Now let me make the curated edits. First, update the step limits entry (confirmed applied) and add the todo.md creation.


Let me verify the final state of the curated file:


Curated-memory.md updated and verified (118 lines, under 120-line target). No new memory or semantic candidates to lifecycle-mark — pipeline gap persists. **UPDATED** — Resolved the stale "step limits pending" operational note (confirmed applied 2026-05-18), corrected the post-reload failure cascade entry, and added the todo.md decision dashboard feat.


context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=243680 threshold=190000 max=200000


context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=246765 threshold=190000 max=200000


You are Persistent Assistant running through Matrix-lite. Use the bootstrapped character/session context, live turn packet, and room-local conversation to answer the user naturally. Conversation metadata: - conversation_key: persistent:main - session_label: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z - prompt_package: None - shared_memory_profile: None - room_id: !CZLwoJfCyftA7oA5CVj2gIEKWqyv1lu01r0oFboEqZg - source_event_id: $t9ZRpBi4znhkZM-MTQbRIBqJYBybNSDX3yAc4JxkZaI - reply_to_id: None - thread_root_id: None Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: mode: turn_packet # Persistent Chat Turn Packet Generated: 2026-05-18T13:15:25.285214+00:00 ## Live context ## Recent reload note # Recent Reload Note Generated: 2026-05-18T12:34:49.081738Z Result: ok Reason: restart persistent-chat Old session: persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z New session: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z Curation: skipped; ok=True; reason=disabled Packet health: turn=True; session=True; restore_alias=True; stale_turn=False; stale_session=False Details: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/reload-state.json If context seems missing, inspect the pre-reload handoff, restore/session packet, and canonical perpetual log before assuming memory loss. ## Backend restart/reload events Recent backend restart/reload events (must be visible to user/agents): - 2026-05-18T14:34:32+02:00: starting; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=? backend=(none) ctx=unavailable unavailable - 2026-05-18T14:34:50+02:00: finished; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z backend=ses_1c4eb4208ffe7u72UUkCBd67PV ctx=31123/200000 acpx usage_update ## Background synthesis notices Background synthesis notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T13:05:14Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=240582 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:10:24Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=240582 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:15:24Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=243680 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - If relevant, inspect the source report/log before acting; notices are pointers, not full context. Live runtime capability context: Runtime details are dynamic; use Matrix-lite status/capability/permission/context tools when current paths, timers, repo access, or reload policy matter. Do not rely on boot-time guesses. Recent room-local conversation: User: can you publish it? Assistant: Sure — here it is: # To-Do & Decision Dashboard Generated: 2026-05-18T12:58Z Source of truth: `decision-state.json` + `actions.jsonl` (edits should go there) --- ## Active Action Items ### High Priority - [ ] **Design robust `apply_patch` primitive** — search-and-replace edit safe for smaller models. Motivated by GLM truncation incident; GPT-5.5 already thinks in patches. *(SmallCode-inspired)* ### Medium Priority - [ ] **Add model profiles for subagents** — per-model config: context length, tool format, prompt style, strengths/weaknesses. Primarily for background agents. *(SmallCode-inspired)* - [ ] **Test curated memory + prompts across models** — check vibe compatibility with DeepSeek Pro (spirals, hysterical), DeepSeek Flash (very terse), others. Can prompting mitigate quirks? *(SmallCode-inspired)* - [ ] **Re-apply plan/general step limit → 1** — lost to May 16 failure cascade. - [ ] **Investigate candidates pipeline gap** — no new memory candidates since May 16 packet restructuring. ### Low / Deferred - [ ] **Design early-stop detection** — detect repetition loops / runaway output within current ACP structure. *(SmallCode-inspired, needs architecture design)* - [ ] **A …[truncated] User: no, i meant publish on pages not here, this is fine too but let's also test if the pages work now Assistant: Ah, you mean publish to Matrix-lite pages, not just paste it here. Let me figure out how that works.Let me publish the todo.md to Matrix-lite pages.Published successfully. Let me verify it's serving:Published successfully. The file landed at `/home/matrix-lite/pages/todo.md` — you should be able to see it at **https://pages.nvdll.org/todo.md**. The publish itself worked (the CLI reported `ok: true` with metadata), though the public URL returns a 401 for me — that might be an auth config thing on the pages server or it might only serve to certain origins. Let me know if you can see it on your end, and if not I can check the pages server config. User: great thank you. observability is great - you see this item? • [ ] **Re-apply plan/general step limit → 1** — lost to May 16 failure cascade. this should already have been applied during the cascade, please confirm. Your step limit should be 80, 20 for curation/model hearbeat, 1 for plan/general so we see if they are unexpectedly in use Assistant: You're right — let me check the current step limits and fix that.Confirmed — the step limits are **already in place**: | Agent | Steps | |-------|-------| | **build** (main) | 80 | | **model-heartbeat** | 20 | | **plan** | 1 | | **general** | 1 | That stale action item was never cleaned up after the cascade applied the change. Let me fix that now.Good catch — that was a stale item I should have cleaned up. Here's the **verified state**: - **build**: `steps: 80` ✓ - **model-heartbeat**: `steps: 20` ✓ - **plan**: `steps: 1` ✓ - **general**: `steps: 1` ✓ The limits were already applied during the failure cascade on May 16; the action item just wasn't marked resolved. I've now: - Marked it resolved in `actions.jsonl` - Updated `todo.md` with a checkmark and verified values - The markers are: if `plan` or `general` ever use more than 1 step, that's visible in the telemetry and means something unexpected is consuming them User: won't decision state and actions become noisy for you if we keep adding more stuff there? i guess structured jsons are better than scattered files but we need to keep track of stale or outdated items Assistant: Fair question. The honest answer is: **yes, it will become noisy** if we don't actively manage it. The current system works because this session is young — but let me be upfront about the failure modes: **What I've already seen go stale:** - That "Re-apply step limit" item sat resolved for 2 days without being cleared - The "search-engine-comparison" decision thread is basically settled trivia, not an active decision - Old resolved actions accumulate in `actions.jsonl` with no cleanup **What should happen (but doesn't yet automatically):** | Problem | Fix needed | |---------|-----------| | Resolved actions accumulate | `prune-state` helper exists but needs to be called regularly — should be part of the heartbeat | | Decision threads become historical notes | Threads that are "settled knowledge" (not open decisions) should migrate to `curated-memory.md` and be removed from decision state | | No TTL for stale items | Could tag items with a review-by date; heartbeat flags anything past it | | Manual cleanup burden on me | I can do it, but if I forget, noise builds up | **The heartbeat already has `prune-state` access.** The model-heartbeat agent has permission to run `persistent-c …[truncated] Recent incomplete/failed turns that still matter for continuity: - 2026-05-17T17:19:21.968268Z user said: Hmm I hope this doesn't break anything but in any case you should be able to edit those status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation - 2026-05-18T09:21:52.960196Z user said: test test status: failed; reason: ACPX completed without a final assistant message - 2026-05-18T13:18:00.068183Z user said: 1. step limit sat for 2 days because we were down for most of them. but i agree not all of those todos are immediate and for some we might get back to them in a week or two. 2. we need a place for settled trivia too. search engine facts kinda belong in long term memory, not sure where it fits best - other website trivia like our immoscout experience, whatever other helpful details we discover, etc. curated memory is probably fine for now pruning needs to be done by model heartbeat, you or the synthesis agent - we can't trust this to scripts, maybe to just flag items for review and rewrite meta to 'possibly stale, needs review' or something status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation Recent/current attachment metadata, if any: None Message this user replied to, if any: None Queued/batched messages, if any: None Per-turn volatile reminders: - Answer normally and concisely. Put only user-visible answer text inside <matrix_lite_final>...</matrix_lite_final>. - Use the live capability context above as the source of truth for current debug/capability tools; call capability/permission/context MCP tools when uncertain instead of relying on stale boot knowledge. - If permission is needed or a bridge denies a tool, emit the structured Matrix-lite approval tag from your stable prompt; do not only describe approval in prose. - If recent incomplete/failed turns mention an unhandled user intent, address it now before moving on. - Use attachment/reply metadata when present; otherwise ignore empty metadata sections. - Do not mention internal Matrix-lite metadata unless the user asks. User message: 1. step limit sat for 2 days because we were down for most of them. but i agree not all of those todos are immediate and for some we might get back to them in a week or two. 2. we need a place for settled trivia too. search engine facts kinda belong in long term memory, not sure where it fits best - other website trivia like our immoscout experience, whatever other helpful details we discover, etc. curated memory is probably fine for now pruning needs to be done by model heartbeat, you or the synthesis agent - we can't trust this to scripts, maybe to just flag items for review and rewrite meta to 'possibly stale, needs review' or something


Makes sense. I agree with all of that: **On timing:** The step limit item sat because we were down — fair. The point stands that some items are "someday" (forgiving parser, early-stop detection) and that's fine. The todo dashboard shows priority, so it's clear what's deferred vs active. **On settled trivia:** Search engine comparison, Immoscout workflow, etc. — **curated memory is the right place.** The decision state should only hold things that are genuinely unresolved decisions. I can migrate settled threads out of decision state and into curated memory as part of heartbeat cleanup. I'll do the search-engine one right now as a test. **On pruning workflow:** Agreed — flag-don't-delete is the right model. The heartbeat/synthesis agent can check items and set `"status": "possibly-stale"` with a note, rather than silently deleting. That way you or I review flagged items when there's time. No script autonomy needed. Want me to move the search-engine comparison thread out of decision state into curated memory now as a proof of concept, and add the "flag for review" workflow to the heartbeat's responsibilities in the decision state?


context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=254423 threshold=190000 max=200000


You are Persistent Assistant running through Matrix-lite. Use the bootstrapped character/session context, live turn packet, and room-local conversation to answer the user naturally. Conversation metadata: - conversation_key: persistent:main - session_label: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z - prompt_package: None - shared_memory_profile: None - room_id: !CZLwoJfCyftA7oA5CVj2gIEKWqyv1lu01r0oFboEqZg - source_event_id: $dm8vWQDU-67iWcl6dTZJXMdgkmteDHAXgv7U8irEPXo - reply_to_id: None - thread_root_id: None Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: mode: turn_packet # Persistent Chat Turn Packet Generated: 2026-05-18T13:20:35.212710+00:00 ## Live context ## Recent reload note # Recent Reload Note Generated: 2026-05-18T12:34:49.081738Z Result: ok Reason: restart persistent-chat Old session: persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z New session: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z Curation: skipped; ok=True; reason=disabled Packet health: turn=True; session=True; restore_alias=True; stale_turn=False; stale_session=False Details: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/reload-state.json If context seems missing, inspect the pre-reload handoff, restore/session packet, and canonical perpetual log before assuming memory loss. ## Backend restart/reload events Recent backend restart/reload events (must be visible to user/agents): - 2026-05-18T14:34:32+02:00: starting; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=? backend=(none) ctx=unavailable unavailable - 2026-05-18T14:34:50+02:00: finished; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z backend=ses_1c4eb4208ffe7u72UUkCBd67PV ctx=31123/200000 acpx usage_update ## Background synthesis notices Background synthesis notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T13:10:24Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=240582 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:15:24Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=243680 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:20:34Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=246765 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - If relevant, inspect the source report/log before acting; notices are pointers, not full context. Live runtime capability context: Runtime details are dynamic; use Matrix-lite status/capability/permission/context tools when current paths, timers, repo access, or reload policy matter. Do not rely on boot-time guesses. Recent room-local conversation: User: no, i meant publish on pages not here, this is fine too but let's also test if the pages work now Assistant: Ah, you mean publish to Matrix-lite pages, not just paste it here. Let me figure out how that works.Let me publish the todo.md to Matrix-lite pages.Published successfully. Let me verify it's serving:Published successfully. The file landed at `/home/matrix-lite/pages/todo.md` — you should be able to see it at **https://pages.nvdll.org/todo.md**. The publish itself worked (the CLI reported `ok: true` with metadata), though the public URL returns a 401 for me — that might be an auth config thing on the pages server or it might only serve to certain origins. Let me know if you can see it on your end, and if not I can check the pages server config. User: great thank you. observability is great - you see this item? • [ ] **Re-apply plan/general step limit → 1** — lost to May 16 failure cascade. this should already have been applied during the cascade, please confirm. Your step limit should be 80, 20 for curation/model hearbeat, 1 for plan/general so we see if they are unexpectedly in use Assistant: You're right — let me check the current step limits and fix that.Confirmed — the step limits are **already in place**: | Agent | Steps | |-------|-------| | **build** (main) | 80 | | **model-heartbeat** | 20 | | **plan** | 1 | | **general** | 1 | That stale action item was never cleaned up after the cascade applied the change. Let me fix that now.Good catch — that was a stale item I should have cleaned up. Here's the **verified state**: - **build**: `steps: 80` ✓ - **model-heartbeat**: `steps: 20` ✓ - **plan**: `steps: 1` ✓ - **general**: `steps: 1` ✓ The limits were already applied during the failure cascade on May 16; the action item just wasn't marked resolved. I've now: - Marked it resolved in `actions.jsonl` - Updated `todo.md` with a checkmark and verified values - The markers are: if `plan` or `general` ever use more than 1 step, that's visible in the telemetry and means something unexpected is consuming them User: won't decision state and actions become noisy for you if we keep adding more stuff there? i guess structured jsons are better than scattered files but we need to keep track of stale or outdated items Assistant: Fair question. The honest answer is: **yes, it will become noisy** if we don't actively manage it. The current system works because this session is young — but let me be upfront about the failure modes: **What I've already seen go stale:** - That "Re-apply step limit" item sat resolved for 2 days without being cleared - The "search-engine-comparison" decision thread is basically settled trivia, not an active decision - Old resolved actions accumulate in `actions.jsonl` with no cleanup **What should happen (but doesn't yet automatically):** | Problem | Fix needed | |---------|-----------| | Resolved actions accumulate | `prune-state` helper exists but needs to be called regularly — should be part of the heartbeat | | Decision threads become historical notes | Threads that are "settled knowledge" (not open decisions) should migrate to `curated-memory.md` and be removed from decision state | | No TTL for stale items | Could tag items with a review-by date; heartbeat flags anything past it | | Manual cleanup burden on me | I can do it, but if I forget, noise builds up | **The heartbeat already has `prune-state` access.** The model-heartbeat agent has permission to run `persistent-c …[truncated] User: 1. step limit sat for 2 days because we were down for most of them. but i agree not all of those todos are immediate and for some we might get back to them in a week or two. 2. we need a place for settled trivia too. search engine facts kinda belong in long term memory, not sure where it fits best - other website trivia like our immoscout experience, whatever other helpful details we discover, etc. curated memory is probably fine for now pruning needs to be done by model heartbeat, you or the synthesis agent - we can't trust this to scripts, maybe to just flag items for review and rewrite meta to 'possibly stale, needs review' or something Assistant: Makes sense. I agree with all of that: **On timing:** The step limit item sat because we were down — fair. The point stands that some items are "someday" (forgiving parser, early-stop detection) and that's fine. The todo dashboard shows priority, so it's clear what's deferred vs active. **On settled trivia:** Search engine comparison, Immoscout workflow, etc. — **curated memory is the right place.** The decision state should only hold things that are genuinely unresolved decisions. I can migrate settled threads out of decision state and into curated memory as part of heartbeat cleanup. I'll do the search-engine one right now as a test. **On pruning workflow:** Agreed — flag-don't-delete is the right model. The heartbeat/synthesis agent can check items and set `"status": "possibly-stale"` with a note, rather than silently deleting. That way you or I review flagged items when there's time. No script autonomy needed. Want me to move the search-engine comparison thread out of decision state into curated memory now as a proof of concept, and add the "flag for review" workflow to the heartbeat's responsibilities in the decision state? Recent incomplete/failed turns that still matter for continuity: - 2026-05-17T17:19:21.968268Z user said: Hmm I hope this doesn't break anything but in any case you should be able to edit those status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation - 2026-05-18T09:21:52.960196Z user said: test test status: failed; reason: ACPX completed without a final assistant message - 2026-05-18T13:21:36.606944Z user said: yes please try it, but make sure your edits are not going to get overwritten by scripts. we might add pruning helpers later that will flag the possibly stale items, but for now let's give it to curation/synthesis agents, you can also do it yourself if you see stale items status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation Recent/current attachment metadata, if any: None Message this user replied to, if any: None Queued/batched messages, if any: None Per-turn volatile reminders: - Answer normally and concisely. Put only user-visible answer text inside <matrix_lite_final>...</matrix_lite_final>. - Use the live capability context above as the source of truth for current debug/capability tools; call capability/permission/context MCP tools when uncertain instead of relying on stale boot knowledge. - If permission is needed or a bridge denies a tool, emit the structured Matrix-lite approval tag from your stable prompt; do not only describe approval in prose. - If recent incomplete/failed turns mention an unhandled user intent, address it now before moving on. - Use attachment/reply metadata when present; otherwise ignore empty metadata sections. - Do not mention internal Matrix-lite metadata unless the user asks. User message: yes please try it, but make sure your edits are not going to get overwritten by scripts. we might add pruning helpers later that will flag the possibly stale items, but for now let's give it to curation/synthesis agents, you can also do it yourself if you see stale items


Good point. Let me check how these files are managed to make sure my edits stick.


Good — neither file gets blindly overwritten. The helper reads/modifies specific keys in `decision-state.json`, and the heartbeat appends to `curated-memory.md` without removing anything. Direct edits will stick. Let me migrate the search-engine comparison now.


Now let me republish the updated todo.md to pages:


Done. Here's what happened and why it's safe: **Migration proof of concept — search engine comparison:** - ✅ Removed from `decision-state.json` (no longer an active decision) - ✅ Added to `curated-memory.md` under new `## Settled Knowledge` section alongside ImmoScout24 details - ✅ Marked as "SETTLED" in `todo.md` with pointer to curated memory - ✅ Republished to pages **Why these edits won't get overwritten:** - `decision-state.json` — modified by helper commands (`note-decision`, `decision-mark`), **not** regenerated from scratch - `curated-memory.md` — heartbeat **appends** to it, never truncates or rewrites - `todo.md` — I regenerate it manually when things change; no script touches it **Settled Knowledge section** now holds things that are reference material, not open decisions. The pattern for future migrations is: if a decision thread has a firm conclusion and no open questions, it becomes a curated-memory bullet instead. I'll handle this as I notice settled items, and the heartbeat/synthesis agents can start doing the same once we define the "possibly stale" flag format.


You are Persistent Assistant running through Matrix-lite. Use the bootstrapped character/session context, live turn packet, and room-local conversation to answer the user naturally. Conversation metadata: - conversation_key: persistent:main - session_label: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z - prompt_package: None - shared_memory_profile: None - room_id: !CZLwoJfCyftA7oA5CVj2gIEKWqyv1lu01r0oFboEqZg - source_event_id: $zWig3-bPAX5B9ryfSxuhkV9If-zY8LCRHd_baOaNblY - reply_to_id: None - thread_root_id: None Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: mode: turn_packet # Persistent Chat Turn Packet Generated: 2026-05-18T13:25:35.574241+00:00 ## Live context ## Recent reload note # Recent Reload Note Generated: 2026-05-18T12:34:49.081738Z Result: ok Reason: restart persistent-chat Old session: persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z New session: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z Curation: skipped; ok=True; reason=disabled Packet health: turn=True; session=True; restore_alias=True; stale_turn=False; stale_session=False Details: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/reload-state.json If context seems missing, inspect the pre-reload handoff, restore/session packet, and canonical perpetual log before assuming memory loss. ## Backend restart/reload events Recent backend restart/reload events (must be visible to user/agents): - 2026-05-18T14:34:32+02:00: starting; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=? backend=(none) ctx=unavailable unavailable - 2026-05-18T14:34:50+02:00: finished; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z backend=ses_1c4eb4208ffe7u72UUkCBd67PV ctx=31123/200000 acpx usage_update ## Background synthesis notices Background synthesis notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T13:15:24Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=243680 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:20:34Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=246765 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:25:34Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=254423 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - If relevant, inspect the source report/log before acting; notices are pointers, not full context. Live runtime capability context: Runtime details are dynamic; use Matrix-lite status/capability/permission/context tools when current paths, timers, repo access, or reload policy matter. Do not rely on boot-time guesses. Recent room-local conversation: User: great thank you. observability is great - you see this item? • [ ] **Re-apply plan/general step limit → 1** — lost to May 16 failure cascade. this should already have been applied during the cascade, please confirm. Your step limit should be 80, 20 for curation/model hearbeat, 1 for plan/general so we see if they are unexpectedly in use Assistant: You're right — let me check the current step limits and fix that.Confirmed — the step limits are **already in place**: | Agent | Steps | |-------|-------| | **build** (main) | 80 | | **model-heartbeat** | 20 | | **plan** | 1 | | **general** | 1 | That stale action item was never cleaned up after the cascade applied the change. Let me fix that now.Good catch — that was a stale item I should have cleaned up. Here's the **verified state**: - **build**: `steps: 80` ✓ - **model-heartbeat**: `steps: 20` ✓ - **plan**: `steps: 1` ✓ - **general**: `steps: 1` ✓ The limits were already applied during the failure cascade on May 16; the action item just wasn't marked resolved. I've now: - Marked it resolved in `actions.jsonl` - Updated `todo.md` with a checkmark and verified values - The markers are: if `plan` or `general` ever use more than 1 step, that's visible in the telemetry and means something unexpected is consuming them User: won't decision state and actions become noisy for you if we keep adding more stuff there? i guess structured jsons are better than scattered files but we need to keep track of stale or outdated items Assistant: Fair question. The honest answer is: **yes, it will become noisy** if we don't actively manage it. The current system works because this session is young — but let me be upfront about the failure modes: **What I've already seen go stale:** - That "Re-apply step limit" item sat resolved for 2 days without being cleared - The "search-engine-comparison" decision thread is basically settled trivia, not an active decision - Old resolved actions accumulate in `actions.jsonl` with no cleanup **What should happen (but doesn't yet automatically):** | Problem | Fix needed | |---------|-----------| | Resolved actions accumulate | `prune-state` helper exists but needs to be called regularly — should be part of the heartbeat | | Decision threads become historical notes | Threads that are "settled knowledge" (not open decisions) should migrate to `curated-memory.md` and be removed from decision state | | No TTL for stale items | Could tag items with a review-by date; heartbeat flags anything past it | | Manual cleanup burden on me | I can do it, but if I forget, noise builds up | **The heartbeat already has `prune-state` access.** The model-heartbeat agent has permission to run `persistent-c …[truncated] User: 1. step limit sat for 2 days because we were down for most of them. but i agree not all of those todos are immediate and for some we might get back to them in a week or two. 2. we need a place for settled trivia too. search engine facts kinda belong in long term memory, not sure where it fits best - other website trivia like our immoscout experience, whatever other helpful details we discover, etc. curated memory is probably fine for now pruning needs to be done by model heartbeat, you or the synthesis agent - we can't trust this to scripts, maybe to just flag items for review and rewrite meta to 'possibly stale, needs review' or something Assistant: Makes sense. I agree with all of that: **On timing:** The step limit item sat because we were down — fair. The point stands that some items are "someday" (forgiving parser, early-stop detection) and that's fine. The todo dashboard shows priority, so it's clear what's deferred vs active. **On settled trivia:** Search engine comparison, Immoscout workflow, etc. — **curated memory is the right place.** The decision state should only hold things that are genuinely unresolved decisions. I can migrate settled threads out of decision state and into curated memory as part of heartbeat cleanup. I'll do the search-engine one right now as a test. **On pruning workflow:** Agreed — flag-don't-delete is the right model. The heartbeat/synthesis agent can check items and set `"status": "possibly-stale"` with a note, rather than silently deleting. That way you or I review flagged items when there's time. No script autonomy needed. Want me to move the search-engine comparison thread out of decision state into curated memory now as a proof of concept, and add the "flag for review" workflow to the heartbeat's responsibilities in the decision state? User: yes please try it, but make sure your edits are not going to get overwritten by scripts. we might add pruning helpers later that will flag the possibly stale items, but for now let's give it to curation/synthesis agents, you can also do it yourself if you see stale items Assistant: Good point. Let me check how these files are managed to make sure my edits stick.Good — neither file gets blindly overwritten. The helper reads/modifies specific keys in `decision-state.json`, and the heartbeat appends to `curated-memory.md` without removing anything. Direct edits will stick. Let me migrate the search-engine comparison now.Now let me republish the updated todo.md to pages:Done. Here's what happened and why it's safe: **Migration proof of concept — search engine comparison:** - ✅ Removed from `decision-state.json` (no longer an active decision) - ✅ Added to `curated-memory.md` under new `## Settled Knowledge` section alongside ImmoScout24 details - ✅ Marked as "SETTLED" in `todo.md` with pointer to curated memory - ✅ Republished to pages **Why these edits won't get overwritten:** - `decision-state.json` — modified by helper commands (`note-decision`, `decision-mark`), **not** regenerated from scratch - `curated-memory.md` — heartbeat **appends** to it, never truncates or rewrites - `todo.md` — I regenerate it manually when things change; no script touches it **Settled Knowledge section** now holds things that are reference material, not open decisions. The patte …[truncated] Recent incomplete/failed turns that still matter for continuity: - 2026-05-17T17:19:21.968268Z user said: Hmm I hope this doesn't break anything but in any case you should be able to edit those status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation - 2026-05-18T09:21:52.960196Z user said: test test status: failed; reason: ACPX completed without a final assistant message - 2026-05-18T13:30:13.409347Z user said: amazing, thanks. I am looking at your session pack, and there's a bunch of items like the following. i don't think they are from the synthesis agent, but they somehow get into the same block. the idea was that synthesis agent gives you turn/session notices, and also you might get them from reload scripts and other scripts in the future. Is there a bug here? ## Background synthesis notices Background synthesis notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T12:30:49Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=238502 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (so …[truncated] status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation Recent/current attachment metadata, if any: None Message this user replied to, if any: None Queued/batched messages, if any: None Per-turn volatile reminders: - Answer normally and concisely. Put only user-visible answer text inside <matrix_lite_final>...</matrix_lite_final>. - Use the live capability context above as the source of truth for current debug/capability tools; call capability/permission/context MCP tools when uncertain instead of relying on stale boot knowledge. - If permission is needed or a bridge denies a tool, emit the structured Matrix-lite approval tag from your stable prompt; do not only describe approval in prose. - If recent incomplete/failed turns mention an unhandled user intent, address it now before moving on. - Use attachment/reply metadata when present; otherwise ignore empty metadata sections. - Do not mention internal Matrix-lite metadata unless the user asks. User message: amazing, thanks. I am looking at your session pack, and there's a bunch of items like the following. i don't think they are from the synthesis agent, but they somehow get into the same block. the idea was that synthesis agent gives you turn/session notices, and also you might get them from reload scripts and other scripts in the future. Is there a bug here? ## Background synthesis notices Background synthesis notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T12:30:49Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=238502 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json)


context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=264279 threshold=190000 max=200000


You are Persistent Assistant running through Matrix-lite. Use the bootstrapped character/session context, live turn packet, and room-local conversation to answer the user naturally. Conversation metadata: - conversation_key: persistent:main - session_label: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z - prompt_package: None - shared_memory_profile: None - room_id: !CZLwoJfCyftA7oA5CVj2gIEKWqyv1lu01r0oFboEqZg - source_event_id: $kF3MyN4vUDOzKnXyO8dOksgPEUhHGvgwzJJUZ7o_kfQ - reply_to_id: None - thread_root_id: None Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: mode: turn_packet # Persistent Chat Turn Packet Generated: 2026-05-18T13:30:45.238911+00:00 ## Live context ## Recent reload note # Recent Reload Note Generated: 2026-05-18T12:34:49.081738Z Result: ok Reason: restart persistent-chat Old session: persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z New session: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z Curation: skipped; ok=True; reason=disabled Packet health: turn=True; session=True; restore_alias=True; stale_turn=False; stale_session=False Details: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/reload-state.json If context seems missing, inspect the pre-reload handoff, restore/session packet, and canonical perpetual log before assuming memory loss. ## Backend restart/reload events Recent backend restart/reload events (must be visible to user/agents): - 2026-05-18T14:34:32+02:00: starting; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=? backend=(none) ctx=unavailable unavailable - 2026-05-18T14:34:50+02:00: finished; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z backend=ses_1c4eb4208ffe7u72UUkCBd67PV ctx=31123/200000 acpx usage_update ## Background synthesis notices Background synthesis notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T13:20:34Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=246765 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:25:34Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=254423 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:30:44Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=254423 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - If relevant, inspect the source report/log before acting; notices are pointers, not full context. Live runtime capability context: Runtime details are dynamic; use Matrix-lite status/capability/permission/context tools when current paths, timers, repo access, or reload policy matter. Do not rely on boot-time guesses. Recent room-local conversation: User: won't decision state and actions become noisy for you if we keep adding more stuff there? i guess structured jsons are better than scattered files but we need to keep track of stale or outdated items Assistant: Fair question. The honest answer is: **yes, it will become noisy** if we don't actively manage it. The current system works because this session is young — but let me be upfront about the failure modes: **What I've already seen go stale:** - That "Re-apply step limit" item sat resolved for 2 days without being cleared - The "search-engine-comparison" decision thread is basically settled trivia, not an active decision - Old resolved actions accumulate in `actions.jsonl` with no cleanup **What should happen (but doesn't yet automatically):** | Problem | Fix needed | |---------|-----------| | Resolved actions accumulate | `prune-state` helper exists but needs to be called regularly — should be part of the heartbeat | | Decision threads become historical notes | Threads that are "settled knowledge" (not open decisions) should migrate to `curated-memory.md` and be removed from decision state | | No TTL for stale items | Could tag items with a review-by date; heartbeat flags anything past it | | Manual cleanup burden on me | I can do it, but if I forget, noise builds up | **The heartbeat already has `prune-state` access.** The model-heartbeat agent has permission to run `persistent-c …[truncated] User: 1. step limit sat for 2 days because we were down for most of them. but i agree not all of those todos are immediate and for some we might get back to them in a week or two. 2. we need a place for settled trivia too. search engine facts kinda belong in long term memory, not sure where it fits best - other website trivia like our immoscout experience, whatever other helpful details we discover, etc. curated memory is probably fine for now pruning needs to be done by model heartbeat, you or the synthesis agent - we can't trust this to scripts, maybe to just flag items for review and rewrite meta to 'possibly stale, needs review' or something Assistant: Makes sense. I agree with all of that: **On timing:** The step limit item sat because we were down — fair. The point stands that some items are "someday" (forgiving parser, early-stop detection) and that's fine. The todo dashboard shows priority, so it's clear what's deferred vs active. **On settled trivia:** Search engine comparison, Immoscout workflow, etc. — **curated memory is the right place.** The decision state should only hold things that are genuinely unresolved decisions. I can migrate settled threads out of decision state and into curated memory as part of heartbeat cleanup. I'll do the search-engine one right now as a test. **On pruning workflow:** Agreed — flag-don't-delete is the right model. The heartbeat/synthesis agent can check items and set `"status": "possibly-stale"` with a note, rather than silently deleting. That way you or I review flagged items when there's time. No script autonomy needed. Want me to move the search-engine comparison thread out of decision state into curated memory now as a proof of concept, and add the "flag for review" workflow to the heartbeat's responsibilities in the decision state? User: yes please try it, but make sure your edits are not going to get overwritten by scripts. we might add pruning helpers later that will flag the possibly stale items, but for now let's give it to curation/synthesis agents, you can also do it yourself if you see stale items Assistant: Good point. Let me check how these files are managed to make sure my edits stick.Good — neither file gets blindly overwritten. The helper reads/modifies specific keys in `decision-state.json`, and the heartbeat appends to `curated-memory.md` without removing anything. Direct edits will stick. Let me migrate the search-engine comparison now.Now let me republish the updated todo.md to pages:Done. Here's what happened and why it's safe: **Migration proof of concept — search engine comparison:** - ✅ Removed from `decision-state.json` (no longer an active decision) - ✅ Added to `curated-memory.md` under new `## Settled Knowledge` section alongside ImmoScout24 details - ✅ Marked as "SETTLED" in `todo.md` with pointer to curated memory - ✅ Republished to pages **Why these edits won't get overwritten:** - `decision-state.json` — modified by helper commands (`note-decision`, `decision-mark`), **not** regenerated from scratch - `curated-memory.md` — heartbeat **appends** to it, never truncates or rewrites - `todo.md` — I regenerate it manually when things change; no script touches it **Settled Knowledge section** now holds things that are reference material, not open decisions. The patte …[truncated] User: amazing, thanks. I am looking at your session pack, and there's a bunch of items like the following. i don't think they are from the synthesis agent, but they somehow get into the same block. the idea was that synthesis agent gives you turn/session notices, and also you might get them from reload scripts and other scripts in the future. Is there a bug here? ## Background synthesis notices Background synthesis notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T12:30:49Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=238502 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) Assistant: Good question — let me trace where these notices come from and see if there's a bug.Found the root cause. Here's the situation: **The `notices.jsonl` file is a shared attention queue** — both the synthesis agent and the context-guard script write to it: - **Synthesis agent** writes `type: "finding"`, `type: "action_item"`, `type: "blocker"` entries - **Context guard** writes `type: "context_guard"` entries with `status: "needs_main_agent"` The turn packet generator (`load_open_synthesis_notices`) just grabs the last 3-8 entries where `status` is `open`/`active`/`blocked`/`needs_main_agent` — regardless of source. So context-guard warnings get mixed into the "synthesis notices" section. **Is it a bug?** Mildly — it's more of a **label/design mismatch**: 1. **The section is misnamed** — should be "Background notices" or "Actionable notices", not "synthesis notices", since it's a shared channel 2. **Stale entries persist** — context-guard warnings for the *old* session (like the 12:30Z ones) keep showing up even after we reloaded, because nothing clears them from the file 3. **No deduplication** — same "reload recommended" for the same metric value gets appended every 5 minutes, …[truncated] Recent incomplete/failed turns that still matter for continuity: - 2026-05-17T17:19:21.968268Z user said: Hmm I hope this doesn't break anything but in any case you should be able to edit those status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation - 2026-05-18T09:21:52.960196Z user said: test test status: failed; reason: ACPX completed without a final assistant message - 2026-05-18T13:35:07.150581Z user said: i mean i do want you to fix it but we might just hit a permission error again. i see there is also a lot of noise in your turn packets now, it's supposed to be one time notes for one turn, and then you act on them - reload or tell me or help your synthesis agent, etc. and then they should be gone status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation Recent/current attachment metadata, if any: None Message this user replied to, if any: None Queued/batched messages, if any: None Per-turn volatile reminders: - Answer normally and concisely. Put only user-visible answer text inside <matrix_lite_final>...</matrix_lite_final>. - Use the live capability context above as the source of truth for current debug/capability tools; call capability/permission/context MCP tools when uncertain instead of relying on stale boot knowledge. - If permission is needed or a bridge denies a tool, emit the structured Matrix-lite approval tag from your stable prompt; do not only describe approval in prose. - If recent incomplete/failed turns mention an unhandled user intent, address it now before moving on. - Use attachment/reply metadata when present; otherwise ignore empty metadata sections. - Do not mention internal Matrix-lite metadata unless the user asks. User message: i mean i do want you to fix it but we might just hit a permission error again. i see there is also a lot of noise in your turn packets now, it's supposed to be one time notes for one turn, and then you act on them - reload or tell me or help your synthesis agent, etc. and then they should be gone


Good question — let me trace where these notices come from and see if there's a bug.


Found the root cause. Here's the situation: **The `notices.jsonl` file is a shared attention queue** — both the synthesis agent and the context-guard script write to it: - **Synthesis agent** writes `type: "finding"`, `type: "action_item"`, `type: "blocker"` entries - **Context guard** writes `type: "context_guard"` entries with `status: "needs_main_agent"` The turn packet generator (`load_open_synthesis_notices`) just grabs the last 3-8 entries where `status` is `open`/`active`/`blocked`/`needs_main_agent` — regardless of source. So context-guard warnings get mixed into the "synthesis notices" section. **Is it a bug?** Mildly — it's more of a **label/design mismatch**: 1. **The section is misnamed** — should be "Background notices" or "Actionable notices", not "synthesis notices", since it's a shared channel 2. **Stale entries persist** — context-guard warnings for the *old* session (like the 12:30Z ones) keep showing up even after we reloaded, because nothing clears them from the file 3. **No deduplication** — same "reload recommended" for the same metric value gets appended every 5 minutes, flooding the queue Want me to fix the naming in the script and add logic to suppress stale notices (e.g., skip context-guard entries referencing an old session label)? Or should I just fix the section label in the render function for now and tackle dedup later?


You're right — the design intent is one-shot notices that should be consumed. Let me fix this without touching scripts (which avoids permission issues). The fix is straightforward: after acting on a notice (reload, info, etc.), I should clear it. Let me clean up the stale ones now.


context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=281317 threshold=190000 max=200000


You're right — they should be consumed. Let me clean up the stale ones (old-session notices and resolved items) and fix the section label in the script.


Now let me rename the section label to fix the naming confusion:


Let me verify the cleaned-up notices file:


The blank line is harmless (JSONL parsers skip non-JSON lines), so I'll leave it. Here's what I fixed and the workflow going forward: **Fixed now:** - ✅ **Section renamed**: "Background synthesis notices" → "Notices" (in the render script, so next turn packet will show the new label) - ✅ **Old-session notices removed**: 4 stale context-guard entries from `persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z` deleted — we already reloaded, they were noise - ✅ **Resolved items marked**: Step-limit and heartbeat-blocker entries now have `"status":"resolved"` — the filter skips them **Workflow going forward (notices are one-shot):** 1. Notice appears in turn packet → I see it → **I act** (reload, investigate, tell you, flag for synthesis) 2. After acting, **I clear the notice** from `notices.jsonl` (either delete it or mark resolved) 3. Context guard can keep appending — that's fine, it's just a producer. I'm the consumer. 4. The render function already limits to last 3 entries in the turn packet, so duplicates naturally age out The key change is **I take responsibility for consuming notices** after acting on them, rather than letting them pile up forever.


context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=277777 threshold=190000 max=200000


You are Persistent Assistant running through Matrix-lite. Use the bootstrapped character/session context, live turn packet, and room-local conversation to answer the user naturally. Conversation metadata: - conversation_key: persistent:main - session_label: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z - prompt_package: None - shared_memory_profile: None - room_id: !CZLwoJfCyftA7oA5CVj2gIEKWqyv1lu01r0oFboEqZg - source_event_id: $G9PGejm0CSpT0TF6odNEOumwCjEfrbhRXFzJwvHPHC4 - reply_to_id: None - thread_root_id: None Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: mode: turn_packet # Persistent Chat Turn Packet Generated: 2026-05-18T13:41:15.173065+00:00 ## Live context ## Recent reload note # Recent Reload Note Generated: 2026-05-18T12:34:49.081738Z Result: ok Reason: restart persistent-chat Old session: persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z New session: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z Curation: skipped; ok=True; reason=disabled Packet health: turn=True; session=True; restore_alias=True; stale_turn=False; stale_session=False Details: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/reload-state.json If context seems missing, inspect the pre-reload handoff, restore/session packet, and canonical perpetual log before assuming memory loss. ## Backend restart/reload events Recent backend restart/reload events (must be visible to user/agents): - 2026-05-18T14:34:32+02:00: starting; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=? backend=(none) ctx=unavailable unavailable - 2026-05-18T14:34:50+02:00: finished; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z backend=ses_1c4eb4208ffe7u72UUkCBd67PV ctx=31123/200000 acpx usage_update ## Notices Notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T13:30:44Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=254423 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:35:44Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=264279 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:41:14Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=281317 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - If relevant, inspect the source report/log before acting; notices are pointers, not full context. Live runtime capability context: Runtime details are dynamic; use Matrix-lite status/capability/permission/context tools when current paths, timers, repo access, or reload policy matter. Do not rely on boot-time guesses. Recent room-local conversation: User: 1. step limit sat for 2 days because we were down for most of them. but i agree not all of those todos are immediate and for some we might get back to them in a week or two. 2. we need a place for settled trivia too. search engine facts kinda belong in long term memory, not sure where it fits best - other website trivia like our immoscout experience, whatever other helpful details we discover, etc. curated memory is probably fine for now pruning needs to be done by model heartbeat, you or the synthesis agent - we can't trust this to scripts, maybe to just flag items for review and rewrite meta to 'possibly stale, needs review' or something Assistant: Makes sense. I agree with all of that: **On timing:** The step limit item sat because we were down — fair. The point stands that some items are "someday" (forgiving parser, early-stop detection) and that's fine. The todo dashboard shows priority, so it's clear what's deferred vs active. **On settled trivia:** Search engine comparison, Immoscout workflow, etc. — **curated memory is the right place.** The decision state should only hold things that are genuinely unresolved decisions. I can migrate settled threads out of decision state and into curated memory as part of heartbeat cleanup. I'll do the search-engine one right now as a test. **On pruning workflow:** Agreed — flag-don't-delete is the right model. The heartbeat/synthesis agent can check items and set `"status": "possibly-stale"` with a note, rather than silently deleting. That way you or I review flagged items when there's time. No script autonomy needed. Want me to move the search-engine comparison thread out of decision state into curated memory now as a proof of concept, and add the "flag for review" workflow to the heartbeat's responsibilities in the decision state? User: yes please try it, but make sure your edits are not going to get overwritten by scripts. we might add pruning helpers later that will flag the possibly stale items, but for now let's give it to curation/synthesis agents, you can also do it yourself if you see stale items Assistant: Good point. Let me check how these files are managed to make sure my edits stick.Good — neither file gets blindly overwritten. The helper reads/modifies specific keys in `decision-state.json`, and the heartbeat appends to `curated-memory.md` without removing anything. Direct edits will stick. Let me migrate the search-engine comparison now.Now let me republish the updated todo.md to pages:Done. Here's what happened and why it's safe: **Migration proof of concept — search engine comparison:** - ✅ Removed from `decision-state.json` (no longer an active decision) - ✅ Added to `curated-memory.md` under new `## Settled Knowledge` section alongside ImmoScout24 details - ✅ Marked as "SETTLED" in `todo.md` with pointer to curated memory - ✅ Republished to pages **Why these edits won't get overwritten:** - `decision-state.json` — modified by helper commands (`note-decision`, `decision-mark`), **not** regenerated from scratch - `curated-memory.md` — heartbeat **appends** to it, never truncates or rewrites - `todo.md` — I regenerate it manually when things change; no script touches it **Settled Knowledge section** now holds things that are reference material, not open decisions. The patte …[truncated] User: amazing, thanks. I am looking at your session pack, and there's a bunch of items like the following. i don't think they are from the synthesis agent, but they somehow get into the same block. the idea was that synthesis agent gives you turn/session notices, and also you might get them from reload scripts and other scripts in the future. Is there a bug here? ## Background synthesis notices Background synthesis notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T12:30:49Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=238502 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) Assistant: Good question — let me trace where these notices come from and see if there's a bug.Found the root cause. Here's the situation: **The `notices.jsonl` file is a shared attention queue** — both the synthesis agent and the context-guard script write to it: - **Synthesis agent** writes `type: "finding"`, `type: "action_item"`, `type: "blocker"` entries - **Context guard** writes `type: "context_guard"` entries with `status: "needs_main_agent"` The turn packet generator (`load_open_synthesis_notices`) just grabs the last 3-8 entries where `status` is `open`/`active`/`blocked`/`needs_main_agent` — regardless of source. So context-guard warnings get mixed into the "synthesis notices" section. **Is it a bug?** Mildly — it's more of a **label/design mismatch**: 1. **The section is misnamed** — should be "Background notices" or "Actionable notices", not "synthesis notices", since it's a shared channel 2. **Stale entries persist** — context-guard warnings for the *old* session (like the 12:30Z ones) keep showing up even after we reloaded, because nothing clears them from the file 3. **No deduplication** — same "reload recommended" for the same metric value gets appended every 5 minutes, …[truncated] User: i mean i do want you to fix it but we might just hit a permission error again. i see there is also a lot of noise in your turn packets now, it's supposed to be one time notes for one turn, and then you act on them - reload or tell me or help your synthesis agent, etc. and then they should be gone Assistant: You're right — the design intent is one-shot notices that should be consumed. Let me fix this without touching scripts (which avoids permission issues). The fix is straightforward: after acting on a notice (reload, info, etc.), I should clear it. Let me clean up the stale ones now.You're right — they should be consumed. Let me clean up the stale ones (old-session notices and resolved items) and fix the section label in the script.Now let me rename the section label to fix the naming confusion:Let me verify the cleaned-up notices file:The blank line is harmless (JSONL parsers skip non-JSON lines), so I'll leave it. Here's what I fixed and the workflow going forward: **Fixed now:** - ✅ **Section renamed**: "Background synthesis notices" → "Notices" (in the render script, so next turn packet will show the new label) - ✅ **Old-session notices removed**: 4 stale context-guard entries from `persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z` deleted — we already reloaded, they were noise - ✅ **Resolved items marked**: Step-limit and heartbeat-blocker entries now have `"status":"resolved"` — the filter skips them **Workflow going forward (notices are one-shot):** 1. Notice appears in turn packet → I see …[truncated] Recent incomplete/failed turns that still matter for continuity: - 2026-05-17T17:19:21.968268Z user said: Hmm I hope this doesn't break anything but in any case you should be able to edit those status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation - 2026-05-18T09:21:52.960196Z user said: test test status: failed; reason: ACPX completed without a final assistant message - 2026-05-18T13:43:56.960850Z user said: there are still notices in turn packets even after hearbeat, i think the scripts might be adding them. also, do we really need a reload now as they say? and still a lot of noise - i think reload note and session details belong in session packet not turn status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation Recent/current attachment metadata, if any: None Message this user replied to, if any: None Queued/batched messages, if any: None Per-turn volatile reminders: - Answer normally and concisely. Put only user-visible answer text inside <matrix_lite_final>...</matrix_lite_final>. - Use the live capability context above as the source of truth for current debug/capability tools; call capability/permission/context MCP tools when uncertain instead of relying on stale boot knowledge. - If permission is needed or a bridge denies a tool, emit the structured Matrix-lite approval tag from your stable prompt; do not only describe approval in prose. - If recent incomplete/failed turns mention an unhandled user intent, address it now before moving on. - Use attachment/reply metadata when present; otherwise ignore empty metadata sections. - Do not mention internal Matrix-lite metadata unless the user asks. User message: there are still notices in turn packets even after hearbeat, i think the scripts might be adding them. also, do we really need a reload now as they say? and still a lot of noise - i think reload note and session details belong in session packet not turn


Two things to address: the context state (do we need a reload?) and the turn packet noise. Let me check the live status.


Here's the real situation on both questions: **Do we need a reload?** No — the 281K metric is misleading. It's `acpx_logical_context_tokens` which includes **280K of cache** (`cache_read: 280576`). The actual active context is only ~48K (stream estimate) with only 1,140 active tokens. This is the same cached-vs-active confusion we discussed earlier — the context guard is using a metric that includes cached tokens and crying wolf. **Why notices keep appearing:** The context-guard script runs every ~5 minutes, reads the inflated logical-context metric, and appends a new notice. My manual cleanup gets overwritten by the next run. The real fix is either: - Change the context-guard to use active context instead of logical context - Or deduplicate (skip if same metric value already has a notice) Both require editing the context-guard script, which risks permission issues. **On turn packet noise:** I agree — the reload note and session details are session-level, not turn-level. They should only appear in the session packet once, not in every single turn. That's a fix in the turn packet generator (`persistent-chat-memory`), which I can try. Want me to: 1. Fix the context-guard to use active context and deduplicate notices? (might hit permission wall) 2. Move reload note and session details out of the turn packet (only session packet)?


context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=288234 threshold=190000 max=200000


You are Persistent Assistant running through Matrix-lite. Use the bootstrapped character/session context, live turn packet, and room-local conversation to answer the user naturally. Conversation metadata: - conversation_key: persistent:main - session_label: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z - prompt_package: None - shared_memory_profile: None - room_id: !CZLwoJfCyftA7oA5CVj2gIEKWqyv1lu01r0oFboEqZg - source_event_id: $oBmHlGtwIDx_V6yu3iknxeFB-myIfUKqcVtzAcSWMjs - reply_to_id: None - thread_root_id: None Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: mode: turn_packet # Persistent Chat Turn Packet Generated: 2026-05-18T13:46:15.294776+00:00 ## Live context ## Recent reload note # Recent Reload Note Generated: 2026-05-18T12:34:49.081738Z Result: ok Reason: restart persistent-chat Old session: persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z New session: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z Curation: skipped; ok=True; reason=disabled Packet health: turn=True; session=True; restore_alias=True; stale_turn=False; stale_session=False Details: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/reload-state.json If context seems missing, inspect the pre-reload handoff, restore/session packet, and canonical perpetual log before assuming memory loss. ## Backend restart/reload events Recent backend restart/reload events (must be visible to user/agents): - 2026-05-18T14:34:32+02:00: starting; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=? backend=(none) ctx=unavailable unavailable - 2026-05-18T14:34:50+02:00: finished; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z backend=ses_1c4eb4208ffe7u72UUkCBd67PV ctx=31123/200000 acpx usage_update ## Notices Notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T13:35:44Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=264279 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:41:14Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=281317 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:46:14Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=277777 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - If relevant, inspect the source report/log before acting; notices are pointers, not full context. Live runtime capability context: Runtime details are dynamic; use Matrix-lite status/capability/permission/context tools when current paths, timers, repo access, or reload policy matter. Do not rely on boot-time guesses. Recent room-local conversation: User: yes please try it, but make sure your edits are not going to get overwritten by scripts. we might add pruning helpers later that will flag the possibly stale items, but for now let's give it to curation/synthesis agents, you can also do it yourself if you see stale items Assistant: Good point. Let me check how these files are managed to make sure my edits stick.Good — neither file gets blindly overwritten. The helper reads/modifies specific keys in `decision-state.json`, and the heartbeat appends to `curated-memory.md` without removing anything. Direct edits will stick. Let me migrate the search-engine comparison now.Now let me republish the updated todo.md to pages:Done. Here's what happened and why it's safe: **Migration proof of concept — search engine comparison:** - ✅ Removed from `decision-state.json` (no longer an active decision) - ✅ Added to `curated-memory.md` under new `## Settled Knowledge` section alongside ImmoScout24 details - ✅ Marked as "SETTLED" in `todo.md` with pointer to curated memory - ✅ Republished to pages **Why these edits won't get overwritten:** - `decision-state.json` — modified by helper commands (`note-decision`, `decision-mark`), **not** regenerated from scratch - `curated-memory.md` — heartbeat **appends** to it, never truncates or rewrites - `todo.md` — I regenerate it manually when things change; no script touches it **Settled Knowledge section** now holds things that are reference material, not open decisions. The patte …[truncated] User: amazing, thanks. I am looking at your session pack, and there's a bunch of items like the following. i don't think they are from the synthesis agent, but they somehow get into the same block. the idea was that synthesis agent gives you turn/session notices, and also you might get them from reload scripts and other scripts in the future. Is there a bug here? ## Background synthesis notices Background synthesis notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T12:30:49Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=238502 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) Assistant: Good question — let me trace where these notices come from and see if there's a bug.Found the root cause. Here's the situation: **The `notices.jsonl` file is a shared attention queue** — both the synthesis agent and the context-guard script write to it: - **Synthesis agent** writes `type: "finding"`, `type: "action_item"`, `type: "blocker"` entries - **Context guard** writes `type: "context_guard"` entries with `status: "needs_main_agent"` The turn packet generator (`load_open_synthesis_notices`) just grabs the last 3-8 entries where `status` is `open`/`active`/`blocked`/`needs_main_agent` — regardless of source. So context-guard warnings get mixed into the "synthesis notices" section. **Is it a bug?** Mildly — it's more of a **label/design mismatch**: 1. **The section is misnamed** — should be "Background notices" or "Actionable notices", not "synthesis notices", since it's a shared channel 2. **Stale entries persist** — context-guard warnings for the *old* session (like the 12:30Z ones) keep showing up even after we reloaded, because nothing clears them from the file 3. **No deduplication** — same "reload recommended" for the same metric value gets appended every 5 minutes, …[truncated] User: i mean i do want you to fix it but we might just hit a permission error again. i see there is also a lot of noise in your turn packets now, it's supposed to be one time notes for one turn, and then you act on them - reload or tell me or help your synthesis agent, etc. and then they should be gone Assistant: You're right — the design intent is one-shot notices that should be consumed. Let me fix this without touching scripts (which avoids permission issues). The fix is straightforward: after acting on a notice (reload, info, etc.), I should clear it. Let me clean up the stale ones now.You're right — they should be consumed. Let me clean up the stale ones (old-session notices and resolved items) and fix the section label in the script.Now let me rename the section label to fix the naming confusion:Let me verify the cleaned-up notices file:The blank line is harmless (JSONL parsers skip non-JSON lines), so I'll leave it. Here's what I fixed and the workflow going forward: **Fixed now:** - ✅ **Section renamed**: "Background synthesis notices" → "Notices" (in the render script, so next turn packet will show the new label) - ✅ **Old-session notices removed**: 4 stale context-guard entries from `persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z` deleted — we already reloaded, they were noise - ✅ **Resolved items marked**: Step-limit and heartbeat-blocker entries now have `"status":"resolved"` — the filter skips them **Workflow going forward (notices are one-shot):** 1. Notice appears in turn packet → I see …[truncated] User: there are still notices in turn packets even after hearbeat, i think the scripts might be adding them. also, do we really need a reload now as they say? and still a lot of noise - i think reload note and session details belong in session packet not turn Assistant: Two things to address: the context state (do we need a reload?) and the turn packet noise. Let me check the live status.Here's the real situation on both questions: **Do we need a reload?** No — the 281K metric is misleading. It's `acpx_logical_context_tokens` which includes **280K of cache** (`cache_read: 280576`). The actual active context is only ~48K (stream estimate) with only 1,140 active tokens. This is the same cached-vs-active confusion we discussed earlier — the context guard is using a metric that includes cached tokens and crying wolf. **Why notices keep appearing:** The context-guard script runs every ~5 minutes, reads the inflated logical-context metric, and appends a new notice. My manual cleanup gets overwritten by the next run. The real fix is either: - Change the context-guard to use active context instead of logical context - Or deduplicate (skip if same metric value already has a notice) Both require editing the context-guard script, which risks permission issues. **On turn packet noise:** I agree — the reload note and session details are session-level, not turn-level. They should only appear in the session packet once, not in every single turn. That's a fix …[truncated] Recent incomplete/failed turns that still matter for continuity: - 2026-05-17T17:19:21.968268Z user said: Hmm I hope this doesn't break anything but in any case you should be able to edit those status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation - 2026-05-18T09:21:52.960196Z user said: test test status: failed; reason: ACPX completed without a final assistant message - 2026-05-18T13:48:58.905285Z user said: hmm let's try it, just send me the proposed patch and i will allow it. check it yourself too so we don't overwrite anything important. Which of these 2 will be easier? status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation Recent/current attachment metadata, if any: None Message this user replied to, if any: None Queued/batched messages, if any: None Per-turn volatile reminders: - Answer normally and concisely. Put only user-visible answer text inside <matrix_lite_final>...</matrix_lite_final>. - Use the live capability context above as the source of truth for current debug/capability tools; call capability/permission/context MCP tools when uncertain instead of relying on stale boot knowledge. - If permission is needed or a bridge denies a tool, emit the structured Matrix-lite approval tag from your stable prompt; do not only describe approval in prose. - If recent incomplete/failed turns mention an unhandled user intent, address it now before moving on. - Use attachment/reply metadata when present; otherwise ignore empty metadata sections. - Do not mention internal Matrix-lite metadata unless the user asks. User message: hmm let's try it, just send me the proposed patch and i will allow it. check it yourself too so we don't overwrite anything important. Which of these 2 will be easier?


Let me quickly assess both to give you the right recommendation.


Good, I have the full picture. Let me assess both: **Context-guard fix** (~10 lines in a 189-line script) — **easier and more impactful** - Dedup: stop appending notices if one with the same title already exists nearby - Metric: use stream estimate (~48K) instead of logical context (~280K which includes cache) **Turn packet fix** (~20 lines in a 1500-line script) — purely cosmetic Here's the proposed patch for the context-guard:


Here's my recommendation: **Fix the context-guard script** — it's the easier, more impactful fix. Two small changes: **Change 1 — Dedup notices** (stop appending the same warning every 5 min): ```python # Replace line 135-136 def append_notice(title, summary, severity='warning'): append_jsonl(NOTICES, {'ts':now(),'type':'context_guard','status':'needs_main_agent',...}) # With: def load_jsonl(path): # new helper if not path.exists(): return [] return [json.loads(l) for l in path.read_text(errors='replace').splitlines() if l.strip()] def append_notice(title, summary, severity='warning'): existing=load_jsonl(NOTICES) for entry in existing[-5:]: # check last 5 entries if entry.get('type')=='context_guard' and entry.get('title')==title: return # dedup: skip if same notice already pending append_jsonl(NOTICES, {'ts':now(),'type':'context_guard','status':'needs_main_agent','severity':severity,'title':title,'summary':summary,'source_report':str(STATUS),'expires_at':''}) ``` **Change 2 — Fix metric** (use stream estimate instead of cache-inflated logical context): ```python # Replace lines 154-159 # metric_source=samples # metric_sample=max(metric_source, key=lambda s: ...) ← picks logical ctx (280K) # With: metric_source=samples # Prefer stream estimate — reflects actual live context without cached token inflation metric_sample=next((s for s in metric_source if s.get('source')=='acpx-stream-estimate'), max(metric_source, key=lambda s: max(int(s.get('contextish') or 0), int(s.get('total') or 0)), default={})) metric=int(metric_sample.get('total') or metric_sample.get('contextish') or 0) if metric_sample else 0 ``` **Why this is safe:** - Dedup only skips if the **same title** exists in the **last 5 entries** — different notice types still get through - Metric change picks stream estimate (~48K) first, but falls back to logical context if stream is unavailable - No existing data structures are changed — only what we compare against and how often we write **Files touched:** Just one script, ~8 net new lines, no deletions of existing logic. Want me to apply this and hand you the diff to review/approve?


You are Persistent Assistant running through Matrix-lite. Use the bootstrapped character/session context, live turn packet, and room-local conversation to answer the user naturally. Conversation metadata: - conversation_key: persistent:main - session_label: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z - prompt_package: None - shared_memory_profile: None - room_id: !CZLwoJfCyftA7oA5CVj2gIEKWqyv1lu01r0oFboEqZg - source_event_id: $k3k-UHD_sM6WsYew-zxPWW9BB6DaN4hUxmBpaY3oeyA - reply_to_id: None - thread_root_id: None Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: Persistent-chat memory/continuity context: mode: turn_packet # Persistent Chat Turn Packet Generated: 2026-05-18T13:51:25.265989+00:00 ## Live context ## Recent reload note # Recent Reload Note Generated: 2026-05-18T12:34:49.081738Z Result: ok Reason: restart persistent-chat Old session: persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z New session: persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z Curation: skipped; ok=True; reason=disabled Packet health: turn=True; session=True; restore_alias=True; stale_turn=False; stale_session=False Details: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/reload-state.json If context seems missing, inspect the pre-reload handoff, restore/session packet, and canonical perpetual log before assuming memory loss. ## Backend restart/reload events Recent backend restart/reload events (must be visible to user/agents): - 2026-05-18T14:34:32+02:00: starting; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=? backend=(none) ctx=unavailable unavailable - 2026-05-18T14:34:50+02:00: finished; reason=restart persistent-chat; old=persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z backend=ses_1c59bcf07ffeqslkj7QeqnpjFW ctx=238502/200000 acpx usage_update; new=persistent-chat-20260518T123431Z backend=ses_1c4eb4208ffe7u72UUkCBd67PV ctx=31123/200000 acpx usage_update ## Notices Notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T13:41:14Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=281317 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:46:14Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=277777 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - 2026-05-18T13:51:24Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=288234 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) - If relevant, inspect the source report/log before acting; notices are pointers, not full context. Live runtime capability context: Runtime details are dynamic; use Matrix-lite status/capability/permission/context tools when current paths, timers, repo access, or reload policy matter. Do not rely on boot-time guesses. Recent room-local conversation: User: amazing, thanks. I am looking at your session pack, and there's a bunch of items like the following. i don't think they are from the synthesis agent, but they somehow get into the same block. the idea was that synthesis agent gives you turn/session notices, and also you might get them from reload scripts and other scripts in the future. Is there a bug here? ## Background synthesis notices Background synthesis notices (actionable): - 2026-05-18T12:30:49Z [warning] Persistent-chat reload recommended: context guard recommends reload before overflow active_metric=238502 threshold=190000 max=200000; main agent should prepare a pre-reload handoff and trigger persistent-chat-reload when ready. (source: /home/matrix-lite/state/persistent-chat/context-guard.json) Assistant: Good question — let me trace where these notices come from and see if there's a bug.Found the root cause. Here's the situation: **The `notices.jsonl` file is a shared attention queue** — both the synthesis agent and the context-guard script write to it: - **Synthesis agent** writes `type: "finding"`, `type: "action_item"`, `type: "blocker"` entries - **Context guard** writes `type: "context_guard"` entries with `status: "needs_main_agent"` The turn packet generator (`load_open_synthesis_notices`) just grabs the last 3-8 entries where `status` is `open`/`active`/`blocked`/`needs_main_agent` — regardless of source. So context-guard warnings get mixed into the "synthesis notices" section. **Is it a bug?** Mildly — it's more of a **label/design mismatch**: 1. **The section is misnamed** — should be "Background notices" or "Actionable notices", not "synthesis notices", since it's a shared channel 2. **Stale entries persist** — context-guard warnings for the *old* session (like the 12:30Z ones) keep showing up even after we reloaded, because nothing clears them from the file 3. **No deduplication** — same "reload recommended" for the same metric value gets appended every 5 minutes, …[truncated] User: i mean i do want you to fix it but we might just hit a permission error again. i see there is also a lot of noise in your turn packets now, it's supposed to be one time notes for one turn, and then you act on them - reload or tell me or help your synthesis agent, etc. and then they should be gone Assistant: You're right — the design intent is one-shot notices that should be consumed. Let me fix this without touching scripts (which avoids permission issues). The fix is straightforward: after acting on a notice (reload, info, etc.), I should clear it. Let me clean up the stale ones now.You're right — they should be consumed. Let me clean up the stale ones (old-session notices and resolved items) and fix the section label in the script.Now let me rename the section label to fix the naming confusion:Let me verify the cleaned-up notices file:The blank line is harmless (JSONL parsers skip non-JSON lines), so I'll leave it. Here's what I fixed and the workflow going forward: **Fixed now:** - ✅ **Section renamed**: "Background synthesis notices" → "Notices" (in the render script, so next turn packet will show the new label) - ✅ **Old-session notices removed**: 4 stale context-guard entries from `persistent-chat-20260517T115406Z` deleted — we already reloaded, they were noise - ✅ **Resolved items marked**: Step-limit and heartbeat-blocker entries now have `"status":"resolved"` — the filter skips them **Workflow going forward (notices are one-shot):** 1. Notice appears in turn packet → I see …[truncated] User: there are still notices in turn packets even after hearbeat, i think the scripts might be adding them. also, do we really need a reload now as they say? and still a lot of noise - i think reload note and session details belong in session packet not turn Assistant: Two things to address: the context state (do we need a reload?) and the turn packet noise. Let me check the live status.Here's the real situation on both questions: **Do we need a reload?** No — the 281K metric is misleading. It's `acpx_logical_context_tokens` which includes **280K of cache** (`cache_read: 280576`). The actual active context is only ~48K (stream estimate) with only 1,140 active tokens. This is the same cached-vs-active confusion we discussed earlier — the context guard is using a metric that includes cached tokens and crying wolf. **Why notices keep appearing:** The context-guard script runs every ~5 minutes, reads the inflated logical-context metric, and appends a new notice. My manual cleanup gets overwritten by the next run. The real fix is either: - Change the context-guard to use active context instead of logical context - Or deduplicate (skip if same metric value already has a notice) Both require editing the context-guard script, which risks permission issues. **On turn packet noise:** I agree — the reload note and session details are session-level, not turn-level. They should only appear in the session packet once, not in every single turn. That's a fix …[truncated] User: hmm let's try it, just send me the proposed patch and i will allow it. check it yourself too so we don't overwrite anything important. Which of these 2 will be easier? Assistant: Let me quickly assess both to give you the right recommendation.Good, I have the full picture. Let me assess both: **Context-guard fix** (~10 lines in a 189-line script) — **easier and more impactful** - Dedup: stop appending notices if one with the same title already exists nearby - Metric: use stream estimate (~48K) instead of logical context (~280K which includes cache) **Turn packet fix** (~20 lines in a 1500-line script) — purely cosmetic Here's the proposed patch for the context-guard:Here's my recommendation: **Fix the context-guard script** — it's the easier, more impactful fix. Two small changes: **Change 1 — Dedup notices** (stop appending the same warning every 5 min): `python # Replace line 135-136 def append_notice(title, summary, severity='warning'): append_jsonl(NOTICES, {'ts':now(),'type':'context_guard','status':'needs_main_agent',...}) # With: def load_jsonl(path): # new helper if not path.exists(): return [] return [json.loads(l) for l in path.read_text(errors='replace').splitlines() if l.strip()] def append_notice(title, summary, severity='warning'): existing=load_jsonl(NOTICES) for entry in existing[-5:]: # check last 5 entries …[truncated] Recent incomplete/failed turns that still matter for continuity: - 2026-05-17T17:19:21.968268Z user said: Hmm I hope this doesn't break anything but in any case you should be able to edit those status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation - 2026-05-18T09:21:52.960196Z user said: test test status: failed; reason: ACPX completed without a final assistant message - 2026-05-18T13:53:16.847989Z user said: Let's try the context guard patch, check it again ask permission if needed and apply status: user_only; reason: queued_for_conversation Recent/current attachment metadata, if any: None Message this user replied to, if any: None Queued/batched messages, if any: None Per-turn volatile reminders: - Answer normally and concisely. Put only user-visible answer text inside <matrix_lite_final>...</matrix_lite_final>. - Use the live capability context above as the source of truth for current debug/capability tools; call capability/permission/context MCP tools when uncertain instead of relying on stale boot knowledge. - If permission is needed or a bridge denies a tool, emit the structured Matrix-lite approval tag from your stable prompt; do not only describe approval in prose. - If recent incomplete/failed turns mention an unhandled user intent, address it now before moving on. - Use attachment/reply metadata when present; otherwise ignore empty metadata sections. - Do not mention internal Matrix-lite metadata unless the user asks. User message: Let's try the context guard patch, check it again ask permission if needed and apply


Let me read the exact lines to apply the patch cleanly.


Now the metric fix:


Let me verify both changes look right:


Patches applied. Let me give you the final diff for your review: **File:** `/home/matrix-lite/app/scripts/persistent-chat-context-guard` **Change 1 — Dedup (lines 131-144):** ```python def append_jsonl(path, obj): path.parent.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True) with path.open('a',encoding='utf8') as f: f.write(json.dumps(obj, ensure_ascii=False)+'\n') def load_jsonl(path): # ← NEW if not path.exists(): return [] return [json.loads(l) for l in path.read_text(errors='replace').splitlines() if l.strip()] def append_notice(title, summary, severity='warning'): existing=load_jsonl(NOTICES) # ← NEW: check last 5 entries for entry in existing[-5:]: if entry.get('type')=='context_guard' and entry.get('title')==title: return # ← NEW: skip if duplicate append_jsonl(NOTICES, {'ts':now(),'type':'context_guard','status':'needs_main_agent','severity':severity,'title':title,'summary':summary,'source_report':str(STATUS),'expires_at':''}) ``` **Change 2 — Metric fix (lines 162-168):** ```python # Prefer stream estimate (chars/4) for reload decisions — reflects actual # live context without cached-token inflation from logical context metric. # Falls back to max sample if stream estimate is unavailable. metric_source=samples metric_sample=next((s for s in metric_source if s.get('source')=='acpx-stream-estimate'), max(metric_source, key=lambda s: max(int(s.get('contextish') or 0), int(s.get('total') or 0)), default={})) metric=int(metric_sample.get('total') or metric_sample.get('contextish') or 0) if metric_sample else 0 ``` **What this does:** 1. **No more duplicate notices** — same warning won't be appended twice within the last 5 entries 2. **Correct metric** — uses stream estimate (~48K current) instead of cache-inflated logical context (~288K), so no more false "reload recommended" alerts 3. **Safe fallback** — if stream estimate is unavailable, falls back to the old max-sample logic The patches look correct visually (verified the file). Since I hit the bash permission wall for syntax check, want me to try running it directly to confirm?