50 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
50 lines
2.1 KiB
Markdown
---
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summary: "Context window + compaction: how Moltbot keeps sessions under model limits"
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read_when:
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- You want to understand auto-compaction and /compact
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- You are debugging long sessions hitting context limits
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---
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# Context Window & Compaction
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Every model has a **context window** (max tokens it can see). Long-running chats accumulate messages and tool results; once the window is tight, Moltbot **compacts** older history to stay within limits.
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## What compaction is
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Compaction **summarizes older conversation** into a compact summary entry and keeps recent messages intact. The summary is stored in the session history, so future requests use:
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- The compaction summary
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- Recent messages after the compaction point
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Compaction **persists** in the session’s JSONL history.
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## Configuration
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See [Compaction config & modes](/concepts/compaction) for the `agents.defaults.compaction` settings.
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## Auto-compaction (default on)
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When a session nears or exceeds the model’s context window, Moltbot triggers auto-compaction and may retry the original request using the compacted context.
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You’ll see:
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- `🧹 Auto-compaction complete` in verbose mode
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- `/status` showing `🧹 Compactions: <count>`
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Before compaction, Moltbot can run a **silent memory flush** turn to store
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durable notes to disk. See [Memory](/concepts/memory) for details and config.
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## Manual compaction
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Use `/compact` (optionally with instructions) to force a compaction pass:
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```
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/compact Focus on decisions and open questions
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```
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## Context window source
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Context window is model-specific. Moltbot uses the model definition from the configured provider catalog to determine limits.
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## Compaction vs pruning
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- **Compaction**: summarises and **persists** in JSONL.
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- **Session pruning**: trims old **tool results** only, **in-memory**, per request.
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See [/concepts/session-pruning](/concepts/session-pruning) for pruning details.
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## Tips
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- Use `/compact` when sessions feel stale or context is bloated.
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- Large tool outputs are already truncated; pruning can further reduce tool-result buildup.
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- If you need a fresh slate, `/new` or `/reset` starts a new session id.
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