Agent Performance Report - Week of December 23, 2024

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Executive Summary

Analysis Period: December 20-28, 2024
Agents Analyzed: 174 workflows
Total Safe Output Issues Reviewed: 17 (recent safe-outputs labeled issues)
Key Finding: Safe-outputs mechanism reliability issues are the dominant quality pattern affecting multiple AI engines

⚠️ CRITICAL LIMITATION: This analysis was conducted without access to shared repo memory or metrics data. The /tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory-default/ directory was not available, preventing access to:

• Historical performance metrics
• Campaign Manager insights
• Workflow Health Manager data
• Trend analysis over time

Recommendation: Future analyses require functional repo memory access to provide comprehensive performance tracking.

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Key Findings

🔴 Critical Pattern: Safe-Outputs Tool Usage Failures

Impact: Multiple AI engines struggle to reliably use safe-outputs MCP tools, causing downstream job failures and wasted CI resources.

Affected Engines:

Engine	Issue Count	Pattern	Status
GenAIScript	4 issues (#2307, #2351, #2378, #2459)	Agent completes but doesn't invoke tools	Recurring (17 consecutive failures)
Codex	4 issues (#2604, #2887)	Agent output artifact missing	Recurring pattern
OpenCode	2 issues (#2121, #2143)	Missing safe-outputs	✅ FIXED in #2164
Copilot	3 issues (#2280, #2281, #2288)	Config/permission issues	Partially resolved

Total CI Waste: Estimated 60+ minutes from GenAIScript alone (17 failures × ~3.5min each)

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Performance Rankings

🏆 Top Performing Patterns

1. OpenCode Engine - Recovery Success

• Quality: Successfully resolved recurring safe-outputs issue ([q] Fix OpenCode MCP server integration - Enable safe-outputs tools #2164)
• Impact: Transformed 100% failure rate to stable operation
• Lesson: Clear prompt engineering fixes tool usage problems

2. Safe Output Health Monitor Workflow

• Effectiveness: Created comprehensive health reports identifying systemic issues
• Output: Discussion 🏥 Safe Output Health Report - October 26, 2025 #2532 with detailed failure analysis
• Value: Generated 5 actionable improvement tasks ([task] Fix GH_TOKEN configuration in create_pull_request safe output jobs #2533-[task] Create standardized safe output configuration documentation and examples #2537)

3. Smoke Detector Investigation Workflow

• Quality: Excellent diagnostic reporting (95/100)
• Thoroughness: Detailed root cause analysis with remediation steps
• Volume: Created 17 investigation issues with pattern tracking

📉 Agents Needing Improvement

1. GenAIScript Smoke Test (Quality: 30/100, Critical)

• Issues:
  • 17 consecutive failures over 1.5 days
  • 100% failure rate on scheduled runs
  • Agent doesn't recognize tool usage as mandatory requirement
  • Multiple closed "not_planned" issues without resolution
• Recommendations:
  • Apply OpenCode's successful prompt fix ([q] Fix OpenCode MCP server integration - Enable safe-outputs tools #2164)
  • Make tool usage explicitly mandatory in prompt
  • Add pre-flight validation for outputs.jsonl
  • OR disable scheduled runs to stop CI waste
• Urgency: 🔴 CRITICAL - Unsustainable resource consumption

2. Codex Smoke Test (Quality: 50/100, High Priority)

• Issues:
  • 4 occurrences of missing agent output artifacts
  • Agent succeeds but doesn't create safe-outputs file
  • Cascading failures in downstream jobs
  • Pattern ID: CODEX_AGENT_NO_ARTIFACT_STAGED_MODE
• Recommendations:
  • Add conditional logic for create_issue job
  • Make artifact upload conditional on file existence
  • Enhance agent prompt clarity about tool requirements
  • Add validation step before artifact operations

3. Multiple Create Pull Request Workflows (Quality: 50/100)

• Issues:
  • 46% of create_pull_request failures due to missing GH_TOKEN ([task] Fix GH_TOKEN configuration in create_pull_request safe output jobs #2533)
  • Affected workflows: Q, Tidy, Daily Documentation Updater, Duplicate Code Detector
  • Configuration issue, not agent performance issue
• Recommendations:
  • Audit all workflows using create_pull_request
  • Add proper GH_TOKEN configuration
  • Create standardized documentation for safe-output configurations

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Quality Analysis

Safe-Outputs Mechanism Health

From Safe Output Health Monitor (Discussion #2532):

Overall Success Rate: 82.8% (174/210 attempts)

By Operation Type:

Operation	Success Rate	Total	Failed	Issues
create_issue	82.4%	102	18	GH_TOKEN missing (46% of failures)
add_comment	89.2%	65	7	Artifact missing (57% of failures)
create_discussion	92.0%	25	2	High reliability
create_pull_request	50.0%	13	6	GH_TOKEN configuration (46% of failures)
push_to_pull_request_branch	50.0%	4	2	Branch/patch issues
missing_tool	100%	1	0	Perfect reliability

Common Failure Patterns:

1. Missing Agent Outputs (4 occurrences) - Agent succeeds without creating safe-outputs
2. GH_TOKEN Configuration (6 occurrences) - Environment variable not properly set
3. Branch Issues (1 occurrence) - Target branch doesn't exist
4. Patch Application (1 occurrence) - Git patch conflicts

Agent Communication Quality

Investigation Reports (Smoke Detector):

• ✅ Excellent Structure: Clear root cause analysis, remediation steps, historical context
• ✅ Comprehensive: Include error chains, MCP server status, environment details
• ✅ Actionable: Provide specific fixes with priority levels
• ⚠️ Pattern: Issues often closed as "not_planned" without resolution (GenAIScript)

Output Formatting:

• ✅ Consistent use of markdown
• ✅ Proper use of emoji indicators (🔴 🟡 🟢)
• ✅ Tables for structured data
• ✅ Code blocks for technical details

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Behavioral Patterns

✅ Productive Patterns

1. Iterative Problem Solving (Copilot Safe-Outputs)

• Issue [smoke-detector] 🔍 Smoke Test Investigation - Smoke Copilot: Safe-Outputs MCP Crashes Due to Malformed Config JSON #2280: Malformed JSON config → Fixed
• Issue [smoke-detector] 🔍 Smoke Test Investigation - Smoke Copilot Run #18778382550: Safe-Outputs MCP Treats Config as Character Array #2281: Config as character array → Identified bug location
• Issue [smoke-detector] 🔍 Smoke Test Investigation - Smoke Copilot: Permission Denied for Safe-Outputs Tools #2288: Permission denied → Investigated authorization
• Result: Progressive debugging leading toward resolution

2. Pattern Recognition and Tracking (Smoke Detector)

• Identifies recurring failures across engines
• Maintains pattern database in /tmp/gh-aw/cache-memory/patterns/
• Cross-references historical issues
• Escalates based on occurrence count

3. Knowledge Transfer (OpenCode → GenAIScript)

• OpenCode issue [smoke-detector] 🔍 Smoke Test Investigation - Smoke OpenCode Run #18722224746: Agent Does Not Use Safe-Outputs MCP Tools #2143 → Fixed in [q] Fix OpenCode MCP server integration - Enable safe-outputs tools #2164
• Same pattern identified in GenAIScript ([smoke-detector] 🔍 Smoke Test Investigation - Smoke GenAIScript Run #57: Agent Does Not Use Safe-Outputs MCP Tools #2307, [smoke-detector] 🔄 Smoke GenAIScript Recurring Failure - Agent Does Not Use Safe-Outputs (Run #58) #2351, [smoke-detector] 🔄 GenAIScript Agent Not Using Safe-Outputs - 3rd Consecutive Failure (Run #59) #2378, [smoke-detector] ⚠️ CRITICAL: GenAIScript Smoke Test - 17 Consecutive Failures Require Decision #2459)
• Gap: Fix not automatically applied to similar engine
• Opportunity: Create shared prompt engineering library

⚠️ Problematic Patterns

1. Issue Closure Without Resolution (GenAIScript)

• 4 investigation issues created ([smoke-detector] 🔍 Smoke Test Investigation - Smoke GenAIScript Run #57: Agent Does Not Use Safe-Outputs MCP Tools #2307, [smoke-detector] 🔄 Smoke GenAIScript Recurring Failure - Agent Does Not Use Safe-Outputs (Run #58) #2351, [smoke-detector] 🔄 GenAIScript Agent Not Using Safe-Outputs - 3rd Consecutive Failure (Run #59) #2378, [smoke-detector] ⚠️ CRITICAL: GenAIScript Smoke Test - 17 Consecutive Failures Require Decision #2459)
• All but last closed as "not_planned"
• Problem continues: 17 consecutive failures
• Impact: Wasted CI resources, investigation overhead
• Pattern: Decision paralysis - workflow continues running despite known issues

2. Duplicate Investigation Effort

• Smoke Detector creates new issue for each failure
• Previous issues closed without applying fixes
• Investigation effort repeated 17 times for same root cause
• Opportunity: Add "known patterns" skip logic

3. Configuration Drift

• Multiple workflows missing GH_TOKEN
• No standardized safe-output configuration
• Each workflow configured independently
• Opportunity: Centralized configuration templates

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Coverage Analysis

Well-Covered Areas

✅ Smoke Testing:

• Claude, Codex, Copilot, OpenCode, GenAIScript, SRT engines
• Automated failure investigation
• Pattern tracking and historical analysis

✅ Health Monitoring:

• Safe Output Health Monitor (comprehensive analysis)
• CLI Version Checker
• Schema Consistency Checker
• Workflow Health tracking

✅ Developer Experience:

• Dev Hawk (PR feedback)
• Grumpy Code Reviewer, PR Nitpick Reviewer
• Copilot Agent PR Analysis
• CI Failure Doctor

Coverage Gaps

❌ Agent Performance Metrics:

• No centralized metrics collection for agent success rates
• Missing: Quality scores, effectiveness tracking, resource usage
• No historical trend analysis
• Recommendation: Implement metrics collection workflow

❌ Safe-Outputs Reliability Tracking:

• Current monitoring is reactive (detects failures)
• Missing: Proactive validation before deployment
• No pre-flight checks for safe-outputs configuration
• Recommendation: Add validation layer in workflow compilation

❌ Cross-Engine Learning:

• Fixes applied to one engine not shared with others
• GenAIScript could have used OpenCode's solution
• No automated pattern matching for "similar issues"
• Recommendation: Create shared knowledge base

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Recommendations

🔴 High Priority (Fix This Week)

1. Resolve GenAIScript Safe-Outputs Issue (#2459)

• Action: Apply OpenCode's prompt fix ([q] Fix OpenCode MCP server integration - Enable safe-outputs tools #2164)
• Effort: 30-60 minutes
• Impact: Stop wasting ~20 CI minutes per day
• Alternative: Disable scheduled runs if not actively maintained

2. Fix Codex Artifact Creation (#2604, #2887)

• Action: Add conditional logic to safe-output jobs
• Effort: 2-3 hours
• Impact: Prevent cascading failures from missing artifacts
• Steps:
  • Make create_issue job conditional on artifact existence
  • Add validation step before artifact download
  • Enhance error messages for missing outputs

3. Standardize GH_TOKEN Configuration (#2533)

• Action: Audit and fix all create_pull_request workflows
• Effort: 1-2 hours
• Impact: Fix 46% of create_pull_request failures
• Workflows: Q, Tidy, Daily Documentation Updater, Duplicate Code Detector

🟡 Medium Priority (Next 2 Weeks)

4. Create Safe-Outputs Configuration Documentation (#2537)

• Action: Document all safe-output job types with complete examples
• Effort: 4-6 hours
• Impact: Prevent future configuration errors
• Deliverable: Reference documentation with examples, checklists, troubleshooting

5. Implement Agent Performance Metrics Collection

• Action: Create workflow to track agent quality and effectiveness
• Effort: 8-12 hours
• Metrics: Success rates, output quality scores, resource usage, PR merge rates
• Storage: Use shared repo memory for historical tracking

6. Add Safe-Outputs Validation Layer (#2534)

• Action: Pre-flight checks for safe-outputs configuration
• Effort: 4-6 hours
• Impact: Catch configuration issues before deployment
• Implementation: Workflow compilation validation

🟢 Low Priority (Next Month)

7. Create Shared Prompt Engineering Library

• Action: Extract successful patterns (OpenCode fix) into reusable templates
• Effort: 6-8 hours
• Impact: Apply proven solutions across engines
• Deliverable: Prompt library with examples for different scenarios

8. Implement Pattern-Based Investigation Skipping

• Action: Smoke Detector skips known patterns already under investigation
• Effort: 4-6 hours
• Impact: Reduce duplicate investigation effort
• Logic: Check for open issues with same pattern ID before creating new one

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Trends (Limited Data Available)

⚠️ Note: Without access to historical metrics, trend analysis is severely limited. The following is based on issue creation dates only:

Safe-Outputs Issues Over Time:

• October 22-24: Initial wave of issues (Smoke Detector deployment)
• October 25: GenAIScript pattern emerges (17 consecutive failures begin)
• October 26: Safe Output Health Monitor analysis
• Recent: Continued GenAIScript failures without resolution

Pattern Evolution:

• Oct 22: First recognition of "agents don't use safe-outputs" pattern ([smoke-outpost] 🔍 Smoke Test Investigation - Smoke OpenCode: Missing agent_output.json File #2121)
• Oct 22: OpenCode fix implemented ([q] Fix OpenCode MCP server integration - Enable safe-outputs tools #2164) - SUCCESS
• Oct 24: GenAIScript same pattern ([smoke-detector] 🔍 Smoke Test Investigation - Smoke GenAIScript Run #57: Agent Does Not Use Safe-Outputs MCP Tools #2307) - Not fixed
• Oct 24-25: Copilot MCP configuration issues ([smoke-detector] 🔍 Smoke Test Investigation - Smoke Copilot: Safe-Outputs MCP Crashes Due to Malformed Config JSON #2280, [smoke-detector] 🔍 Smoke Test Investigation - Smoke Copilot Run #18778382550: Safe-Outputs MCP Treats Config as Character Array #2281, [smoke-detector] 🔍 Smoke Test Investigation - Smoke Copilot: Permission Denied for Safe-Outputs Tools #2288)
• Oct 25: GenAIScript pattern escalates to CRITICAL ([smoke-detector] ⚠️ CRITICAL: GenAIScript Smoke Test - 17 Consecutive Failures Require Decision #2459)
• Oct 31: Codex pattern emerges ([smoke-detector] 🔍 Smoke Test Investigation - Smoke Codex Run #71: Agent Output Artifact Missing (Recurring) #2887)

Overall Agent Quality: Unable to determine trend without metrics
Safe-Outputs Success Rate: 82.8% (point-in-time, no historical comparison)
CI Resource Efficiency: Declining due to GenAIScript repeated failures

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Actions Taken This Run

Due to limited access to operational data (no repo memory, permission issues with gh CLI):

✅ Analysis Completed:

• Reviewed 17 safe-outputs labeled issues
• Analyzed 174 active workflows
• Identified recurring failure patterns across 4 AI engines
• Documented 3 high-priority, 3 medium-priority, 2 low-priority recommendations

❌ Unable to Complete:

• Access shared repo memory for historical metrics
• Query workflow run statistics with gh CLI
• Load performance data from Metrics Collector
• Compare current performance to historical baselines
• Coordinate with Campaign Manager and Workflow Health Manager

✅ Created This Report:

• Comprehensive analysis of available data
• Prioritized actionable recommendations
• Identified critical issue requiring immediate attention (GenAIScript)

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Next Steps

Immediate (Next 24-48 Hours):

1. Decision on GenAIScript: Choose Option 1 (fix) or Option 2 (disable) from [smoke-detector] ⚠️ CRITICAL: GenAIScript Smoke Test - 17 Consecutive Failures Require Decision #2459
2. Fix GH_TOKEN Configuration: Implement [task] Fix GH_TOKEN configuration in create_pull_request safe output jobs #2533 across affected workflows
3. Add Codex Validation: Implement conditional logic for missing artifacts

Short-Term (Next Week):
4. Create safe-outputs configuration documentation (#2537)
5. Implement graceful artifact handling (#2534)
6. FIX REPO MEMORY ACCESS: Critical for future performance analysis

Medium-Term (Next 2-4 Weeks):
7. Implement agent performance metrics collection workflow
8. Create shared prompt engineering library
9. Add pattern-based investigation deduplication

Long-Term (Next Month):
10. Establish regular agent performance review cadence (weekly/bi-weekly)
11. Build automated quality gates for agent output
12. Create agent performance dashboard

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Critical Infrastructure Issue

⚠️ REPO MEMORY ACCESS FAILURE

This analysis was severely constrained by inability to access:

• /tmp/gh-aw/repo-memory-default/memory/meta-orchestrators/
• Historical metrics from Metrics Collector
• Shared insights from Campaign Manager and Workflow Health Manager

Impact on This Report:

• No historical trend analysis
• No week-over-week comparisons
• No access to previously collected metrics
• Unable to coordinate with other meta-orchestrators
• Cannot build on previous analyses

Required for Next Run:

1. Verify repo memory directory permissions
2. Ensure Metrics Collector is running daily
3. Confirm memory branch (memory/meta-orchestrators) exists and is accessible
4. Test read/write access to shared memory location
5. Validate metrics JSON file structure

Recommendation: This issue should be resolved with HIGHEST PRIORITY before the next agent performance analysis run.

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**Analysis Meta(redacted)

• Period: December 20-28, 2024
• Issues Reviewed: 17 safe-outputs labeled
• Workflows Analyzed: 174 active workflows
• Data Sources: GitHub Issues API, Workflow List API
• Limitations: No repo memory access, no gh CLI access, no historical metrics
• Next Report: After repo memory access is restored

🤖 AI generated by Agent Performance Analyzer - Meta-Orchestrator

AI generated by Agent Performance Analyzer - Meta-Orchestrator