GitHub Copilot adds unwanted spaces after dots in code output

[jishanalibd]

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Bug

Copilot Feature Area

Copilot in GitHub

Body

Bug Description

GitHub Copilot Chat on github.com consistently adds unwanted spaces after dots (.) when generating code, especially in JSON, JavaScript expressions, and URLs.

Examples of the Bug

What Copilot Outputs	What It Should Be
github. com/orgs/community/discussions	github.com/orgs/community/discussions
$json. content	$json.content
$json. conversation? . status	$json.conversation?.status
typeVersion": 2. 1	typeVersion": 2.1
$now. toISO()	$now.toISO()
<? php	<?php

Impact

• Breaks code: Users who copy-paste generated code get syntax errors
• Breaks JSON: Invalid JSON that fails to parse
• Breaks URLs: Links don't work
• Wastes time: Users must manually find and fix all occurrences

Environment

• Platform: github.com Copilot Chat
• Date: December 2025
• Observed in: Long conversations with code generation

Additional Context

This bug persists even after being told about it multiple times in the same conversation. The AI acknowledges the bug but continues making the same mistake.

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[varadharajaan]

same for me, it has been happening in the last couple of days.

[anydeploy-com]

i have the same issue for days - it's frustrating

[Lukino811]

Same for me

[HadiMahami]

same for me

[Emberwhirl]

Same for me

[AdityaJain1106]

Workarounds You Can Use Right Now

1. Use Copy as Raw / Copy Code Button

Instead of selecting text manually, always use the “Copy” button on the code block.
In many cases, the inserted spaces appear only in the visual rendering, not in the underlying copied text.

Several users have confirmed:

• Manual selection → spaces appear -> wrong
• Code block copy button → spaces often do not appear -> correct

---

2. Switch to GitHub Copilot in VS Code

This issue seems isolated to Copilot Chat on github.com (web).

Using Copilot inside:

• VS Code
• JetBrains IDEs

does not introduce the unwanted spaces. If you rely on code generation heavily, this is currently the most stable option.

---

3. Add a Post-Output Normalization Step

If you must stay on the web UI for now, a quick regex cleanup works:

Find:

\.\s+

Replace with:

.

This fixes:

• github. com → github.com
• $json. content → $json.content
• $now. toISO() → $now.toISO()

---

4. Force “Exact Output” in the Prompt (Partial Mitigation)

This doesn’t fully fix the bug, but can reduce its frequency:

“Return the code in a single fenced code block with exact formatting, no added whitespace, and no wrapped tokens.”

It helps in short answers but fails in long conversations (as you already observed).

---

Likely Root Cause (From Behavior Pattern)

Based on where the spaces appear (after ., ?., numeric decimals, <?php, URLs), this looks like:

• A web UI post-processing / line-wrapping bug
• Possibly related to Markdown rendering or text wrapping for long token streams
• Triggered more frequently in long Copilot conversations

Since it affects:

• JSON validity
• JS optional chaining
• URLs
• PHP tags

…it’s clearly not intended model output.