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Selected workflow:code-simplifier.md — highest-AIC eligible workflow in the 7-day window (864 AIC, 1 run captured) and currently on a 5-run failure streak (2026-06-02 → 2026-06-06).
The June 6 run consumed 25.76M effective tokens, exceeding the 25M hard cap and triggering a terminal CAPIError: 429 Maximum effective tokens exceeded after 5 retries.
Estimated AIC savings: ~680–700 AIC per failure run
Root cause confirmed across 3 consecutive failure runs:
The agent consistently invokes python3 -c "..." to parse and explore JSON files (source-files.json, recent-prs.json, history-summary.json). python3 is not in the bash allowlist, so every call produces a Permission denied and could not request permission from user error. The harness classifies the run as a missing tool/permission issue after ≥ 11 denials and does not retry the full run.
Evidence from job step logs (runs 27052709585, 26995892409, 26931428773):
$ cat /tmp/copilot-tool-output-*.txt | python3 -c "import json,sys; files=json.load(sys.stdin); [print(f) for f in files]"
Permission denied and could not request permission from user
$ cat /tmp/gh-aw/code-simplifier/history-summary.json | python3 -c "import json,sys; d=json.load(sys.stdin); print(json.dumps(d, indent=2))"
Permission denied and could not request permission from user
$ cat /tmp/gh-aw/code-simplifier/recent-prs.json | python3 -c "import json,sys; ..."
Permission denied and could not request permission from user
11 permission-denied events per run; found in every failure run inspected, zero in the May 28 success run.
Actions (pick one or both):
A — Add to allowlist (immediate): add - "python3 -c *" and - "python3 -m json.tool" to the bash: tool list in the frontmatter.
B — Prompt guardrail (complementary): in ## Command Guardrails, add: "Do NOT use python3 for JSON parsing; use jq, cat, or head instead."
Why this fixes the failure streak: without Python permission errors, the agent processes files with jq in ≤15 turns instead of exhausting 50 turns and hitting the effective-token cap.
#2 — Fix jq arithmetic error in the history-summary deterministic step
Estimated AIC savings: ~50–80 AIC/run (indirect)
The "Prepare workflow history summary" setup step fails with:
jq: error (at <stdin>:0): string ("g") and number (2) cannot be added
on every run (confirmed in 3 failure runs, likely present in successes too but non-fatal). The jq filter operates on the GitHub workflow runs API response; the error suggests a field expected to be a number is a string (e.g., run_number or a count is being summed with a string value). A malformed history-summary.json deprives the agent of the precomputed context it needs, likely increasing turn count as it tries to reconstruct missing data.
Action: Audit the jq filter in the "Prepare workflow history summary" step. The likely fix is converting string fields before arithmetic: e.g., replace direct + on potentially-string API fields with tonumber coercion or a null guard.
#3 — Reduce effective token pressure with a turn-limit guardrail
Estimated AIC savings: ~100–150 AIC/run on any future failure runs
The June 6 run exhausted all 50 turns before hitting the 25M effective-token hard cap. The existing ## Command Guardrails section says to call report_incomplete when a command is blocked, but the agent keeps trying Python variations instead. Adding an explicit turn-count awareness instruction or reducing max-daily-ai-credits from 100M would create a softer ceiling before the hard cap is reached.
Action: Add to ## Command Guardrails: "If you encounter 3 or more consecutive Permission denied errors for the same type of command, stop immediately and call report_incomplete." This aligns with the existing "short-circuit instead of continuing retries" rule but adds a measurable threshold.
#4 — Reduce blocked unknown-domain requests (46 per run)
Estimated AIC savings: ~5–10 AIC/run (minor)
Each run generates 46 blocked requests to (unknown) domains alongside the 108 allowed api.githubcopilot.com calls. These are likely from tool calls that attempt side-channel HTTP (e.g., pip install or Python module fetches triggered by python3). Fixing recommendation #1 eliminates python3 calls and should reduce this noise.
Action: No separate action needed; will be resolved by #1.
Caveats
Only 1 run was captured in the 7-day all-runs.json window; the 5-run streak was confirmed via GitHub Actions API historical lookup.
Success-run AIC (~90) is estimated from token count (460K raw tokens on May 28 success); no AIC field was available for that run in snapshots.
No inline sub-agent recommendations: the workflow already has scope-filter and simplification-scout sub-agents, and the failures are all tool-policy related, not prompt-structure issues.
Selected workflow:
code-simplifier.md— highest-AIC eligible workflow in the 7-day window (864 AIC, 1 run captured) and currently on a 5-run failure streak (2026-06-02 → 2026-06-06).Analysis period and runs audited
all-runs.json, job step logs (runs 27052709585, 26995892409, 26931428773, 26735803823, 26555122796)Cost profile
The June 6 run consumed 25.76M effective tokens, exceeding the 25M hard cap and triggering a terminal
CAPIError: 429 Maximum effective tokens exceededafter 5 retries.Ranked recommendations
#1 — Add
python3to bash allowlist (or enforcejq-only JSON processing)Estimated AIC savings: ~680–700 AIC per failure run
Root cause confirmed across 3 consecutive failure runs:
The agent consistently invokes
python3 -c "..."to parse and explore JSON files (source-files.json, recent-prs.json, history-summary.json).python3is not in the bash allowlist, so every call produces aPermission denied and could not request permission from usererror. The harness classifies the run as amissing tool/permission issueafter ≥ 11 denials and does not retry the full run.Evidence from job step logs (runs 27052709585, 26995892409, 26931428773):
11 permission-denied events per run; found in every failure run inspected, zero in the May 28 success run.
Actions (pick one or both):
- "python3 -c *"and- "python3 -m json.tool"to thebash:tool list in the frontmatter.## Command Guardrails, add: "Do NOT usepython3for JSON parsing; usejq,cat, orheadinstead."Why this fixes the failure streak: without Python permission errors, the agent processes files with
jqin ≤15 turns instead of exhausting 50 turns and hitting the effective-token cap.#2 — Fix
jqarithmetic error in the history-summary deterministic stepEstimated AIC savings: ~50–80 AIC/run (indirect)
The "Prepare workflow history summary" setup step fails with:
on every run (confirmed in 3 failure runs, likely present in successes too but non-fatal). The jq filter operates on the GitHub workflow runs API response; the error suggests a field expected to be a number is a string (e.g.,
run_numberor a count is being summed with a string value). A malformedhistory-summary.jsondeprives the agent of the precomputed context it needs, likely increasing turn count as it tries to reconstruct missing data.Action: Audit the jq filter in the "Prepare workflow history summary" step. The likely fix is converting string fields before arithmetic: e.g., replace direct
+on potentially-string API fields withtonumbercoercion or anullguard.#3 — Reduce effective token pressure with a turn-limit guardrail
Estimated AIC savings: ~100–150 AIC/run on any future failure runs
The June 6 run exhausted all 50 turns before hitting the 25M effective-token hard cap. The existing
## Command Guardrailssection says to callreport_incompletewhen a command is blocked, but the agent keeps trying Python variations instead. Adding an explicit turn-count awareness instruction or reducingmax-daily-ai-creditsfrom100Mwould create a softer ceiling before the hard cap is reached.Action: Add to
## Command Guardrails: "If you encounter 3 or more consecutivePermission deniederrors for the same type of command, stop immediately and callreport_incomplete." This aligns with the existing "short-circuit instead of continuing retries" rule but adds a measurable threshold.#4 — Reduce blocked unknown-domain requests (46 per run)
Estimated AIC savings: ~5–10 AIC/run (minor)
Each run generates 46 blocked requests to
(unknown)domains alongside the 108 allowedapi.githubcopilot.comcalls. These are likely from tool calls that attempt side-channel HTTP (e.g., pip install or Python module fetches triggered by python3). Fixing recommendation #1 eliminates python3 calls and should reduce this noise.Action: No separate action needed; will be resolved by #1.
Caveats
all-runs.jsonwindow; the 5-run streak was confirmed via GitHub Actions API historical lookup.history-summary.jsonis still written with partial data; impact is indirect and conservative.scope-filterandsimplification-scoutsub-agents, and the failures are all tool-policy related, not prompt-structure issues.Supporting run evidence
References: §27052709585 · §26995892409 · §26735803823