get {owner}, {repo}, {pr} from current branch (gh pr view --json number,url) or user input.
-
Check for existing threads first: Fetch unresolved threads (GraphQL). If threads already exist from a prior review, skip to step 6 — don't request a new review when comments are already waiting.
-
Request review: gh pr edit <PR> --add-reviewer @copilot. Record the current timestamp.
-
Poll for completion: Every 30 seconds, check the reviews endpoint. When the latest Copilot review has submitted_at newer than your recorded timestamp, proceed. Timeout after 10 minutes — tell the user Copilot hasn't responded.
-
Fetch unresolved threads: GraphQL query, filter for Copilot-authored and unresolved. If zero → DONE. Report a summary of what was fixed, pushed back on, and how many rounds it took.
-
Evaluate EACH thread individually: Read the comment body, check the referenced file and line in the codebase, apply the receiving-code-review pattern (verify before implementing, push back if wrong, fix if correct). This is where the actual work happens.
-
For each thread:
- Fix needed: Implement the fix,
git add the affected file.
- No fix needed: Reply in the thread with technical reasoning.
- Either way: Resolve the thread with the GraphQL mutation. Copilot never auto-resolves.
-
Push: Commit all fixes and git push.
-
Loop: Go to step 3. Cap at 5 total rounds.
Edge Cases
Re-raised comments: Copilot may re-open resolved topics on re-review. Evaluate fresh — the fix may have introduced something new, or Copilot may be repeating itself. If repeating, reply explaining the prior resolution, resolve, and continue.
Timeout: If Copilot doesn't respond within 10 minutes, stop polling and tell the user. Don't silently retry.
No PR on current branch: If gh pr view fails, ask the user for the PR number. Don't guess.
Common Mistakes
| Mistake | Fix |
|---|
| Bulk-resolve without reading | Evaluate each thread per receiving-code-review first |
| Wrong bot login | See Bot Identity table — REST and GraphQL differ |
| Push after re-requesting review | Push fixes BEFORE re-requesting |
gh pr comment for thread replies | Use pulls/{pr}/comments/{id}/replies — gh pr comment posts top-level comments |
| No round cap | Cap at 5 rounds to prevent infinite loops from re-raised comments |
| Silent polling forever | Timeout at 10 min and surface to user |
