Modernization agent feedback with large real-world applications. #39

A customer reports repeated unsuccessful attempts to modernize production-sized applications using the .NET modernization tooling. While the experience appears acceptable for simple applications, they consistently encounter issues when migrating larger, real-world codebases. Asked for more feedback related to their projects and support needed.

The feedback falls into four main categories:

1. Migration reliability
   The customer reports that the tooling struggles with applications that extend beyond common Microsoft dependency patterns.

Examples mentioned:

• EF6 to EF Core migrations often produce incorrect conversions.
• API project migrations experience failures or incomplete migrations.
• Projects with custom dependencies or non-standard architectures frequently cause the workflow to stop or abandon migration efforts.

2. Instruction following and workflow consistency
   The customer reports that the agent does not reliably follow explicit instructions.

Examples mentioned:

• Previously successful instructions are not consistently reused on similar projects.
• Agent-generated guidance is sometimes ignored in subsequent runs.
• Legacy Web Adapters scenarios are cited as a recurring problem area.
• Requests for a non-interactive ("silent") migration flow are ignored.

3. Excessive interruptions during long-running migrations
   The customer reports that migrations frequently pause for confirmation even when they would prefer the process to continue automatically.

Examples mentioned:

• The agent may modify a handful of files and then request approval.
• The number of changes completed between prompts appears inconsistent.
• Large migrations can require repeated user intervention over extended periods.

4. Token consumption and licensing experience
   The customer reports very high token consumption during modernization workflows.

Examples mentioned:

• A large migration consumed their monthly allocation despite being on an "unlimited" plan.
• One modernization attempt reportedly ran for nearly two hours and reached only about two-thirds completion before stopping.
• A subsequent attempt exhausted available usage almost immediately.
• GitHub Copilot usage reporting appeared inconsistent, showing both:
• "0 out of X used"
• A separate message indicating the monthly limit had been reached

Source: Feedback collected from the Visual Studio Blog post: "Today I will… Modernize a .NET application" (by Michael Taylor).

CC: Matt Soucoup (@codemillmatt) Mika Dumont (@mikadumont)