I was working on a physics analysis and coding inside VSCode, and sometimes I use copilot beyond code completion. The agent mode can be useful with the tool calling like web search, so I ask copilot agent some questions and explicitly ask it to search the web and return the answer (and source). I understand that I probably can just search using the browser myself but the temptation of not leaving the same window is too big to resist.

So I was in the middle of creating a usual fit template using RooFit where I needed to fix the fit parameters to the PDG values for some particles. So instead of changing to the browser and search for the PDG values, I just asked copilot agent to do it for me. I asked it to search for the PDG values for the $$J⁄\psi$$ and $${\eta }_c(1S)$$ mass and natural width.

So far, I noticed that it did something and prompted Fetch web pages dialog where it asked me to Allow and Review or skip. I clicked Allow and Review, but then VSCode window crashed immediately. At first, I thought it was just a coincidence, but I tried again and it happened again. I found it funny and wonder if this was this particular page that it tried to visit that caused the crash. So I tested the hypothesis by asking copilot agent different questions that explicitly or implicitly require it to visit the PDG website, and I found that it always crashes when it tries to visit the PDG website. I also tried to ask copilot agent to search for other things that are not related to PDG, and it works fine without any crash. So I am pretty sure that it is something about the PDG website that causes the crash.

An example of the question I asked is "Can you search in the PDG website what is the mass if J/psi particle ?" Something simple like shown in the following screenshot:

Can you guess what will happen if I clicked "Allow and Review" ? Yes, you are right, it will crash VSCode immediately. I have no idea why this happens, but I guess it might be something about the way copilot agent tries to fetch the web page or maybe something about the PDG website itself. It is quite funny, and I hope it can be fixed in the future so that I can use copilot agent to search for PDG values without crashing my VSCode. I have filed a bug report to the VSCode team and I hope they can investigate and fix this issue soon.

But I cannot resist the temptation to make a meme out of this and post it on CERN IT memes. The only place I like on the whole CERN Mattermost and the reason I open it every day. Also, the conspiracy theorist inside me cannot help but wonder if this is some kind of intentional sabotage by the PDG website to prevent people from using copilot agent to access their data. Maybe they don't want people to easily access their data through copilot agent and want them to go through the traditional way of searching on the browser. Who knows, maybe there is some hidden agenda behind this crash. Or maybe someone on Copilot team trying to take revenge on the field for not giving them academic position in the past. Just kidding, but it is quite funny to think about the possibilities if I were a conspiracy theorist (or a theorist in general).

Note: My non particle physics friends and readers might wonder what is exactly the PDG website and why it is important. The PDG website is the Particle Data Group website, which is a comprehensive database of particle physics data and information. It contains information about the properties of particles, such as their masses, lifetimes, decay modes, and so on. It is an essential resource for particle physicists and researchers in the field, as it provides a standardized reference for particle properties that are used in various analyses and calculations.