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feat(scout): add depth parameter for controlling research thoroughness#17116

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copilot/expand-scout-agent-command
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feat(scout): add depth parameter for controlling research thoroughness#17116
Copilot wants to merge 3 commits intomainfrom
copilot/expand-scout-agent-command

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Copilot AI commented Feb 20, 2026

The /scout slash command had no way to control how deeply the agent investigates a topic — every invocation used the same fixed research effort regardless of complexity.

Changes

  • workflow_dispatch input: New depth field (0–5, default 3) for manual triggers
  • Slash command argument: Agent parses depth=N inline from comment text (e.g. /scout depth=5 or /scout depth=0 for full research)
  • Depth resolution order: dispatch input → slash command arg → default (3)
  • Depth semantics follow the fetch-depth convention (0 = full/unlimited, 1 = shallow):
    • 0 – Full research: no limit on searches, exhaustive cross-referencing (like fetch-depth: 0 = full history)
    • 1 – Shallow: 1–2 searches/tool, surface-level findings only
    • 2 – Light: 2–3 searches/tool, basic cross-referencing
    • 3 – Standard: 3–5 searches/tool, balanced depth and breadth
    • 4 – Deep: 5–8 searches/tool with extended follow-up
    • 5 – Exhaustive: 8+ searches, maximum cross-referencing
  • Research Strategy section updated to explicitly scale search volume to the resolved depth

Example

/scout depth=0

Triggers full/unlimited research mode — no cap on searches, exhaustive cross-referencing across Tavily, DeepWiki, arXiv, and Microsoft Docs.

/scout depth=5

Triggers exhaustive research mode — 8+ searches per tool with full cross-referencing across Tavily, DeepWiki, arXiv, and Microsoft Docs.


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- Add `depth` input (1-5, default: 3) to workflow_dispatch inputs
- Update prompt to parse depth from slash command text (e.g. /scout depth=5)
- Define depth levels: 1=quick scan, 2=light, 3=standard, 4=deep, 5=exhaustive
- Scale research thoroughness (searches per tool) based on depth
- Recompile scout.lock.yml

Co-authored-by: mnkiefer <8320933+mnkiefer@users.noreply.github.com>
Copilot AI changed the title [WIP] Add depth parameter to scout agent slash command feat(scout): add depth parameter for controlling research thoroughness Feb 20, 2026
Copilot AI requested a review from mnkiefer February 20, 2026 10:03
@mnkiefer
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@copilot No depth means how to clone (0=shallow), but also allow full history, etc.

…depth convention

- Add `0` as a valid depth value (full/unlimited research, like fetch-depth: 0)
- Rename depth=1 from "Quick scan" to "Shallow" to match git shallow clone terminology
- Update frontmatter description to document the 0=full/unlimited convention
- Update examples in Mission section to show depth=0
- Recompile scout.lock.yml

Co-authored-by: mnkiefer <8320933+mnkiefer@users.noreply.github.com>
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Copilot AI commented Feb 20, 2026

@copilot No depth means how to clone (0=shallow), but also allow full history, etc.

Good catch. Updated in 87f70d5depth now follows the fetch-depth convention: 0 = full/unlimited research (no limit on searches), 1 = shallow (quick scan), with 2–5 for increasing levels. The frontmatter description, depth table, and examples all reflect this.

Warning

Firewall rules blocked me from connecting to one or more addresses (expand for details)

I tried to connect to the following addresses, but was blocked by firewall rules:

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  • https://api.github.com/repos/actions/checkout/git/ref/tags/v6
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  • https://api.github.com/repos/actions/setup-go/git/ref/tags/v5
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    • Triggering command: /usr/bin/gh gh api /repos/docker/setup-buildx-action/git/ref/tags/v3 --jq .object.sha (http block)
  • https://api.github.com/repos/github/gh-aw/git/ref/tags/a70c5eada06553e3510ac27f2c3bda9d3705bccb
    • Triggering command: /usr/bin/gh gh api /repos/github/gh-aw/git/ref/tags/a70c5eada06553e3510ac27f2c3bda9d3705bccb --jq .object.sha (http block)
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If you need me to access, download, or install something from one of these locations, you can either:

@mnkiefer
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  • Not what we need here

@mnkiefer mnkiefer closed this Feb 20, 2026
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