Better agent tools initially made Copilot code review worse

GitHub published a post explaining how improvements to Copilot's code-exploration tools initially made code review worse. The company says the eventual gains came from reshaping the agent workflow around pull request evidence rather than simply adding more tool access.

The account is useful because many AI coding systems are being upgraded with more tools, context, and autonomy. GitHub's experience suggests that more capability can create new failure modes unless agents are guided toward the right evidence and review process.

For engineering teams adopting AI review, the practical takeaway is to evaluate workflow design as carefully as model quality. Tooling changes can alter how an agent investigates code, not just how fast it responds.