COMPACTION AND SUMMARIZATION

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING • Why not wait until the window is completely full before compacting? ◦ Answer: There would be no room left for the summarizing step or for the model's answer, and one large result could cause a failure. • What does the usual compaction strategy keep in full detail? ◦ Answer: The most recent messages, because they contain the exact details the agent is actively using. • Name four things a good summary should preserve. ◦ Answer: Any four of the goal and constraints, decisions, findings, dead ends, open problems, exact identifiers, and current state. • Why can repeated compaction cause problems? ◦ Answer: Each round re-summarizes a summary, so small errors accumulate like a rumor, which is why key facts should be carried forward in exact structured form. • What is one benefit of an agent writing its own running notes? ◦ Answer: High-quality summaries already exist when compaction is needed, and the agent can re-read them to recover its place.