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Kyle Carberry
53bfbf7c03
## Problem The summarization prompt explicitly tells the model to **"Omit pleasantries and next-step suggestions"** and the summary prefix frames the compacted context as passive history: `Summary of earlier chat context:`. After compaction mid-task, the model reads a factual recap with no forward momentum, loses its direction, and either stops or asks the user what to do. ## Research I compared our compaction prompt against several other agents: | Agent | Key Pattern | |---|---| | **Codex** | Prompt says *"Include what remains to be done (clear next steps)"*. Prefix: *"Another language model started to solve this problem..."* | | **Mux** | Includes *"Current state of the work (what's done, what's in progress)"* + appends the user's follow-up intent | | **Continue** | *"Make sure it is clear what the current stream of work was at the very end prior to compaction so that you can continue exactly where you left off"* | | **Copilot Chat** | Dedicated sections for *Active Work State*, *Recent Operations*, *Pre-Summary State*, and a *Continuation Plan* with explicit next actions | **Every other major agent explicitly preserves forward intent and in-progress state.** Coder was the only one telling the model to omit next steps. ## Changes **Summary prompt:** - Removes `Omit next-step suggestions` - Adds structured `Include:` list with explicit items for in-progress work, remaining work, and the specific action being performed when compaction fired - Frames the operation as `context compaction` (matching Codex's framing) **Summary prefix:** - Old: `Summary of earlier chat context:` - New: `The following is a summary of the earlier conversation. The assistant was actively working when the context was compacted. Continue the work described below:` The prefix is the first thing the model reads post-compaction — framing it as an active handoff with an explicit "Continue" directive primes the model to resume work rather than wait.