From da702a85a6a1f8d0cd7503920763bafc38775d7a Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: Filip <34747899+neriousy@users.noreply.github.com>
Date: Wed, 28 Oct 2026 20:37:46 +0100
Subject: [PATCH] fix(core): leave headroom when fitting output to the context
 window (#59934)

---
 packages/core/src/session/model-request.ts | 19 ++++++++++++++-----
 packages/core/test/session-runner.test.ts  |  5 +++--
 2 files changed, 17 insertions(+), 7 deletions(-)

diff --git a/packages/core/src/session/model-request.ts b/packages/core/src/session/model-request.ts
index 72169b6dbd5..739d7c0d16e 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/session/model-request.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/session/model-request.ts
@@ -50,6 +50,10 @@ const OUTPUT_TOKEN_FALLBACK = 32_000
 const OUTPUT_TOKEN_MAX = 256_000
 // Prompt text is estimated at about 4 characters per token, which can run low on dense text such as code.
 const ESTIMATE_ERROR = 0.15
+// Share of the window a turn leaves unused when its output limit is fitted to the room left. Providers count a few
+// tokens more than we do (chat template, tool schemas), and strict ones reject input plus output past the window.
+// Compaction sizes its summary against its own reserve instead.
+const WINDOW_HEADROOM = 0.01
 // Never ask for less; only reachable with automatic compaction off, since it keeps the window from filling this far.
 const OUTPUT_TOKEN_MIN = 1_024
 
@@ -82,10 +86,13 @@ export interface Input {
 }
 
 /** The default output limit: the catalog limit, fitted to the room the prompt leaves in the context window. */
-export const outputLimit = (limit: Model.Info["limit"], inputTokens?: Input["inputTokens"]) => {
+export const outputLimit = (limit: Model.Info["limit"], inputTokens?: Input["inputTokens"], headroom = 0) => {
   const requested = Math.min(limit.output > 0 ? limit.output : OUTPUT_TOKEN_FALLBACK, OUTPUT_TOKEN_MAX)
   if (inputTokens === undefined || limit.context <= 0) return requested
-  const room = limit.context - inputTokens.measured - Math.ceil(inputTokens.estimated * (1 + ESTIMATE_ERROR))
+  const room =
+    Math.floor(limit.context * (1 - headroom)) -
+    inputTokens.measured -
+    Math.ceil(inputTokens.estimated * (1 + ESTIMATE_ERROR))
   return Math.min(requested, Math.max(OUTPUT_TOKEN_MIN, room))
 }
 
@@ -255,9 +262,11 @@ export const layer = Layer.effect(
           system: input.system,
           messages: input.messages,
           options:
-            kind === "primary" || kind === "compaction"
-              ? { maxTokens: outputLimit(model.limit, input.inputTokens) }
-              : {},
+            kind === "primary"
+              ? { maxTokens: outputLimit(model.limit, input.inputTokens, WINDOW_HEADROOM) }
+              : kind === "compaction"
+                ? { maxTokens: outputLimit(model.limit, input.inputTokens) }
+                : {},
         },
         Object.fromEntries(Array.from(given, ([d, t]) => [t.name, d])),
       )
diff --git a/packages/core/test/session-runner.test.ts b/packages/core/test/session-runner.test.ts
index 3ccc2518191..62c610faf1e 100644
--- a/packages/core/test/session-runner.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/test/session-runner.test.ts
@@ -3561,8 +3561,9 @@ describe("SessionRunnerLLM", () => {
     yield* s.runPrompt("Continue")
 
     expect(s.requests[0]?.generation?.maxTokens).toBe(64_000)
-    expect(s.requests[1]?.generation?.maxTokens).toBeLessThan(100_000 - 50_000)
-    expect(s.requests[1]?.generation?.maxTokens).toBeGreaterThan(100_000 - 50_000 - 200)
+    // 1% of the window stays unused, since strict providers reject a request that overshoots it by a few tokens.
+    expect(s.requests[1]?.generation?.maxTokens).toBeLessThan(99_000 - 50_000)
+    expect(s.requests[1]?.generation?.maxTokens).toBeGreaterThan(99_000 - 50_000 - 200)
   })
 
   scenario("caps the output limit a large model advertises", function* (s) {