Optimizing Copilot Workspace-Generated Code for Performance

Copilot Workspace may implement features correctly but choose an approach that's less efficient than what a domain expert would write — adding a new database query where an existing query could be extended, or implementing a feature in O(n²) when the codebase already has an O(n) utility available

Review generated code for redundant database queries. Check that new code uses existing performance utilities (caching, pagination, batching) consistently with the rest of the codebase. Profile new code paths if they're on hot paths

Before optimizing, measure. Use your browser's Lighthouse audit to get a baseline score. Check Core Web Vitals (LCP, FID, CLS) — these directly affect your Google ranking. Use the Performance tab in DevTools to identify which components take the longest to render. For server-side performance, add timing logs to API routes to find slow endpoints.

The fastest way to improve performance: optimize and lazy-load images, enable compression on your server, remove unused CSS and JavaScript, implement code splitting so users only download code for the page they're viewing, and add proper caching headers for static assets. These changes alone can cut load times significantly.

If your Copilot Workspace app uses a database, slow queries are often the biggest performance bottleneck. Add indexes on columns you filter or sort by. Use SELECT to fetch only the columns you need instead of SELECT *. Implement pagination for lists — loading 10,000 rows at once will always be slow. Consider adding a caching layer for data that doesn't change frequently.