fix: replace obsolete --message flag with -p in watch and loop

[tamirdresher]

Summary

Replace obsolete --message flag with -p across all watch capabilities and loop command. Also switch default invocation from gh copilot to copilot directly to avoid Windows console window issues.

Root cause

The Copilot CLI uses -p for non-interactive prompts. --message was never a valid flag and causes immediate failure: error: unknown option '--message'.

Additionally, gh on Windows is a .cmd batch file that spawns a visible console window even with windowsHide: true. Using copilot directly avoids this.

Changes

8 source files fixed (same pattern in each buildAgentCommand / buildLoopAgentCommand):

• packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/capabilities/execute.ts
• packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/capabilities/decision-hygiene.ts
• packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/capabilities/monitor-email.ts
• packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/capabilities/monitor-teams.ts
• packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/capabilities/retro.ts
• packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/capabilities/wave-dispatch.ts
• packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/index.ts
• packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/loop.ts

1 pre-existing fix (unblocks build):

• packages/squad-sdk/src/platform/comms-teams.ts — TOKEN_PATH typo from fix(sdk): Teams adapter token security + migration guide #906

1 test file updated:

• test/cli/watch-execute.test.ts — assertions updated to expect copilot and -p

All 16 watch-execute tests pass.

Fixes #980
Closes #874

[Copilot]

Pull request overview

This PR updates Squad’s “watch” capabilities and “loop” command to stop passing the obsolete --message flag to Copilot, switching to -p, and changes the default runner from gh copilot … to invoking copilot directly (to avoid Windows console window spawning via gh.cmd).

Changes:

• Replace --message with -p across all buildAgentCommand / buildLoopAgentCommand call sites.
• Change default agent runner from cmd: 'gh', args: ['copilot', …] to cmd: 'copilot', args: ['-p', …].
• Fix a token-path variable typo in the Teams comms adapter and update one watch-execute test file expectations.

Reviewed changes

Copilot reviewed 10 out of 10 changed files in this pull request and generated 4 comments.

Show a summary per file

File	Description
packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/capabilities/execute.ts	Updates default Copilot invocation to copilot -p … and updates verbose logging default text
packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/capabilities/decision-hygiene.ts	Replaces --message with -p and switches default cmd to copilot
packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/capabilities/monitor-email.ts	Replaces --message with -p and switches default cmd to copilot
packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/capabilities/monitor-teams.ts	Replaces --message with -p and switches default cmd to copilot
packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/capabilities/retro.ts	Replaces --message with -p and switches default cmd to copilot
packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/capabilities/wave-dispatch.ts	Replaces --message with -p and switches default cmd to copilot
packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/watch/index.ts	Updates shared watch helper buildAgentCommand to use copilot -p … by default
packages/squad-cli/src/cli/commands/loop.ts	Updates loop agent command builder to use copilot -p … by default
packages/squad-sdk/src/platform/comms-teams.ts	Fixes token path variable used in Windows icacls invocation
test/cli/watch-execute.test.ts	Updates expectations to match cmd: 'copilot' and -p

[diberry]

Hey @tamirdresher — nice fix. Here's a review:

PR #988 Review

1. Is this a fix for the issue?

Yes. The PR correctly updates --message to -p across all 8 files that build Copilot CLI commands, and fixes the TOKEN_PATH reference that would fail on Windows. Tests are updated. The immediate bugs are resolved.

2. Is this a fix for the class of issue?

Not yet. The underlying pattern — the same command-building logic living in 8 separate places — is still there. This PR applies the right value everywhere, which is the right first step. A follow-up that extracts a shared buildAgentCommand() would make this class of bug structurally harder to introduce.

3. Does this fix leave technical or structural debt?

Some, which is normal for a targeted bug fix:

• Command-building logic is still spread across 8 files — a natural candidate for extraction when someone's already working in that area.

• spawnWithTimeout() appears in 4 places with the same implementation — same consolidation opportunity.

• Some docs and comments still reference gh copilot while the code now calls copilot directly. Not urgent, but worth a docs-cleanup pass at some point.

None of these are blockers for merging — the PR does what it sets out to do. They're just opportunities for the next pass.