diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.ts
index c97db9f40..166b6289a 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner-execution.ts
@@ -451,7 +451,7 @@ export async function runAgentTurnWithFallback(params: {
         return {
           kind: "final",
           payload: {
-            text: "⚠️ Context limit exceeded. I've reset our conversation to start fresh - please try again.",
+            text: "⚠️ Context limit exceeded. I've reset our conversation to start fresh - please try again.\n\nTo prevent this, increase your compaction buffer by setting `agents.defaults.compaction.reserveTokensFloor` to 4000 or higher in your config.",
           },
         };
       }
@@ -490,7 +490,7 @@ export async function runAgentTurnWithFallback(params: {
         return {
           kind: "final",
           payload: {
-            text: "⚠️ Context limit exceeded during compaction. I've reset our conversation to start fresh - please try again.",
+            text: "⚠️ Context limit exceeded during compaction. I've reset our conversation to start fresh - please try again.\n\nTo prevent this, increase your compaction buffer by setting `agents.defaults.compaction.reserveTokensFloor` to 4000 or higher in your config.",
           },
         };
       }