The Register publishes article on Github Copilot's 100-Hour+ Rate Limits

[pepperymilkcap]

https://www.theregister.com/2026/04/15/github_copilot_rate_limiting_bug/

Microsoft's GitHub last week told Copilot customers that they'd have to reduce their use of the AI service to ease the strain on company servers. This follows the company's discovery last month of a token counting bug that appears to have broken the company's pricing model.

"As GitHub Copilot continues to rapidly grow, we continue to observe an increase in patterns of high concurrency and intense usage," GitHub said. "While we understand this can be driven by legitimate workflows, this type of usage places significant strain on our shared infrastructure and operating resources."

To improve the Copilot experience, the company said, limits would be imposed in the coming weeks "to better balance capacity" and to improve "overall service reliability."

GitHub also said that it was retiring Anthropic's Opus 4.6 Fast for Copilot Pro+ users.

Anthropic has run into similar capacity problems and has also taken steps to steer consumption patterns by discouraging usage during peak demand amid growing complaints from developers. Developers using OpenAI's Codex have also been objecting to rate limits. The bill for the venture capital-fueled all-you-can-eat token buffet has come due.

In a further cost-cutting move, GitHub has suspended all GitHub Copilot Pro free trials due to abuse.

GitHub Copilot customers who have encountered unexpected rate limits are not pleased.

"I use Github Copilot Pro Plus as a hobbyist and frequently spend hundreds of pounds a month on additional credits," John Clary told The Register in an email. "I've been frequently receiving short rate limits interrupting the request with no listed countdown, only to try again in X seconds, with X being under 30 seconds or so. However, I usually wait roughly 15 minutes to resume as, if you don't, you'll receive another right when the AI is working on something important."

[github-actions[bot]]

💬 Your Product Feedback Has Been Submitted 🎉

Thank you for taking the time to share your insights with us! Your feedback is invaluable as we build a better GitHub experience for all our users.

Here's what you can expect moving forward ⏩

• Your input will be carefully reviewed and cataloged by members of our product teams. 
  • Due to the high volume of submissions, we may not always be able to provide individual responses.
  • Rest assured, your feedback will help chart our course for product improvements.
• Other users may engage with your post, sharing their own perspectives or experiences. 
• GitHub staff may reach out for further clarification or insight. 
  • We may 'Answer' your discussion if there is a current solution, workaround, or roadmap/changelog post related to the feedback.

Where to look to see what's shipping 👀

• Read the Changelog for real-time updates on the latest GitHub features, enhancements, and calls for feedback.
• Explore our Product Roadmap, which details upcoming major releases and initiatives.

What you can do in the meantime 💻

• Upvote and comment on other user feedback Discussions that resonate with you.
• Add more information at any point! Useful details include: use cases, relevant labels, desired outcomes, and any accompanying screenshots.

As a member of the GitHub community, your participation is essential. While we can't promise that every suggestion will be implemented, we want to emphasize that your feedback is instrumental in guiding our decisions and priorities.

Thank you once again for your contribution to making GitHub even better! We're grateful for your ongoing support and collaboration in shaping the future of our platform. ⭐

[magliocchetti]

https://github.com/orgs/community/discussions/192707#discussioncomment-16588856

I’ve been getting these messages since yesterday. I’m using Copilot exactly as I always have and have never had issues like this until now. Interestingly, previous messages suggested I switch to 'Auto' mode, which I did, and it works perfectly.

The strange part is that while 'Auto' usually selects Sonnet 4.6 for my prompts without any trouble, the moment I try to select that same model (or others like Opus 4.6 or GPT 5.4) manually, I’m instantly told to 'upgrade my plan.' Upgrade to what? I’m already a Pro+ subscriber. I even checked the plans page thinking a $100+ 'Max' tier had been released, but Pro+ is still the highest option available.