Context window management

Each task in the chat panel has a context window — the token budget for that thread. The cap is 270,000 tokens. Everything Bob loads counts against it.

Hover over the token usage indicator in the top right of the chat panel to see a breakdown of what is consuming your context window:

@ mentions, command output, and tool results all count toward Messages. File contents do not get a separate line.

Under Estimated breakdown:

Fixed categories use context before you even begin working with Bob. On the Galaxium Travels sample project, even "Quickly say hi back." totals about 8.5k tokens. Most of that is Tool definitions (5.1k), System prompt (1.5k), Rules (830), and Skills (454). Only 590 is in Messages.

Bob re-sends the full overhead stack on every prompt. More MCP servers or loaded skills increase MCP Tools, Tool definitions, and Skills before you type.

For hands-on numbers and a reset walkthrough, see Create a new context window.

The token usage indicator shows percent full and a used/total fraction against the 270,000-token cap. Click it to open the context window breakdown. Check which category is growing.

The following table shows what influences each category:

In a short exchange, fixed categories often use most of the total. When you ask Bob to read files or run tools, Messages usually becomes the largest category. Watch for this shift.

Available space shrinks as any category grows. Reserved for model response is set aside for Bob's next reply. It is not part of the used total above it.

For measured examples on a real repo, see Create a new context window.

The hard cap is 270,000 tokens per task. Bob starts condensing before you reach the limit. Condensation typically begins around 190,000 tokens of total usage.

At the condensation threshold, Bob:

Condensation is lossy. Details from early in Messages might not survive. Start a new task with + (New task) when you change topics or when Messages is large enough to hurt quality.

Bobcoins track token usage. Both input and output tokens count.

Use one task per work goal and start with a narrow prompt. State the goal, expected outcome, and constraints before asking Bob to explore the repo. Name files and functions explicitly. Avoid vague requests like "read the whole repo" or "check the backend." Click + (New task) when the topic changes — unrelated content in Messages adds cost and can confuse Bob.

Fixed categories consume tokens before you type anything. To keep that overhead low:

Let Bob search and read targeted files rather than pasting large blocks of content into the thread. Use context mentions to reference a specific file or line range, and avoid broad directory mentions:

You can also highlight text in the editor and use Cmd + L (Mac) or Ctrl + L (Windows/Linux) to add it directly to the chat.

Work in stages — find likely files, inspect the relevant ones, plan, change, and validate. For broad repo reads, use subagents so the task receives condensed results rather than every read_file call landing in Messages. When sources conflict, trust running code and tests over stale comments or old README notes.

For more tactics on large repos, see Working with large projects.

Over a long conversation, Messages accumulates repeated file contents, abandoned plans, and stale tool output. Start a new task with + (New task) when the work goal changes or when the thread is large enough to hurt quality. Keep constraints, evidence, and open questions — remove the rest.

Bob can also condense older segments automatically, but condensation is lossy and details from early in Messages may not survive. Prefer small, approved changes over one large autonomous run so diffs stay reviewable and Bob stays on track.

See Create a new context window to open the breakdown on the Galaxium Travels sample project and practice a reset.