github / github/copilot-cli

apply_patch stores deleted binary in session history, permanently exceeding CAPI 5 MB limit

Aperta
#4,097 4 commenti 5 reazioni 0 assegnatari Vedi su GitHub
area:context-memory area:sessions area:tools
Lingua principale
Shell
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Descrizione

### Describe the bug

When `apply_patch` deletes a large binary file, its `tool.execution_complete` event stores the entire deleted binary as a textual diff in `result.detailedContent`.

This result remains in conversation history. Subsequent requests exceed CAPI Responses' 5 MB limit, and `/compact` fails for the same reason, leaving the session unrecoverable through the CLI.

### Affected configuration

- GitHub Copilot CLI 1.0.71-0
- Linux
- Model: GPT-5.6 Sol (`gpt-5.6-sol`)
- Context window: 1.1M
- Reasoning effort: high
- Interactive session later resumed with `copilot --resume=`

The model, context-window size, and reasoning effort may affect when compaction runs, but the persisted binary tool output appears to be the direct cause of the 5 MB transport failure.

### Observed sequence

1. Copilot used `apply_patch` to delete a large ELF executable.
2. The persisted event contained:
- `result.detailedContent`: 22,810,594 characters
- Serialized JSONL record: 72,155,553 bytes
- Tool telemetry: 111,879 removed lines
3. `events.jsonl` grew to 118,622,622 bytes.
4. Further requests failed with:

> The request is too large to send through CAPI Responses. Try shortening the conversation or prompt. (5.0 MB request; 5.0 MB limit)

5. Automatic/manual compaction failed with the same error.

### Expected behavior

Binary content should not be persisted as a textual patch. The CLI should retain deletion metadata while omitting or capping oversized `detailedContent`.

After a request-size failure, oversized tool output should be evicted so compaction can recover the session.

### Workaround and root-cause confirmation

After backing up the session, I replaced the oversized `detailedContent` with a short marker. This reduced the event log from 118.6 MB to 46.5 MB and eliminated the CAPI request-size failure.

### Related issues

This resembles #3767, but that issue covered inline attachments and was fixed in v1.0.62. This report concerns persisted `apply_patch` output in v1.0.71.

The session also developed malformed JSONL records that prevented resume, reported separately in #4098. The shared root cause is not proven, although the unusually large write may have widened the failure window.

I have not attached `events.jsonl` because it contains conversation and tool history.

---

Investigated and filed with assistance from GitHub Copilot CLI.

Guida per i contributori

Apri la guida per i contributori

Direzione di ricerca

Traccia l'output di apply_patch attraverso l'evento tool.execution_complete, in particolare result.detailedContent, prima che venga scritto in events.jsonl e incluso nelle richieste CAPI Responses. Riproduci il problema con un file binario di grandi dimensioni eliminato ed esegui /compact. Il lavoro è completato quando i metadati di eliminazione vengono conservati senza rendere persistente contenuto testuale sovradimensionato e la compattazione può recuperare dopo un errore di dimensione della richiesta.

Scritto dal modello di indicizzazione a partire dal testo della issue.

Valutazione

Stack tecnologico
github, linux
Ambito
cli
Tipo di issue
Bug
Difficoltà
4/5
Tempo stimato
3-5 giorni
Stato di attività
Tranquilla
Chiarezza
Abbastanza chiara
Idoneità per principianti
48/100

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