Size sidecar context budget from the model's real window

apps/sidecar/src/workflow-substrate-factory/context-budget.test.ts

@@ -1,12 +1,13 @@
-// Tests for the CL-6204 context-budget resolver: reads a per-model
-// `numCtx` hint off an `InferenceSource.quirks` bag shaped like
-// `@corbits/ollama-adapter`'s `OllamaAdapterConfig`, falling back to a
-// conservative default for any other shape.
+// Tests for the context-budget resolver: quirks `numCtx` pin, then the
+// advertised catalog window for the model name, never a baked 8k-token
+// (32k-char) cap for frontier models.
 import { expect, test } from "bun:test";
 
 import {
+  advertisedContextWindowTokens,
   readNumCtxHint,
   resolveContextBudgetChars,
+  resolveContextWindowTokens,
   resolveHardContextLimitChars,
 } from "./context-budget";
 
@@ -27,6 +28,10 @@ test("readNumCtxHint: unrecognized or absent quirks resolve to undefined", () =>
   expect(readNumCtxHint("not-an-object", "claude")).toBeUndefined();
 });
 
+test("readNumCtxHint: a top-level numCtx pin is visible without the Ollama bag shape", () => {
+  expect(readNumCtxHint({ numCtx: 200_000 }, "claude-sonnet-5")).toBe(200_000);
+});
+
 test("resolveContextBudgetChars: a bigger numCtx yields a bigger budget", () => {
   const small = resolveContextBudgetChars(
     { default: { numCtx: 32_000 } },
@@ -40,11 +45,48 @@ test("resolveContextBudgetChars: a bigger numCtx yields a bigger budget", () =>
   expect(large).toBeGreaterThan(small);
 });
 
-test("resolveContextBudgetChars: unknown model falls back to the conservative default", () => {
+test("resolveContextWindowTokens: quirks pin wins over the advertised catalog window", () => {
+  expect(
+    resolveContextWindowTokens(
+      { default: { numCtx: 8_192 } },
+      "claude-sonnet-5",
+    ),
+  ).toBe(8_192);
+});
+
+test("resolveContextWindowTokens: a frontier catalog model gets its advertised window, not a 32k-char cap", () => {
+  const claudeTokens = resolveContextWindowTokens(undefined, "claude-sonnet-5");
+  const claudeHard = resolveHardContextLimitChars(undefined, "claude-sonnet-5");
+  const oldDefaultHardChars = 8_000 * 4;
+
+  expect(claudeTokens).toBe(200_000);
+  expect(claudeHard).toBeGreaterThan(oldDefaultHardChars);
+  expect(claudeHard).toBe(200_000 * 4);
+});
+
+test("resolveContextWindowTokens: an Ollama catalog model gets its native window without quirks", () => {
+  expect(resolveContextWindowTokens(undefined, "gpt-oss:20b")).toBe(131_072);
+  expect(resolveContextWindowTokens(undefined, "qwen3.8:27b")).toBe(32_768);
+  expect(
+    resolveHardContextLimitChars(undefined, "gpt-oss:20b"),
+  ).toBeGreaterThan(resolveHardContextLimitChars(undefined, "qwen3.8:27b"));
+});
+
+test("advertisedContextWindowTokens: a relay-prefixed name still matches the catalog model", () => {
+  expect(advertisedContextWindowTokens("anthropic/claude-sonnet-5")).toBe(
+    200_000,
+  );
+  expect(advertisedContextWindowTokens("openai/gpt-4.1")).toBe(1_047_576);
+});
+
+test("resolveContextBudgetChars: unknown model falls back to a hosted-sized window, not 8k tokens", () => {
   const withoutQuirks = resolveContextBudgetChars(undefined, "unknown-model");
+  const hard = resolveHardContextLimitChars(undefined, "unknown-model");
 
   expect(withoutQuirks).toBeGreaterThan(0);
   expect(Number.isFinite(withoutQuirks)).toBe(true);
+  expect(hard).toBeGreaterThan(8_000 * 4);
+  expect(hard).toBe(128_000 * 4);
 });
 
 test("resolveHardContextLimitChars: sits above the headroomed budget for the same source", () => {

apps/sidecar/src/workflow-substrate-factory/context-budget.ts

@@ -1,40 +1,119 @@
-// Best-effort per-model context-window budget for the workbench
-// director's compaction gate (CL-6204).
+// Per-model context-window budget for the workbench director's
+// compaction gate.
 //
-// Reads the same `numCtx` override shape `@corbits/ollama-adapter`
-// resolves against a live request (`OllamaAdapterConfig`'s
-// `default`/`perModel` bag) directly off `InferenceSource.quirks`, so a
-// deployment that already pins a per-model `num_ctx` for Ollama gets
-// that same number as its compaction budget instead of a second,
-// drifting constant. `quirks` is `unknown` at this boundary (an
-// operator-authored, per-source passthrough bag), so every read here is
-// defensive rather than a validating parse: an unrecognized shape (every
-// non-Ollama source today) falls back to a conservative default sized
-// for the smallest models this repo deploys against, rather than
-// throwing or silently trusting a shape the adapter itself doesn't own
-// at this call site.
+// Window size is the resolved model's advertised native context, not a
+// baked 8k-token (32k-char) cap:
 //
-// Token counts are estimated from character counts (`CHARS_PER_TOKEN_ESTIMATE`)
-// -- no tokenizer is available at this layer -- so the budget is
-// deliberately conservative (see `COMPACTION_HEADROOM`), leaving room
-// for the system prompt, tool definitions, and the model's own reply
-// inside the same window.
+//   1. `InferenceSource.quirks` -- the same `numCtx` override shape
+//      `@corbits/ollama-adapter` resolves (`OllamaAdapterConfig`'s
+//      `default`/`perModel` bag), plus a few other common token-window
+//      field names operators actually pin.
+//   2. The pinned catalog's advertised native window for that model
+//      name (Ollama table entries and hosted-family prefixes).
+//   3. A modern hosted-model fallback (128k tokens), used only when
+//      neither quirks nor the catalog name the model. Compact (see
+//      `COMPACTION_HEADROOM`) remains the safety net inside that
+//      window; `CONTEXT_OVERFLOW_MESSAGE` is reserved for the hard
+//      edge.
+//
+// `quirks` is `unknown` at this boundary (an operator-authored,
+// per-source passthrough bag), so every read here is defensive rather
+// than a validating parse.
+//
+// Token counts are estimated from character counts
+// (`CHARS_PER_TOKEN_ESTIMATE`) -- no tokenizer is available at this
+// layer -- so the budget is deliberately conservative (see
+// `COMPACTION_HEADROOM`), leaving room for the system prompt, tool
+// definitions, and the model's own reply inside the same window.
 
-const DEFAULT_CONTEXT_BUDGET_TOKENS = 8_000;
+const FALLBACK_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS = 128_000;
 const CHARS_PER_TOKEN_ESTIMATE = 4;
 const COMPACTION_HEADROOM = 0.6;
 
-function readNumCtxFromBag(bag: Record<string, unknown>): number | undefined {
-  const numCtx = bag.numCtx;
-  return typeof numCtx === "number" && numCtx > 0 ? numCtx : undefined;
+// Exact names from `@corbits/inference-catalog`'s Ollama native-window
+// table, then longest-prefix families for hosted catalog models.
+// Longest prefix wins so `gpt-4.1` is not swallowed by `gpt-4`.
+const ADVERTISED_CONTEXT_WINDOWS: readonly (readonly [string, number])[] = [
+  ["qwen3.5:9b-mlx", 32_768],
+  ["qwen3.8:27b", 32_768],
+  ["llama3.1:8b", 131_072],
+  ["gpt-oss:20b", 131_072],
+  ["gpt-4-turbo", 128_000],
+  ["gpt-4.1", 1_047_576],
+  ["llama3.1", 131_072],
+  ["gpt-oss", 131_072],
+  ["gpt-4o", 128_000],
+  ["claude", 200_000],
+  ["gemini", 1_048_576],
+  ["gpt-5", 400_000],
+  ["gpt-4", 8_192],
+  ["grok", 256_000],
+  ["qwen3", 32_768],
+  ["llama", 131_072],
+  ["kimi", 128_000],
+  ["deepseek", 128_000],
+  ["minimax", 128_000],
+  ["glm", 128_000],
+  ["o1", 200_000],
+  ["o3", 200_000],
+  ["o4", 200_000],
+];
+
+function positiveTokenCount(value: unknown): number | undefined {
+  return typeof value === "number" && Number.isFinite(value) && value > 0
+    ? value
+    : undefined;
+}
+
+function readWindowFromBag(bag: Record<string, unknown>): number | undefined {
+  return (
+    positiveTokenCount(bag.numCtx) ??
+    positiveTokenCount(bag.contextWindow) ??
+    positiveTokenCount(bag.contextLength) ??
+    positiveTokenCount(bag.maxContextTokens)
+  );
+}
+
+function catalogModelKey(model: string): string {
+  const trimmed = model.trim().toLowerCase();
+  const slash = trimmed.lastIndexOf("/");
+  return slash === -1 ? trimmed : trimmed.slice(slash + 1);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Advertised native context window in tokens for a catalog model name.
+ * Exact Ollama table entries win; otherwise the longest matching hosted
+ * family prefix. `undefined` if this module has no published window for
+ * the name.
+ */
+export function advertisedContextWindowTokens(
+  model: string,
+): number | undefined {
+  const key = catalogModelKey(model);
+  if (key.length === 0) {
+    return undefined;
+  }
+  let best: { prefixLength: number; tokens: number } | undefined;
+  for (const [prefix, tokens] of ADVERTISED_CONTEXT_WINDOWS) {
+    if (key === prefix) {
+      return tokens;
+    }
+    if (
+      key.startsWith(prefix) &&
+      (best === undefined || prefix.length > best.prefixLength)
+    ) {
+      best = { prefixLength: prefix.length, tokens };
+    }
+  }
+  return best?.tokens;
 }
 
 /**
- * Best-effort read of a per-model `numCtx` off an `InferenceSource.quirks`
- * bag shaped like `@corbits/ollama-adapter`'s `OllamaAdapterConfig`
- * (`{ default?: { numCtx? }, perModel?: { [model]: { numCtx? } } }`).
- * Returns `undefined` for any other shape rather than throwing --
- * `quirks` is provider-specific and most sources carry none of this.
+ * Best-effort read of a per-model window hint off an
+ * `InferenceSource.quirks` bag. Understands `@corbits/ollama-adapter`'s
+ * `OllamaAdapterConfig` (`{ default?: { numCtx? }, perModel?: { [model]:
+ * { numCtx? } } }`) and a few other common token-window field names.
+ * Returns `undefined` for any unrecognized shape rather than throwing.
  */
 export function readNumCtxHint(
   quirks: unknown,
@@ -48,31 +127,56 @@ export function readNumCtxHint(
   if (typeof perModel === "object" && perModel !== null) {
     const entry = (perModel as Record<string, unknown>)[model];
     if (typeof entry === "object" && entry !== null) {
-      const fromPerModel = readNumCtxFromBag(entry as Record<string, unknown>);
+      const fromPerModel = readWindowFromBag(entry as Record<string, unknown>);
       if (fromPerModel !== undefined) {
         return fromPerModel;
       }
     }
   }
   const base = bag.default;
   if (typeof base === "object" && base !== null) {
-    return readNumCtxFromBag(base as Record<string, unknown>);
+    const fromDefault = readWindowFromBag(base as Record<string, unknown>);
+    if (fromDefault !== undefined) {
+      return fromDefault;
+    }
   }
-  return undefined;
+  return readWindowFromBag(bag);
+}
+
+/**
+ * Resolved context window in tokens for one `InferenceSource`: quirks
+ * pin, then the advertised catalog window, then the hosted-model
+ * fallback. Compact headroom is applied by the char-budget helpers,
+ * not here.
+ */
+export function resolveContextWindowTokens(
+  quirks: unknown,
+  model: string,
+): number {
+  return (
+    readNumCtxHint(quirks, model) ??
+    advertisedContextWindowTokens(model) ??
+    FALLBACK_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS
+  );
+}
+
+function toChars(tokens: number, headroom: number): number {
+  return Math.floor(tokens * CHARS_PER_TOKEN_ESTIMATE * headroom);
 }
 
 /**
  * Resolve the compaction budget, in characters, for one `InferenceSource`.
- * Applies `COMPACTION_HEADROOM` on top of the resolved (or default)
- * `numCtx` so compaction fires with room left in the window, not at its
- * hard edge.
+ * Applies `COMPACTION_HEADROOM` on top of the resolved window so
+ * compaction fires with room left, not at the hard edge.
  */
 export function resolveContextBudgetChars(
   quirks: unknown,
   model: string,
 ): number {
-  const numCtx = readNumCtxHint(quirks, model) ?? DEFAULT_CONTEXT_BUDGET_TOKENS;
-  return Math.floor(numCtx * CHARS_PER_TOKEN_ESTIMATE * COMPACTION_HEADROOM);
+  return toChars(
+    resolveContextWindowTokens(quirks, model),
+    COMPACTION_HEADROOM,
+  );
 }
 
 /**
@@ -85,6 +189,5 @@ export function resolveHardContextLimitChars(
   quirks: unknown,
   model: string,
 ): number {
-  const numCtx = readNumCtxHint(quirks, model) ?? DEFAULT_CONTEXT_BUDGET_TOKENS;
-  return Math.floor(numCtx * CHARS_PER_TOKEN_ESTIMATE);
+  return toChars(resolveContextWindowTokens(quirks, model), 1);
 }

apps/sidecar/src/workflow-substrate-factory/workbench-director.test.ts

@@ -248,6 +248,32 @@ test("context budget: a short conversation under budget is untouched (infers nor
   expect(typesOf(actions)).toEqual(["infer"]);
 });
 
+test("context budget: message.received over budget but under the hard limit still infers", async () => {
+  const director = createWorkbenchDirector(
+    "you are a test agent",
+    [],
+    {},
+    {
+      budgetChars: 100,
+      hardLimitChars: 1_000_000,
+      compactorName: "summarize-budgeted-turns",
+    },
+  );
+  const overBudget = stateWithTurns([
+    conversationTurn("a".repeat(200)),
+    conversationTurn("b".repeat(200)),
+  ]);
+
+  const actions = await director.decide(
+    { type: "message.received", message: { id: "m1", content: "hi" } as never },
+    overBudget,
+    caps,
+  );
+
+  expect(typesOf(actions)).toEqual(["infer"]);
+  expect(typesOf(actions)).not.toContain("compact");
+});
+
 test("context budget: tool-heavy history past the hard limit is caught even though every turn's text excerpt is short", async () => {
   // The reviewer's exact repro: 10 turns each carrying a 20,000-char
   // tool_result. Measured by placeholder length this was ~160 chars