R Studio Github Copilot Q&A feature not working

[NGaltung]

System details

RStudio Edition : Desktop
RStudio Version : Version 2023.12.1+402 (2023.12.1+402)
OS Version      : darwin20
R Version       : 4.3.0 (2023-04-21)

Steps to reproduce the problem

When logged in with github, with an account with copilot active, writing
# q: [question]

no longer results in the
# a: [answer]

example input:
# q: which package can I use to create great plots in R?
resulting copilot recommendation:
# q: how can I create a power analysis for a diagnostic test in R?

reply which previously appeared.

Describe the problem in detail

The Q&A feature presented in the Posit Copilot guide no longer works. Github copilot is still available on my machine, and continuous to ghost-write/recommend code snippets and comments work fine.
Only the q&a feature is not functioning.

Describe the behavior you expected

with copilot running, I would expect the input
# q: which package can I use to create great plots in R?
to return something along the lines of
# a: ggplot2 is a great package for creating plots in R

• I have read the guide for submitting good bug reports.
• I have installed the latest version of RStudio, and confirmed that the issue still persists.
• If I am reporting an RStudio crash, I have included a diagnostics report.
• I have done my best to include a minimal, self-contained set of instructions for consistently reproducing the issue.

[ronblum]

@NGaltung Thank you for raising this! I'm unable to reproduce the bug--I get # a: ggplot2 as Copilot's recommendation. Can you please provide a screenshot of what you're seeing? Preferably with the ghost text, before accepting it.

[ronblum]

@NGaltung Also, was this working previously and then stopped working?

[kevinushey]

I also suspect this kind of issue is outside of our control -- we can't really influence whether Copilot will give "useful" output, and its output (and the quality of that output) may change over time.

[NGaltung]

Thank you very much, Ron and Kevin. In the mean time, the problem seems to have solved itself, with the text above no returning a useful answer in the expected format.

[kevinushey]

It also likely helps if you explicitly prompt Copilot by filling in part of the prompt; e.g. using # a: to confirm that you want Copilot to give you an answer, rather than help you generate more questions.