Runtime

Runtime settings are used to configure the runtime behavior of the Acontext Agent.

Session Message Buffer

Acontext will track the agent task and user feedback in the session, the following settings control how and when tracking is conducted.

PROJECT_SESSION_MESSAGE_USE_PREVIOUS_MESSAGES_TURNSinteger

Number of previous message turns to include in the context when processing new incoming messages.

Higher values provide more context for task maintaining but consume more tokens.

PROJECT_SESSION_MESSAGE_BUFFER_MAX_TURNSinteger

Maximum number of untracked message turns to keep in the session buffer.

This controls the size of the messages we want to process at the same time, the larger the buffer, the longer context we can use for once for task maintaining, and the less total token costs.

Agent Iteration Limits

DEFAULT_TASK_AGENT_MAX_ITERATIONSinteger

Maximum number of iterations a task agent can perform before stopping. Prevents infinite loops in task execution.

`.env` Examples

# Session Management
PROJECT_SESSION_MESSAGE_USE_PREVIOUS_MESSAGES_TURNS=3
PROJECT_SESSION_MESSAGE_BUFFER_MAX_TURNS=16
PROJECT_SESSION_MESSAGE_BUFFER_MAX_OVERFLOW=16

# Agent Limits
DEFAULT_TASK_AGENT_MAX_ITERATIONS=4

# Increased context for complex conversations
PROJECT_SESSION_MESSAGE_USE_PREVIOUS_MESSAGES_TURNS=8
PROJECT_SESSION_MESSAGE_BUFFER_MAX_TURNS=32
PROJECT_SESSION_MESSAGE_BUFFER_MAX_OVERFLOW=24

# More iterations for complex tasks
DEFAULT_TASK_AGENT_MAX_ITERATIONS=8

# Reduced context for faster processing
PROJECT_SESSION_MESSAGE_USE_PREVIOUS_MESSAGES_TURNS=2
PROJECT_SESSION_MESSAGE_BUFFER_MAX_TURNS=8
PROJECT_SESSION_MESSAGE_BUFFER_MAX_OVERFLOW=8

# Lower iteration limits for speed
DEFAULT_TASK_AGENT_MAX_ITERATIONS=3

Setting iteration limits too high may lead to excessive API usage and longer response times. Setting them too low may prevent agents from completing complex tasks.

Message Buffer Tuning

Buffer Size Impact

Small buffers (8-16 turns):
- ✅ Lower update latency - Tasks and skills update faster
- ❌ Higher token cost - More frequent processing with less context sharing
Large buffers (32+ turns):
- ✅ Lower token cost - Batch processing with shared context
- ❌ Higher update latency - Tasks and skills update less frequently

The buffer idle timeout is fixed at 8 seconds and is not configurable per project. The buffer flushes when it reaches BUFFER_MAX_TURNS or when no new messages arrive for 8 seconds, whichever comes first.

For development: Use smaller buffers (8-16) for faster feedback loops. For production: Use larger buffers (24-32) to optimize costs.