Steering doesn't work right.

[globalwebdev]

🏷️ Discussion Type

Bug

💬 Feature/Topic Area

Copilot Agent Mode

Body

Steering is a great idea.
But it often just causes the AI to drop what it was doing and focus on the new feedback, totally forgetting to implement what it was just planning...

Essentially, it's just better to stop the Agent, edit your prompt, and re-submit.
Otherwise you'd still need a 2nd prompt to fix what it missed

[github-actions[bot]]

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[mucyuneje]

Copilot Steering Feedback

Hi @globalwebdev,

You’re right—Steering in Copilot Agent Mode can sometimes interrupt the AI’s current workflow, causing it to lose track of its previous plan. Here are some tips to handle this:

✅ Workarounds

1. Stop & Edit

   • Stop the Agent, refine your prompt with the new instructions, and resubmit. This prevents the AI from dropping its current context.

2. Use Sequential Prompts

   • If Steering is needed mid-task, break your instructions into smaller sequential prompts. This helps the AI maintain continuity while applying new guidance.

3. Highlight Prior Context

   • Include a short reminder of what the AI was doing before the new Steering instruction. Even one line summarizing the task can help.

4. Feedback to GitHub

   • Consider reporting this as a bug with examples of when Steering loses context. This helps the team improve Agent continuity.

✅ Summary

Steering is a great concept but currently works better when prompts are structured carefully. Stop + edit or sequential prompts are usually the most reliable workaround.