Long runs need memory pressure relief
Agents that work for hours eventually hit context limits. Compaction is how the run survives: summarize old context, preserve decisions, keep active handles, and carry forward the current plan.
Bad compaction makes an agent polite and useless. Good compaction preserves the reasons behind decisions, not just the latest checklist.
What must survive
- Original goal and acceptance criteria.
- Decisions made and why.
- Files, ids, URLs, or handles still needed.
- Known failures and attempted fixes.
- Current plan and next action.
- Policy constraints and approvals.
A summary that omits failed attempts invites the agent to repeat them. Cute once. Expensive twice.