# Context compaction keeps what matters, cheaply and quickly (`context.compaction`)

Feedback Bench, coding agents, built 2026-10-19, window 2026-08-31 to 2026-10-18. Web page: https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/#/criterion/context.compaction

Area: [Instructing and context](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/criteria/context.md)

**Definition.** How automatic or manual compaction summarises history: what it drops, how long it takes, what it costs, and whether it is visible.

**Boundary.** Not this: see [Output degrades as the context window fills](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/criteria/context.long_context_decay.md) for degradation without compaction.

Rated user-weeks, all agents: 1407. Complaint share: 64%.

## The brief

Written by large language models from this page's numbers and the posts it quotes, then checked: every number in the text is in the build. Interpretation, not measurement.

Pi and Claude Code handle compaction best. Their users say it runs fast and keeps token use down, so they stop worrying about it. Pi users say its summaries cut input tokens. Claude Code users say auto-compaction is now almost instant. Compaction is the 22nd most rated of 63 criteria, and 64.1% of the user-weeks that rate it complain. OpenAI Codex and Google Antigravity rank low. Their users say compaction fires every few messages, long before the context is full. Codex users write 33% of the category's complaints here.

### What separates the best from the rest

Users of Pi and Claude Code describe compaction that is quick and cheap enough to ignore. Users of OpenAI Codex and Google Antigravity describe compaction that interrupts them. It fires in the middle of a task, repeats every few messages and gives them no way to control it. Claude Code still ranks high, yet it draws 45% of the category's complaints. Its users rate compaction 2.82 times as often as other users do.

- **Ranks high**: [Claude Code](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/claude-code.md), [Pi](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/pi.md)
  - Claude Code, 2026-10-17, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@claudedevs ah so that’s why compacting / auto compacting is almost instantaneous now. nice!” [source](https://twitter.com/276553104/status/2111501709637816636)
  - Pi, 2026-09-25, @pidotdev (X): “read some code of @pidotdev . it compacts session summary really well which reduces input token consumption nearly ~50% ( in some cases).” [source](https://twitter.com/1326554840042934273/status/2103624224145617404)
- **Ranks low**: [OpenAI Codex](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/codex.md), [Google Antigravity](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/antigravity.md)
  - Google Antigravity, 2026-10-11, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “the long context window thing is such a propaganda that google is playing, in antigravity the context get auto compacted at 25% of the context window and like that too mid execution with no hooks or anything for control....” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1x33an3/unpopular_opinion_90_of_the_hate_toward_google/pf9syfm/)
  - OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-12, r/codex (Reddit): “little update: one of my large projects is basically now constantly part compacting gg.. 500k.. think 2 sec... 800k.. compact.. 500k think 2 sec 800k... nice great change !” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x3n28b/day_7_tibo/pfel2hx/)

## How it breaks

Rule: A separate pass sorts complaints into failure modes. For each criterion with at least 30 complaining user-weeks, a large language model reads 150 complaint posts drawn at random and names 4 to 8 failure modes; a second large language model then puts every complaint post on that criterion in one mode, or in Other when it fits none. Modes are fixed once named, and new posts are sorted into them each week. A mode counts distinct user-weeks with a complaint in it, per agent; across agents, one user-week per agent. Modes do not change the labels or the Feedback Score. Examples: up to 3 posts per mode from different users, chosen and checked as receipts are.

The largest failure mode is the summary itself. After compaction the agent forgets goals, decisions and finished steps. This makes up 25% of complaining user-weeks, mostly from Claude Code and OpenAI Codex users. Two modes belong mostly to Claude Code: no control over timing or content (67%) and compaction that burns tokens or quota (64%). Slow compaction belongs mostly to OpenAI Codex (69%). Codex also has the largest share (48%) of complaints that compaction fires too often.

939 complaining user-weeks.

| Failure mode | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) | Definition |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Summary drops decisions, goals and progress | 235 | 260 | Claude Code 118, OpenAI Codex 71, OpenCode 17, Pi 10, Google Antigravity 7, Cursor 6, Cline 2, GitHub Copilot 2, Amp 1, Kiro 1 | After compaction the agent has lost task goals, todos, instructions, prior decisions or which steps already ran, so it drifts, repeats work or goes off track; this excludes cost, speed and outright compaction errors. |
| Compaction burns excessive tokens or quota | 181 | 205 | Claude Code 115, OpenAI Codex 54, OpenCode 5, Google Antigravity 2, Pi 2, Cline 1, Cursor 1, Devin 1 | A single compaction, or the file re-reads that follow it, eats a large share of usage limits or money, often because the cache is missed or expired; this excludes the general cost of keeping a large context that never gets compacted. |
| Compaction triggers too often or too early | 159 | 171 | OpenAI Codex 77, Claude Code 37, OpenCode 22, Google Antigravity 11, Pi 4, Zed 3, GitHub Copilot 2, Cursor 2, Kiro 1 | Auto-compaction fires every few messages, well below the context limit, on idle sessions, or in the middle of a single prompt or subagent report; this excludes complaints about what the summary keeps. |
| No control over compaction timing or content | 157 | 165 | Claude Code 105, OpenAI Codex 20, Pi 12, OpenCode 11, Google Antigravity 4, Cline 3, Cursor 1, Kiro 1 | Users can't choose the moment, say what to keep, give a custom prompt, let the agent wrap up first, or reach a manual compact command, so many turn compaction off and write handoff files by hand; this excludes missing warnings alone. |
| Compaction fails, hangs or loops | 79 | 86 | OpenAI Codex 33, OpenCode 19, Claude Code 11, Pi 9, Google Antigravity 3, Zed 2, Cline 1, Cursor 1 | Compaction throws errors, never finishes, or fires again and again without progress, leaving the session stuck or draining usage; this excludes compactions that finish but are slow or lossy. |
| Compaction runs too slowly | 59 | 62 | OpenAI Codex 41, Claude Code 12, Pi 5, OpenCode 1 | Compaction takes minutes to hours and blocks the session while it runs; this excludes compactions that never finish or that loop. |
| No visibility or warning before compaction | 53 | 53 | Claude Code 31, OpenAI Codex 9, Google Antigravity 4, GitHub Copilot 3, Cursor 2, Pi 2, Cline 1, Devin 1 | Users get no fill indicator, no warning and no clear rule for when or how compaction will happen and what it costs, so resets catch them off guard; this excludes the question of whether they can steer the compaction. |
| Other | 81 | 81 | Claude Code 34, OpenAI Codex 24, Google Antigravity 7, Pi 6, OpenCode 5, GitHub Copilot 2, Amp 1, Cline 1, Cursor 1 | Complaints that fit none of the modes above. |

#### Summary drops decisions, goals and progress

- Claude Code, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “agreed. i've already hit auto-compress at like 900k tokens written several times on accident, and then ended up wondering why claude completely forgot several things it just worked on” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x7md3q/any_easy_way_to_get_back_the_old_claude_code/ph8g1kt/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-10, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@claudedevs claude code doing something weird again with the compacted while idle running automatically. make it optional. it loses all valuable context and can't restore to pre-compacted state properly.” [source](https://twitter.com/317966369/status/2108834950933774624)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-09, r/codex (Reddit): “it was . now, after compacting, forget about system tools as well” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x1r49a/compacting_context/pewgtlc/)

#### Compaction burns excessive tokens or quota

- Claude Code, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “did they actually improve the way it compacts? i still think it’s a waste of tokens over a handoff doc…” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x8ech8/calling_out_every_claude_code_pro_running_long/phc155o/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-16, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “it is neither productive or cost efficient to compact at 125k. compacting costs money in the form of output tokens and *re-reading the same, task specific set of files anew, without cache*.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x6j082/got_into_a_debate_work_about_why_my_token_usage/ph1nyha/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-11, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “auto compaction is not your friend, generally speaking. if you're doing it, though, i guess it's best before the prompt cache.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x2vc7g/just_noticed_this_wonderful_gem_in_my_cli_windows/pf5qsfp/)

#### Compaction triggers too often or too early

- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-17, r/codex (Reddit): “it’s fucking compacting every 2-3 messages it’s fucking infuriating. i am making very basic ui changes.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x7qk6h/why_does_codex_compact_conversation_too_early_any/ph98j8y/)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-14, r/codex (Reddit): “autocompaction started at 328k when i asked it to give me a commit msg” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x5m40p/context_window_supposedly_increased/pgnj5vd/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-14, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@claudedevs my sessions are auto compacting even at low context window capacity. is that a new update? cause i don't seem to like it.” [source](https://twitter.com/2967672629/status/2110397803751243789)

#### No control over compaction timing or content

- Claude Code, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “simply saying "wrap up and generate handoff" is better than auto compact. unless ur auto compact is like 25% of total context soak.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x8ech8/calling_out_every_claude_code_pro_running_long/phby234/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-11, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “what if i don't want it to compact compactions kind of suck” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x2vc7g/just_noticed_this_wonderful_gem_in_my_cli_windows/pf5p6tb/)
- OpenCode, 2026-10-09, r/opencode (Reddit): “this is what ive been doing but if i look away then it doesnt do it automatically lol chatgpt told me to add "compaction": { "auto": true, "prune": true } } to my settings but it didnt seem to work” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1x11824/im_brand_new_to_ai_stuff_and_could_use_some_advice/pesup5r/)

#### Compaction fails, hangs or loops

- OpenCode, 2026-10-17, r/opencode (Reddit): “why is this happening? it has been stuck in a compaction loop and i can't seem to stop it...” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1x8i0na/anyone_else_having_an_issue_with_deepseek_v41/)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-12, r/codex (Reddit): “i got funny error. my context window auto updated to 500k and then stuck on compaction context... for an hour. restarted codex, got my 250k context back haha.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x45cci/this_is_a_new_release_from_codex/pfgywbh/)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-10, X search: OpenAI Codex, Codex CLI, Codex app (X): “opened a fresh codex cli window just to work on two images two images. that's it and it keeps compacting the conversation over and over, like it's stuck in some stupid loop what the hell is it even compacting? there's barely any context yet [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1639954740758073344/status/2108907787741004177)

#### Compaction runs too slowly

- OpenCode, 2026-10-16, @opencode (X): “@deepseek_ai v4.1 flash free compacts every 5 minutes, and take 5 minutes to complete how is this small context useful in 2026 for even personal data projects? please advise. @opencode @thdxr @jayair [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1510027424/status/2111104989242458574)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-09, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “i just compacted my session and it still took a couple minutes for me” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x1lgw9/claude_code_compation_extremely_fast/peuh7ts/)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-05, r/codex (Reddit): “compact also takes 5 years and the shitty 258k tokens doesn't help at all, claude not only has 1m context but their compact is like 3 times faster too, how is this even possible?” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wyhcvo/speed_got_better_report_yours/pe2rje4/)

#### No visibility or warning before compaction

- Claude Code, 2026-10-07, @ClaudeDevs (X): “why is this "auto compact on idle" feature turned on by default, and why doesn't it show up in /config bro i want my context exactly as i left it there pls @claudedevs [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1505990921187471363/status/2107866804144238706)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-06, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “i got tired of not knowing what claude was doing when compacting. so i built a mod to show me what the compacted prompt is and what the original was. this way i can see what is missed and copy older context back if necessary. try it. [link]” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wy932a/do_you_tell_claude_before_running_compact/pe521ex/)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-05, r/codex (Reddit): “whenever i see compacting context now message now i get visibly irritated” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wyhcvo/speed_got_better_report_yours/pe2voqq/)

#### Other

- OpenCode, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “codex autocompact is pretty good, it almost feels like it didn’t lose any context at all. unlike compacting on opencode, maybe claude code compacts is as good as codex but i haven’t figured that out yet.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x8ech8/calling_out_every_claude_code_pro_running_long/phcd7pc/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-16, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “auto compaction is terrible. do not do this. just manage your session.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x6j082/got_into_a_debate_work_about_why_my_token_usage/ph3vr65/)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-15, r/codex (Reddit): “it’s so offensive that we finally articulated what’s in our mind those complex ideas and thoughts, only to be encountered with “compacting context”” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x6bh0n/every_time_i_ask_codex_something_complex/pgtyupy/)

## Top requests

What users ask to add or change, most asked first. 324 user-weeks ask for something. Requests do not change the Feedback Score. Rule: A separate pass by a large language model reads every counted post and extracts what the user asks the agent or its vendor to add or change, with the criteria it maps to and a short normalised wording; it does not touch the labels or the Feedback Score. A large language model groups the wordings within each criterion (the first criterion the request maps to) into themes, and a second pass merges themes that ask for the same change under different criteria; a merged theme sits under the criterion most of its requests map to, and code counts it once. A theme counts distinct user-weeks that ask for it, per agent; across agents, one user-week per agent. Themes asked in fewer than 2 user-weeks, and requests that share no theme, are not shown. Examples: up to 3 posts per theme from different users, without slurs: whole posts of 60 to 450 characters with at least 8 words beyond handles and links, posts of at most 280 characters first, then the newest.

| Rank | Request | User-weeks | Posts | Agents (user-weeks) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Compaction preserves critical task context | 23 | 23 | OpenAI Codex 9, Claude Code 8, Google Antigravity 3, OpenCode 2, Pi 1 |
| 2 | Manual compaction command and timing control | 20 | 21 | Google Antigravity 8, Claude Code 7, Cline 2, Amp 1, OpenAI Codex 1, OpenCode 1 |
| 3 | Less frequent compaction | 19 | 24 | OpenAI Codex 7, Google Antigravity 4, Claude Code 4, Pi 2, OpenCode 1, Zed 1 |
| 4 | Configurable auto-compaction threshold | 18 | 18 | Google Antigravity 5, Claude Code 4, OpenAI Codex 3, Pi 2, Zed 2, Cline 1, Devin 1 |
| 5 | Cheaper compaction with lower usage cost | 16 | 16 | Claude Code 9, OpenAI Codex 3, OpenCode 2, Google Antigravity 1, Pi 1 |
| 6 | Fix compaction bugs, loops and crashes | 14 | 15 | OpenAI Codex 6, Claude Code 2, Cursor 2, OpenCode 2, Google Antigravity 1, Pi 1 |
| 7 | Better compaction summary quality | 13 | 13 | Claude Code 6, Pi 4, OpenCode 2, OpenAI Codex 1 |
| 8 | Configurable context window size | 13 | 13 | OpenAI Codex 9, Claude Code 4 |
| 9 | Toggle to disable auto-compaction | 12 | 13 | Claude Code 9, OpenAI Codex 1, OpenCode 1, Pi 1 |
| 10 | Idle compaction before prompt cache expires | 12 | 12 | Claude Code 6, OpenAI Codex 5, Pi 1 |
| 11 | Visible compaction summary and context usage | 12 | 12 | OpenAI Codex 4, Google Antigravity 3, Claude Code 3, OpenCode 1, Pi 1 |
| 12 | Automatic compaction enabled by default | 11 | 11 | Claude Code 5, OpenAI Codex 4, Google Antigravity 1, OpenCode 1 |

### 1. Compaction preserves critical task context

- Claude Code, 2026-10-08, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@claudedevs haiku doing compactions is the part i'd watch. if the summary quietly drops one constraint, opus inherits the wrong premise and builds on it with full confidence. can you pin what a compaction must keep, or is it all up to the summarizer?” [source](https://twitter.com/1486209719740289024/status/2108000144100581627)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-10-06, @antigravity (X): “@adhidesign @googledeepmind @antigravity improve the compaction. chat truncation is really bad. whereas the likes of cline almost has “infinite” memory in a single chat session. also fully leverage gemini’s token limits before compaction” [source](https://twitter.com/2492820605/status/2107459763151782186)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-04, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “i've had that for "preserve everything you did and why for each step of the plan" in /compact” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wx3k1c/be_careful_what_you_wish_for/pdrgras/)

### 2. Manual compaction command and timing control

- Claude Code, 2026-09-28, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@claudedevs @claudeai we need a "compact after this turn" option. sometimes i'm away for a bit, then get bit with a non-cached compaction. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/58914498/status/2104387956144271362)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-20, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “i'm waiting for the ability to compact a conversation or like a branch new conversation feature 💔” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wk1y1u/antigravity_2_release_v2150/paxe0he/)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-19, @antigravity (X): “@tigerjpeg @antigravity hey please improve antigravity it lacks a lot of features like computer use design mode and a lot of basic commands like fork compact etc feels bare 🦴 and ide has not received update for a month” [source](https://twitter.com/2044713468931031040/status/2101359368688324765)

### 3. Less frequent compaction

- Claude Code, 2026-10-09, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “this feel like old advice. i run agentic coding flows, and see 500-600k as a more sensible limit. 300k limits would be hit really fast, and compact too often” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x0ubas/i_counted_122_compactions_in_my_claude_code_logs/peu5jwu/)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-06, r/codex (Reddit): “no, not takes. i am running out of 280k of context very fast. so compaction again and again. just a massive codebase.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wyocbj/context_limit_at_258k_tokens/pe95ezp/)
- Zed, 2026-09-30, r/ZedEditor (Reddit): “anyone figured out the config to use claude with a 1m context? too much compacting” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ZedEditor/comments/1wu335x/whats_the_configuration_built_upon/pczprxs/)

### 4. Configurable auto-compaction threshold

- Google Antigravity, 2026-10-11, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “the long context window thing is such a propaganda that google is playing, in antigravity the context get auto compacted at 25% of the context window and like that too mid execution with no hooks or anything for control....” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1x33an3/unpopular_opinion_90_of_the_hate_toward_google/pf9syfm/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-01, r/ClaudeAI (Reddit): “yeah, claude code really ties your hands here. any other harness lets you specify your compaction threshold and how detailed you want it. you essentially get all that manual busywork done for free, in one long searchable session.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1wui0hj/can_you_force_claude_to_write_a_handoff_md_file/pd5k3p2/)
- Zed, 2026-09-30, r/ZedEditor (Reddit): “you need to set the trigger lower (45%-50%), sometimes it will blow through its window before it can compact. and when it gets close to 50% you should just run it manually anyways. /c” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ZedEditor/comments/1wb0yeo/local_llm_compaction_issue_guidance/pd0qmfh/)

### 5. Cheaper compaction with lower usage cost

- Claude Code, 2026-10-11, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “compacting costs tokens, and i dont need old context in chat. i edited my post with much more information” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x0ya1v/holy_fucking_shit_this_is_amazing/pfbvjmp/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-05, r/codex (Reddit): “[link] this is astra in claudecode the only problem is the price of compactions...” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wxzzbi/quasinative_claude_support_in_codex_anyone/pdzg09b/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-04, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “it’s always been the system auto-burning a serious amount of tokens in compacting as i exceed context windows. especially if it needs to compact a second or third time. yet, i never thought to reduce the output.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wxd1xr/embarrassing/pdtq3l4/)

### 6. Fix compaction bugs, loops and crashes

- Cursor, 2026-10-13, @cursor_ai (X): “.@cursor_ai @leerob @poteto pls tag/share with folks who work on the ide cursor has a weird bug with compaction/summarizing when model "auto" is selected context x% -> /summarize -> compacts -> next turn -> context (x + y)% note: enterprise plan” [source](https://twitter.com/1309695877888368640/status/2109993433096130628)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-26, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “stop piling up useless enhancements… get basic harness fixed plz .. basic things like compaction and auto-approval are the only thing we need” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wdrp1g/antigravity_20_release_v2130/pc5r8ps/)
- Claude Code, 2026-09-26, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@claudedevs no one wants to stop, if anything we want to keep going with auto-compact.” [source](https://twitter.com/1860080142355406848/status/2103915314333225279)

### 7. Better compaction summary quality

- Claude Code, 2026-10-01, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “a handover skill with plan mode + clear context is honestly extremely underrated. kilo code actually pioneered this. not sure why claude code (cc) hasn't implemented this yet. cc native compact is lossy and vague, and should be phased out altogether.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1wv9jxk/nerf_fixed/pd9ztbx/)
- Pi, 2026-09-27, r/PiCodingAgent (Reddit): “curious as well. i've been reading good things about codex compaction enhancements recently. would be nice to port some of that over to pi if possible.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1wrq50c/new_session_handoff_vs_compact_which_do_you_prefer/pcettr9/)
- Pi, 2026-09-22, @pidotdev (X): “@pidotdev remote control native support. better compaction. human-writing like :)” [source](https://twitter.com/89646598/status/2102407468450296138)

### 8. Configurable context window size

- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-12, r/codex (Reddit): “we complain because you could always change it to 500k and sol in codex was supposed not to cost more for longer context already. so what happened they just updated one default config value. superb update. :/” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x3n28b/day_7_tibo/pfe3lgg/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-08, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “there is a setting, please for the love of god make it around 300k max” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x0ubas/i_counted_122_compactions_in_my_claude_code_logs/peoy8ag/)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-07, r/codex (Reddit): “is there a way to reduce the context window max size to like 256k?” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x054pd/so_i_just_tried_opus_55_and_compared_it_on_the/pei6kky/)

### 9. Toggle to disable auto-compaction

- Claude Code, 2026-10-12, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “have also noticed it recently doing this just before the cache would go stale. need to figure out how to turn it off. was at like 22% context window and it compacted.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x44yiu/has_anyone_noticed_sessions_autocompacting/pfhlhfz/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-11, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “i hate it. i disabled after it screwed my first conversation, but it shouldn't be on by default.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x2vc7g/just_noticed_this_wonderful_gem_in_my_cli_windows/pf5ugln/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-11, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “pretty cool, but i’d love a toggle for this. auto-compacting is great until it decides to throw away context you actually wanted to keep lol” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x2vc7g/just_noticed_this_wonderful_gem_in_my_cli_windows/pf5qa9x/)

### 10. Idle compaction before prompt cache expires

- Claude Code, 2026-10-13, @ClaudeDevs (X): “feature idea @claudedevs: when claude is idle and the cache is about to expire and the context is almost full, do auto compaction. so you don't have to pay for new cache write, just to do compaction afterwards anyway” [source](https://twitter.com/252090733/status/2110001002027905300)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-13, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@claudedevs can we please have a timer based setting/hook. where when a session cache is about to expire, it can automatically trigger a compaction.” [source](https://twitter.com/817323653457125376/status/2109921297304375736)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-07, r/codex (Reddit): “ah my tired eyes understood "cowork" as in claude. though good context hygiene still improves things in work codex. another oke would be compacting when you will pause a session for more than 1h and will resume later and context is above 80k tokens used” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x054pd/so_i_just_tried_opus_55_and_compared_it_on_the/peikkcw/)

### 11. Visible compaction summary and context usage

- Google Antigravity, 2026-10-15, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “i want to see how much context agent left why it wont let me see it.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1x6w4dx/antigravity_app_releases_v2220_v2231/pgzd012/)
- OpenAI Codex, 2026-10-13, r/codex (Reddit): “it bewilders me as well, but i do believe it happens... just wish we could see the nonsense they've pumped into tbe context lol” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x3z3rb/new_context_is_working_so_well/pger7ok/)
- Claude Code, 2026-10-02, @ClaudeDevs (X): “@claudedevs i'd add labels to the big jumps: file reads, tool output, or conversation. knowing the window is filling up is useful; knowing which step filled it would help decide whether to narrow a search or start a fresh thread.” [source](https://twitter.com/2180560289/status/2106010559862968751)

### 12. Automatic compaction enabled by default

- OpenAI Codex, 2026-09-30, X search: OpenAI Codex, Codex CLI, Codex app (X): “the setting for compressing local chat history has appeared in the chatgpt / codex app. i think this is an item that should be turned on [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/3830241/status/2105422793349452180)
- Google Antigravity, 2026-09-26, @antigravity (X): “@antigravity i think it's time to launch "context compression/compact".” [source](https://twitter.com/2062347810155134976/status/2103788253182558652)
- Claude Code, 2026-09-02, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “this is common sense, isn't it? but i think it's a bug to require the general public to have a compact every time.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1w5m3rp/probably_found_why_fable_51_eats_the_5h_limit/p7h9xdf/)

## Every agent

| Agent | Overall rank | Reading | Customer love | 95% interval | n | Praise | Complaint |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| [Pi](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/pi.md) | 4 | 1st of 5 | 0.543 | 0.518–0.569 | 94 | 49 | 45 |
| [Claude Code](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/claude-code.md) | 1 | 2nd of 5 | 0.541 | 0.501–0.579 | 658 | 251 | 407 |
| [OpenCode](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/opencode.md) | 3 | 3rd of 5 | 0.481 | 0.456–0.510 | 108 | 33 | 75 |
| [Google Antigravity](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/antigravity.md) | 14 | 4th of 5 | 0.480 | 0.464–0.499 | 45 | 9 | 36 |
| [OpenAI Codex](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/codex.md) | 10 | 5th of 5 | 0.453 | 0.418–0.487 | 434 | 138 | 296 |
| [Cursor](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/cursor.md) | 7 | Too few posts | – | – | 21 | 7 | 14 |
| [GitHub Copilot](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/copilot.md) | 9 | Too few posts | – | – | 11 | 2 | 9 |
| [Amp](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/amp.md) | 5 | Too few posts | – | – | 9 | 7 | 2 |
| [Cline](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/cline.md) | 11 | Too few posts | – | – | 9 | 1 | 8 |
| [Zed](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/zed.md) | 8 | Too few posts | – | – | 5 | 0 | 5 |
| [Kiro](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/kiro.md) | 13 | Too few posts | – | – | 5 | 2 | 3 |
| [Devin](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/devin.md) | 2 | Too few posts | – | – | 4 | 2 | 2 |
| [Factory](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/factory.md) | 6 | Too few posts | – | – | 3 | 3 | 0 |
| [Conductor](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/conductor.md) | 12 | Too few posts | – | – | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| [Warp](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/warp.md) | 15 | Too few posts | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| [Grok Build](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/grok-build.md) | 16 | Too few posts | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| [Augment Code](https://feedbackbench.com/coding-agents/agents/augment.md) | 17 | Too few posts | – | – | 0 | 0 | 0 |

## Posts

Receipts rule: Up to 5 praise and 5 complaint posts per area and 3 per criterion. Each is a whole post of 60 to 450 characters (700 for areas) with at least 8 words beyond handles and links, that judges the criterion, whose labels are all praise or all complaint, and that contains no slur. Posts that touch the fewest criteria come first, then posts of at most 280 characters, then the newest. A second large language model reads the first 3 candidates per slot and keeps a post only if it clearly praises, or clearly complains about, the agent on that criterion. Links and personal details removed by the source show as marks such as [link].

### Pi

- Praise, 2026-10-10, r/PiCodingAgent (Reddit): “i installed one of the plugins for codex server compactions and it basically seems to not matter anymore. i still compact, but i basically don't worry about it and just let it happen automatically.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1x2lrt0/what_are_your_best_tips_philosophies_for_keeping/pf3zo8n/)
- Praise, 2026-10-01, r/PiCodingAgent (Reddit): “fwiw, just started using pi-observable-memory and pretty much never see compactions now. it does require a separate model, but a separate, smaller local model should work, or zai glm 5.3 flash is super cheap. [link]” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1wuty3r/i_made_a_pi_extension_that_improves_compaction/pd8gvc8/)
- Praise, 2026-09-28, r/PiCodingAgent (Reddit): “check out pi-blackhole. i have an extremely limited hardware setup, been running 27b nonstop, with xhigh thinking, with that extension keeping my context in check. it works wonders.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1wnmsho/i_want_to_believe_in_local_llms_for_coding_but/pciel9a/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-01, r/PiCodingAgent (Reddit): “it doesn't work when using "/compact" manually? i tried doing that to prevent a huge cache upload and it did regular pi compaction, so had to eat the huge cache upload anyway...” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1wuty3r/i_made_a_pi_extension_that_improves_compaction/pda9vuw/)
- Complaint, 2026-09-23, @pidotdev (X): “@abimeher @colindaymond @pidotdev @itoflowai unbounded tool replies are how the window gets wrecked. i want bounds *and* a way to inspect / trim what actually lands in context — not guess after auto-compact fires.” [source](https://twitter.com/2074942490466033664/status/2102841483099623900)
- Complaint, 2026-09-20, r/PiCodingAgent (Reddit): “default compaction or the pi compact tools leave noise like ..#.. reflections [4ae591cc24b8] user tasked consolidating all non-herdr pi tools and all guards from t then trailing 5 user/model responses. want i want instead is: remake context only needed for current task.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/PiCodingAgent/comments/1wlhyyz/what_are_your_best_smalllocal_model_tricks_with_pi/pazea0j/)

### Claude Code

- Praise, 2026-10-18, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “this is a great question. i used to do one current chat per project and then i would start a new session. then i would have the old session confirm the new session loaded everything and then i’d archive the full session. what a pain in the ass… !! now i just use /compact.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x9a6kc/do_you_guys_just_use_one_chat_per_project_in/phjr5a2/)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “auto-compacting is decent now. it's not something i worry about anymore. that said it's still better to have concrete plans, designs, task lists, and decisions documented instead of relying on them to be carried through sessions.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x8ech8/calling_out_every_claude_code_pro_running_long/phbwenw/)
- Praise, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “auto compact is great for long workflows. not sure where all the hate is coming from” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x8ech8/calling_out_every_claude_code_pro_running_long/phca8ce/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “agreed. i've already hit auto-compress at like 900k tokens written several times on accident, and then ended up wondering why claude completely forgot several things it just worked on” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x7md3q/any_easy_way_to_get_back_the_old_claude_code/ph8g1kt/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “simply saying "wrap up and generate handoff" is better than auto compact. unless ur auto compact is like 25% of total context soak.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x8ech8/calling_out_every_claude_code_pro_running_long/phby234/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “did they actually improve the way it compacts? i still think it’s a waste of tokens over a handoff doc…” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x8ech8/calling_out_every_claude_code_pro_running_long/phc155o/)

### OpenCode

- Praise, 2026-10-12, r/opencode (Reddit): “the opencode auto compact works great for me (it automatically runs compact when reaching like 90%)” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1x3mn7w/is_there_a_difference_between_mimov26flashfree/pfevedl/)
- Praise, 2026-10-07, r/LocalLLaMA (Reddit): “doesn't compaction basically do the same thing? in opencode i can see the compaction results, they are basically a big summary of what's been done, what needs doing yet, constraints, etc. seems pretty complete already” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/LocalLLaMA/comments/1wz1pqn/qwen_4_apparently_coming_out_at_the_end_of_october/peivj22/)
- Praise, 2026-09-25, @opencode (X): “@thdxr @jayair why is opencode **so** much faster than codex and claude when it comes to compacting? for codex and claude, i run `/compact` and go to the bathroom. `/compact` in @opencode runs in like 10 seconds. why?” [source](https://twitter.com/139814735/status/2103634918190531040)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/opencode (Reddit): “why is this happening? it has been stuck in a compaction loop and i can't seem to stop it...” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/opencode/comments/1x8i0na/anyone_else_having_an_issue_with_deepseek_v41/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “codex autocompact is pretty good, it almost feels like it didn’t lose any context at all. unlike compacting on opencode, maybe claude code compacts is as good as codex but i haven’t figured that out yet.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x8ech8/calling_out_every_claude_code_pro_running_long/phcd7pc/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-16, @opencode (X): “@deepseek_ai v4.1 flash free compacts every 5 minutes, and take 5 minutes to complete how is this small context useful in 2026 for even personal data projects? please advise. @opencode @thdxr @jayair [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1510027424/status/2111104989242458574)

### Google Antigravity

- Praise, 2026-09-28, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “i like it. i didn't expected compression to recover so much space.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wsglin/i_built_a_lightweight_vs_code_extension_to_track/pcn1idh/)
- Praise, 2026-09-17, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “idk what you're using but antigravity cli autocompacts fine at around 200k-250k context and /compact aswell as /context are available” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1wis8pe/soon_2027_still_compact_command/pacs06j/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-11, r/google_antigravity (Reddit): “the long context window thing is such a propaganda that google is playing, in antigravity the context get auto compacted at 25% of the context window and like that too mid execution with no hooks or anything for control....” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/google_antigravity/comments/1x33an3/unpopular_opinion_90_of_the_hate_toward_google/pf9syfm/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-06, @antigravity (X): “@adhidesign @googledeepmind @antigravity improve the compaction. chat truncation is really bad. whereas the likes of cline almost has “infinite” memory in a single chat session. also fully leverage gemini’s token limits before compaction” [source](https://twitter.com/2492820605/status/2107459763151782186)
- Complaint, 2026-10-04, r/GoogleAntigravityIDE (Reddit): “they have already made claude models unusable auto compacting after every 4 messages man how can google like company not afford a legacy model” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GoogleAntigravityIDE/comments/1wwpk15/im_not_interested_in_claude_im_just_waiting_for/pds06uj/)

### OpenAI Codex

- Praise, 2026-10-17, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “codex autocompact is pretty good, it almost feels like it didn’t lose any context at all. unlike compacting on opencode, maybe claude code compacts is as good as codex but i haven’t figured that out yet.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x8ech8/calling_out_every_claude_code_pro_running_long/phcd7pc/)
- Praise, 2026-10-11, r/ClaudeCode (Reddit): “actually, i really like the codex harnass as it is now. and the context compaction is really good. they have come a longs way though. both seem to be at least as good in claude code, in the very little work i did with it.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x37gj3/hi_i_think_i_am_here_to_stay/pf8vi62/)
- Praise, 2026-10-06, r/codex (Reddit): “i have no idea what you’re doing that takes 15 minutes to compact. i’ve literally never seen this. 60-120 seconds max is all i’ve ever witnessed in codex. maybe if you’re compacting 1m tokens worth of shit at once lol” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1wyocbj/context_limit_at_258k_tokens/pe9407t/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-17, r/codex (Reddit): “it’s fucking compacting every 2-3 messages it’s fucking infuriating. i am making very basic ui changes.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x7qk6h/why_does_codex_compact_conversation_too_early_any/ph98j8y/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-15, r/codex (Reddit): “it’s so offensive that we finally articulated what’s in our mind those complex ideas and thoughts, only to be encountered with “compacting context”” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x6bh0n/every_time_i_ask_codex_something_complex/pgtyupy/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-14, r/codex (Reddit): “autocompaction started at 328k when i asked it to give me a commit msg” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/codex/comments/1x5m40p/context_window_supposedly_increased/pgnj5vd/)

### Cursor

- Praise, 2026-09-11, @cursor_ai (X): “the boundary is the project and it's depending on you. initially my first one or two projects were huge. in a few weeks you start to get a feel and start creating smaller projects. for me i know i've have it good if my projects end in around 200-300 turns. also context is not an issue, remember we have plans, we have notes, so compaction doesn't lose meaningful information.” [source](https://twitter.com/23119057/status/2098489644543352996)
- Praise, 2026-09-21, r/cursor (Reddit): “[link] i don't really see it killing my context. this is a chat that's been going on for a bit too long and needed a context summary, and even still, we're looking at fractions of a penny in terms of rule-related cost.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/cursor/comments/1wmm80e/grok_47_xhigh_plan_composer_25_build_fast_mode_off/pb92fkf/)
- Complaint, 2026-10-13, @cursor_ai (X): “.@cursor_ai @leerob @poteto pls tag/share with folks who work on the ide cursor has a weird bug with compaction/summarizing when model "auto" is selected context x% -> /summarize -> compacts -> next turn -> context (x + y)% note: enterprise plan” [source](https://twitter.com/1309695877888368640/status/2109993433096130628)
- Complaint, 2026-09-24, @cursor_ai (X): “@cursor_ai a weird quirk/bug here, i added a project-context.md that the agent keeps updating (similar to your projects) but when this is done, the auto-compaction never happens and goes upto 500k thought the model has only 272k atm. [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1203189499322191872/status/2103020965152321799)
- Complaint, 2026-09-24, @cursor_ai (X): “@silenthacks0 @cursor_ai 165k/300k (55%) and no compacted context... that's total non-sens!!” [source](https://twitter.com/4185957376/status/2103126937074119151)

### GitHub Copilot

- Complaint, 2026-10-10, r/GithubCopilot (Reddit): “the handling of co-pilot [instructions.md]([link]) or whatever, and agents md, and compaction are all confusing. is it re inserting your [agents.md]([link]) on compaction or just summarizing it? compaction is terrible on this harness” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/GithubCopilot/comments/1x2b0pr/the_harness_is_absolute_trash/pf17l9o/)

### Amp

- Praise, 2026-10-09, @AmpCode (X): “@voip_guru @mattpocockuk yeah, auto compaction on @ampcode feels solved for me. i don’t think about it anymore.” [source](https://twitter.com/19506770/status/2108591171832537454)
- Praise, 2026-09-24, @AmpCode (X): “@kentcdodds @bot come to think of it, all the agentic tools i use the most, @ampcode @bot and some hermes, all of them abstract compaction away, and i have continuous sessions with all 3, and no dumb zones” [source](https://twitter.com/33135576/status/2103020461017977219)
- Praise, 2026-09-13, @AmpCode (X): “@dringrayson @ampcode yep, but ive been thru like 4 autocompactions now in a single thread with no noticeable degradation in quality” [source](https://twitter.com/1118175955/status/2099016305311625297)
- Complaint, 2026-10-01, @AmpCode (X): “@thorstenball is there a way to keep some aspect of the context from compacting? i keep having issues where after long enough time, my orchestrator stops remembering the opening rules/playbook i give it and @ampcode starts to play fast and loose with me preferred processes.” [source](https://twitter.com/7566122/status/2105804263280840763)

### Cline

- Complaint, 2026-09-15, @cline (X): “@cline awesome release, but when are local models getting some love? vs code handles context compaction easily, yet the standalone client with litellm has no counter and no compact button at all. any eta on basic context management?” [source](https://twitter.com/59939351/status/2099936014286336218)
- Complaint, 2026-10-12, r/CLine (Reddit): “the odds of this are pretty low sadly. between cline issues, code issues, model issues and so on.. it will stop. stuff like it stopping instead of auto compacting happen. i can’t remember one night or even one block of 2-3 hours where it didn’t stop. what’s worse than this is when it goes off on a tangent overnight and you wake to chaos. sorry i can’t help more.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/CLine/comments/1x3zk0c/cline_in_vs_code_how_can_i_make_sessions_fully/pffvx3r/)

### Kiro

- Complaint, 2026-09-08, r/kiroIDE (Reddit): “my enterprise pays for it. but it frequently gives a high traffic message and gets stuck in "working" until i switch to a lower model. when ai development service isn't able to provide the basic feature of model available, why should i not shit on it. plus all the open-source models are outdated. and the context widows of the gpt models are like a teaspoon. compaction occurs every 10 minutes. it's a shite service all round.” [source](https://www.reddit.com/r/kiroIDE/comments/1t4k9yc/why_is_kiro_hated_so_much/p8i7tlf/)

### Devin

- Praise, 2026-09-10, @cognition (X): “okay @cognition has done some good shit to the compaction of swe 2, or whatever they are using, its really good” [source](https://twitter.com/1957706668034387968/status/2098157280894292227)
- Complaint, 2026-09-07, @cognition (X): “@cognition please add compaction threshold limits to devin cli, only been using glm 5.3 flash and usage has been draining like crazy because there's no way to properly auto compact the context windows at lower context [link]” [source](https://twitter.com/1617493632025776131/status/2096847646464090320)

### Factory

- Praise, 2026-10-09, @droid (X): “@wholyv smart auto compact is one of the reason why @droid is the best coding agent.” [source](https://twitter.com/1811332417099055105/status/2108524032710607206)