## Description Removes both third-party CLI context tools — **rtk** and **lean-ctx** — and with them the context-tool selector itself. Headroom no longer downloads, installs or configures either one, and there is no replacement. The previous pass (#2344) gated only three entry points inside `headroom/cli/wrap.py`. That left the feature reachable in practice: | Gap | Effect | |---|---| | `scripts/install.sh:1544`, `install.ps1:1681` | Ran `rtk init --global --auto-patch` from bash/PowerShell, **bypassing the Python gate entirely** — `curl \| sh` still wrote a Claude Code `PreToolUse` hook regardless of `HEADROOM_RTK` | | `wrap.py` `_setup_context_tool_for_agent` | **`wrap openhands` was broken by default**: `rtk_required=True` met a gate returning `None` → `SystemExit(1)`. Invisible because all 8 openhands tests patched `_ensure_rtk_binary` to a fake path | | `proxy/helpers.py`, `subscription/tracker.py` | Proxy shelled out to `rtk gain` from `/stats`, the dashboard and `headroom perf`; the tracker polled it per contribution (`_RTK_WIRING_DEFAULT = "enabled"`) | | No cleanup path | Nothing removed artifacts an earlier default had installed, so a machine that once ran the old default kept rtk in the loop forever (#1669, #1955) | Also worth noting: the rtk binary download had **no SHA or signature verification** — only `rtk --version` as a smoke test. ## Type of Change - [x] Bug fix (non-breaking change that fixes an issue) - [ ] New feature (non-breaking change that adds functionality) - [x] Breaking change (fix or feature that would cause existing functionality to change) - [ ] Documentation update - [ ] Performance improvement - [x] Code refactoring (no functional changes) ## Changes Made **Removed** — `headroom/rtk/` and `headroom/lean_ctx/` packages, `headroom/cli/wrap_rtk_metrics.py`, `_selected_context_tool` / `_setup_context_tool_for_agent` / `_VALID_CONTEXT_TOOLS`, the `--rtk` / `--no-rtk` / `--no-project-rtk` / `--keep-rtk` flags across all 18 wrap subcommands, `HEADROOM_RTK*`, the proxy-side `rtk gain` polling, the dashboard CLI-filtering panel (rows + all 8 `cliFiltering*` Alpine getters), `paths.rtk_path()` / `lean_ctx_path()`, the SDK path helpers, `benchmarks/rtk_loop_learn_eval.py`, and the `headroom/rtk/**` CI path filters. **Fails loudly, not silently** — `--context-tool` / `--no-context-tool` / `HEADROOM_CONTEXT_TOOL` are kept solely to error out. They live in shell profiles, aliases and CI jobs, and accepting them as a no-op would read as Headroom having quietly stopped working. The installers reject them too, which matters more than it looks: their arg parsers forward the first unknown flag **and everything after it** to the wrapped tool, so a leftover `--no-rtk` would have silently swallowed a following `--port` and then been ignored downstream. **New `headroom/context_tool_cleanup.py`** — deleting the code cannot help a machine that already ran the old default, since the hooks, binaries and injected guidance are durable on disk. `purge_context_tool_artifacts()` runs once per `wrap`/`unwrap` and removes the registered hook entries, the generated hook scripts, the Headroom-managed `~/.local/bin` symlinks, the vendored `~/.headroom/bin/{rtk,lean-ctx}` binaries, the `lean-ctx` MCP server entry and the marker-fenced instruction blocks. Deliberately conservative: idempotent, **skips** a malformed config rather than overwriting it, and only unlinks a symlink resolving inside Headroom's own bin dir so a user's own build is untouched. It reports on **stderr**, because `wrap/unwrap openclaw --prepare-only` emit machine-readable JSON on stdout as their entire contract. Skipped for `wrap selfheal` (runs from a SessionStart hook; must not race Claude Code's writer for `~/.claude.json`) and for `--help`, which must stay read-only. **Client-config hardening** (discovered while investigating a "corrupted Serena settings file" report) — `wrap.py` reset a settings file to `{}` when an existing file would not parse, then wrote that back. One hand-edited typo or a transient `EACCES`/`EINTR` on a valid file destroyed the user's `permissions`, `env` and `hooks`, on **every `headroom wrap claude`**. It now refuses to write. Separately, `fsutil.write_text` is now atomic (temp file + `fsync` + `os.replace`), fixing all 14 non-atomic client-config writes at once; it follows symlinks rather than replacing them (dotfile managers) and preserves an existing file's mode. **Deliberately kept** — `rtk` stays in the wrapper-peel list in `transforms/content_router.py`. It sits beside `sudo`/`env`/`timeout` as shell-command grammar, so `rtk cat f` is still classified as a file read for anyone running their own rtk install, which the purge intentionally leaves alone. ## Testing - [x] Unit tests pass (`pytest`) - [x] Linting passes (`ruff check .`) - [x] Type checking passes (`mypy headroom`) - [x] New tests added for new functionality - [x] Manual testing performed ### Test Output ```text $ ruff check headroom/ tests/ e2e/ --exclude headroom/dashboard/templates All checks passed! $ ruff format --check headroom/ tests/ e2e/ --exclude headroom/dashboard/templates 1255 files already formatted $ mypy headroom/ Success: no issues found in 508 source files $ pytest tests/test_context_tool_cleanup.py -q 11 passed $ pytest tests/test_fsutil.py -q 12 passed $ pytest tests/test_cli/test_wrap_codex.py -q # 89 tests 89 passed in 431.68s $ pytest tests/test_cli/test_wrap_opencode.py -q 39 passed in 257.46s $ pytest tests/test_cli/test_wrap_helpers.py -q 45 passed $ pytest tests/test_paths.py -q 75 passed $ pytest tests/test_cli/test_unwrap_claude.py -q 14 passed $ pytest tests/test_proxy_savings_history.py -q 39 passed $ pytest tests/test_cli/test_wrap_copilot.py -q 27 passed $ pytest tests/test_cli/test_wrap_zcode.py -q 20 passed $ pytest tests/test_subscription_tracker.py -q 9 passed $ pytest tests/test_proxy_dashboard_stats_cache.py -q 5 passed, 1 skipped ``` Repo-wide grep for 14 removed symbols (`headroom.rtk`, `headroom.lean_ctx`, `_ensure_rtk_binary`, `_selected_context_tool`, `_get_context_tool_stats`, `rtk_path`, `lean_ctx_path`, `wrap_rtk_metrics`, `HEADROOM_RTK`, `cli_tokens_avoided`, `tokens_saved_rtk`, …) across `*.py`, `*.ts`, `*.sh`, `*.ps1`, `*.yml`, `*.html`: **zero hits**. Notable test changes: `test_wrap_openhands.py` no longer patches `_ensure_rtk_binary` and asserts `wrap openhands --prepare-only` exits 0 unpatched — the regression that was previously masked. `test_wrap_continue.py` and `test_wrap_hintfile_agents.py` were removed (every test drove RTK instruction injection). A new `test_subscription_tracker.py::test_load_state_written_before_cli_context_tools_were_removed` proves a pre-removal `subscription_state.json` still loads. ## Real Behavior Proof - **Environment:** macOS 15.4 (darwin 25.4.0), Python 3.12.6, Headroom @ this branch, real `~/.headroom` and `~/.claude` on the dev machine. - **Exact command / steps and observed result:** ```text # 1. Retired flag fails loudly instead of silently no-op'ing $ headroom wrap codex --prepare-only --context-tool rtk Error: CLI context tools (rtk, lean-ctx) have been removed from Headroom: they rewrote shell commands through a third-party binary Headroom no longer manages. Drop --context-tool / --no-context-tool and unset HEADROOM_CONTEXT_TOOL; `headroom wrap` uninstalls what they left behind on first run. $ HEADROOM_CONTEXT_TOOL=lean-ctx headroom wrap codex --prepare-only Error: CLI context tools (rtk, lean-ctx) have been removed from Headroom: ... # 2. install.sh rejects the retired flags (extracted parse_wrap_args harness) ['--no-rtk', '--port', '9999'] rc=1 ERROR: CLI context tools ... Drop --no-rtk ['--context-tool=rtk'] rc=1 ERROR: CLI context tools ... Drop --context-tool $ bash -n scripts/install.sh # syntax OK # 3. Purge ran against the real machine, which had all the orphaned artifacts $ python -c "from headroom.context_tool_cleanup import purge_context_tool_artifacts; ..." removed ~/.headroom/bin/lean-ctx (51 MB) removed ~/.headroom/bin/rtk (7.7 MB) removed ~/.local/bin/rtk (symlink into ~/.headroom/bin) removed ~/.claude/hooks/rtk-rewrite.sh removed 8 lean-ctx-* hook scripts # ~/.claude.json afterwards: 90 top-level keys, 19 projects, mcpServers unchanged # → ~59 MB reclaimed, no unrelated key touched # 4. stdout stays machine-readable while the purge reports (planted a fake artifact) $ headroom wrap openclaw --prepare-only --gateway-provider-id codex >out 2>err $ cat out {"enabled":true,"config":{"proxyPort":8787,...}} # parses as JSON $ cat err Retired CLI context tool cleanup: removed /Users/tcms/.headroom/bin/rtk # 5. --help is inert (planted artifact survives), a real run purges $ headroom wrap codex --help → artifact survived: CORRECT $ headroom wrap openclaw --prepare-only → purged: CORRECT # 6. MCP purge dry-run against a copy of the real 82 KB ~/.claude.json top-level keys 90 -> 90; projects 19 -> 19; LOST keys: none all content outside mcpServers byte-identical: True ``` Dashboard rendered via the Playwright test after the panel removal: "Token Savings" shows only `Proxy 0 (0.0%)` / `Of total wire: 36.86%`, and "Token Usage" reads Before Compression → Proxy Removed → After Compression with no "Filtered (this session)" row. Nothing below the removed panel broke. - **Not tested:** Windows and Linux (macOS only) — `install.ps1` is verified by brace-balance and inspection, not executed, since no `pwsh` is available locally. The wrap e2e suite (`e2e/wrap/run.py`) was updated but not run; it needs the Docker e2e image. `serena project index` interaction is exercised in the stacked base PR. ## Review Readiness - [x] I have performed a self-review - [x] This PR is ready for human review ## Checklist - [x] My code follows the project's style guidelines - [x] I have performed a self-review of my code - [x] I have commented my code, particularly in hard-to-understand areas - [x] I have made corresponding changes to the documentation - [x] My changes generate no new warnings - [x] I have added tests that prove my fix is effective or that my feature works - [x] New and existing unit tests pass locally with my changes - [x] I did **not** edit `CHANGELOG.md` — it is generated by release-please from my Conventional Commit PR title (a CI guard enforces this) ## Additional Notes **Stacked on #2676** (`tejas/serena-config-bootstrap`) — please merge that first; this PR's base should then be retargeted to `main`, or it will read as containing that fix too. **Breaking-change migration for users:** - Drop `--rtk`, `--no-rtk`, `--no-project-rtk`, `--keep-rtk`, `--context-tool`, `--no-context-tool` from any alias, script or CI job, and unset `HEADROOM_RTK*` / `HEADROOM_CONTEXT_TOOL`. They now error rather than being ignored, so the failure is immediate and self-explaining. - Previously-installed artifacts are purged automatically on the next `wrap`/`unwrap`; no manual cleanup needed. - `headroom perf --json` no longer carries a `cli_filtering` key, and `/stats` no longer returns a `context_tool` section. **Docs:** `docs/rtk-architecture.md` deleted; RTK/lean-ctx removed from `README.md`, `docs/content/docs/{configuration,opencode,grok-build,docker-install,filesystem-contract}.mdx`, `docs/observability.md` and the matching `wiki/` pages. `REALIGNMENT/09-phase-G-rtk-observability.md` is marked SUPERSEDED rather than deleted, to keep the planning record. **Follow-ups not in scope:** `_emit_wrap_interrupted` was deleted as dead code — its only caller was the `except KeyboardInterrupt` guarding the binary download, so with no download there is nothing slow left to interrupt. |
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|---|---|---|
| .. | ||
| examples | ||
| src | ||
| test | ||
| .gitignore | ||
| package-lock.json | ||
| package.json | ||
| README.md | ||
| tsconfig.json | ||
| tsup.config.ts | ||
| vitest.config.ts | ||
headroom-ai
Compress LLM context. Save tokens. Fit more into every request.
Install
npm install headroom-ai
Quick Start
import { compress } from 'headroom-ai';
const result = await compress(messages, { model: 'gpt-4o' });
console.log(`Saved ${result.tokensSaved} tokens (${((1 - result.compressionRatio) * 100).toFixed(0)}%)`);
// Use compressed messages with any LLM client
const response = await openai.chat.completions.create({
model: 'gpt-4o',
messages: result.messages,
});
Requires a running Headroom proxy (headroom proxy).
Framework Adapters
Vercel AI SDK
import { withHeadroom } from 'headroom-ai/vercel-ai';
import { openai } from '@ai-sdk/openai';
import { generateText } from 'ai';
const model = withHeadroom(openai('gpt-4o'));
const { text } = await generateText({ model, messages });
Advanced: using middleware directly
import { headroomMiddleware } from 'headroom-ai/vercel-ai';
import { wrapLanguageModel } from 'ai';
const model = wrapLanguageModel({
model: openai('gpt-4o'),
middleware: headroomMiddleware({ baseUrl: 'http://localhost:8787' }),
});
OpenAI SDK
import { withHeadroom } from 'headroom-ai/openai';
import OpenAI from 'openai';
const client = withHeadroom(new OpenAI());
const response = await client.chat.completions.create({
model: 'gpt-4o',
messages: longConversation,
});
Anthropic SDK
import { withHeadroom } from 'headroom-ai/anthropic';
import Anthropic from '@anthropic-ai/sdk';
const client = withHeadroom(new Anthropic());
const response = await client.messages.create({
model: 'claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929',
messages: longConversation,
max_tokens: 1024,
});
Google Gemini
import { withHeadroom } from 'headroom-ai/gemini';
import { GoogleGenerativeAI } from '@google/generative-ai';
const genAI = new GoogleGenerativeAI(process.env.GEMINI_API_KEY!);
const model = withHeadroom(genAI.getGenerativeModel({ model: 'gemini-2.0-flash' }));
const result = await model.generateContent({
contents: longConversation,
});
HeadroomClient
The full client provides direct access to the proxy's OpenAI and Anthropic passthrough endpoints, plus metrics, CCR, and observability.
import { HeadroomClient } from 'headroom-ai';
const client = new HeadroomClient({
baseUrl: 'http://localhost:8787',
providerApiKey: process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY,
config: {
smartCrusher: { enabled: true, maxItemsAfterCrush: 10 },
ccr: { enabled: true },
},
});
Chat Completions (OpenAI-style)
const response = await client.chat.completions.create({
model: 'gpt-4o',
messages: longConversation,
headroomMode: 'optimize',
});
Messages (Anthropic-style)
const response = await client.messages.create({
model: 'claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929',
messages: longConversation,
max_tokens: 1024,
headroomMode: 'optimize',
});
Direct Compression
const result = await client.compress(messages, { model: 'gpt-4o', tokenBudget: 4000 });
Simulation (Dry Run)
See what compression would do without calling the LLM.
import { simulate } from 'headroom-ai';
const sim = await simulate(messages, { model: 'gpt-4o' });
console.log(`Would save ${sim.tokensSaved} tokens (${sim.estimatedSavings})`);
console.log('Transforms:', sim.transforms);
console.log('Waste signals:', sim.wasteSignals);
console.log('Cache alignment:', sim.cacheAlignmentScore);
Also available on the client:
const sim = await client.chat.completions.simulate({
model: 'gpt-4o',
messages,
});
Compression Hooks
Customize compression with pre/post hooks — matching the Python CompressionHooks API.
import { compress, CompressionHooks } from 'headroom-ai';
import type { CompressContext, CompressEvent } from 'headroom-ai';
class MyHooks extends CompressionHooks {
// Modify messages before compression
preCompress(messages: any[], ctx: CompressContext) {
return [{ role: 'system', content: 'Always preserve error details.' }, ...messages];
}
// Set per-message importance biases
computeBiases(messages: any[], ctx: CompressContext) {
return { 0: 2.0 }; // preserve first message
}
// Observe compression results
postCompress(event: CompressEvent) {
console.log(`Saved ${event.tokensSaved} tokens via ${event.transformsApplied.join(', ')}`);
}
}
const result = await compress(messages, { model: 'gpt-4o', hooks: new MyHooks() });
SharedContext (Multi-Agent)
Compressed inter-agent context sharing — matching the Python SharedContext API.
import { SharedContext } from 'headroom-ai';
const ctx = new SharedContext({ model: 'gpt-4o', ttl: 3600, maxEntries: 100 });
// Agent A stores data (automatically compressed)
const entry = await ctx.put('research', bigAgentOutput, { agent: 'researcher' });
console.log(`Compressed: ${entry.savingsPercent.toFixed(0)}% savings`);
// Agent B reads it (~80% smaller)
const summary = ctx.get('research');
// Agent B gets original if needed
const full = ctx.get('research', { full: true });
// Stats
const stats = ctx.stats();
console.log(`${stats.entries} entries, ${stats.totalTokensSaved} tokens saved`);
CCR Retrieve (Compress-Cache-Retrieve)
Retrieve original content when the LLM needs full details.
const result = await client.compress(messages, { model: 'gpt-4o' });
// Later, when the LLM calls headroom_retrieve:
for (const hash of result.ccrHashes) {
const original = await client.retrieve(hash);
console.log(`${original.originalTokens} original tokens for ${original.toolName}`);
}
// Search within compressed content
const search = await client.retrieve('abc123', { query: 'error logs' });
// Handle LLM tool calls in an agent loop
const toolResult = await client.handleToolCall({
toolCall: assistantMessage.tool_calls[0],
provider: 'openai',
});
Metrics & Observability
// Proxy health
const health = await client.health();
// → { status: 'healthy', version: '0.5.18', config: { optimize: true, ... } }
// Proxy stats
const stats = await client.proxyStats();
// → { requests: { total, cached, failed }, tokens: { saved, savingsPercent }, ... }
// Request metrics
const metrics = await client.getMetrics({ model: 'gpt-4o', limit: 10 });
// Summary
const summary = await client.getSummary();
// Validate setup
const validation = await client.validateSetup();
// Clear cache
await client.clearCache();
// Prometheus metrics
const prom = await client.prometheusMetrics();
Telemetry, Feedback & TOIN
Access the proxy's learning systems.
// Telemetry
const telemetry = await client.telemetry.getStats();
const tools = await client.telemetry.getTools();
// Feedback — per-tool compression hints
const hints = await client.feedback.getHints('list_servers');
// → { hints: { maxItems: 8, skipCompression: false, preserveFields: ['id', 'status'] } }
// TOIN (Tool Output Intelligence Network)
const toinStats = await client.toin.getStats();
const patterns = await client.toin.getPatterns(20);
Configuration Types
Full TypeScript interfaces for every Python config dataclass.
import type { HeadroomConfig, SmartCrusherConfig, CCRConfig } from 'headroom-ai';
const config: HeadroomConfig = {
defaultMode: 'optimize',
smartCrusher: {
enabled: true,
minItemsToAnalyze: 5,
maxItemsAfterCrush: 10,
varianceThreshold: 2.0,
relevance: { tier: 'hybrid', relevanceThreshold: 0.25 },
anchor: { anchorBudgetPct: 0.25 },
},
ccr: { enabled: true, injectTool: true },
cacheOptimizer: { enabled: true, autoDetectProvider: true },
intelligentContext: { enabled: true, useImportanceScoring: true },
};
const client = new HeadroomClient({ config });
Error Handling
Full error hierarchy matching the Python SDK.
import {
HeadroomError,
HeadroomConnectionError,
HeadroomAuthError,
HeadroomCompressError,
ConfigurationError,
ProviderError,
StorageError,
TokenizationError,
CacheError,
ValidationError,
TransformError,
} from 'headroom-ai';
try {
await client.compress(messages);
} catch (err) {
if (err instanceof HeadroomAuthError) {
console.error('Auth failed — check HEADROOM_API_KEY');
} else if (err instanceof HeadroomCompressError) {
console.error(`Compression error ${err.statusCode}: ${err.errorType}`);
} else if (err instanceof ConfigurationError) {
console.error('Bad config:', err.details);
}
}
Format Detection & Conversion
Auto-detects and converts between OpenAI, Anthropic, Vercel AI SDK, and Gemini formats.
import { detectFormat, toOpenAI, fromOpenAI } from 'headroom-ai';
const format = detectFormat(messages); // 'openai' | 'anthropic' | 'vercel' | 'gemini'
const openaiMessages = toOpenAI(messages);
const back = fromOpenAI(openaiMessages, format);
The compress() function handles this automatically — pass any format and get the same format back.
Configuration
import { compress } from 'headroom-ai';
const result = await compress(messages, {
model: 'gpt-4o',
baseUrl: 'http://localhost:8787', // proxy URL
apiKey: 'your-api-key', // optional, for authenticated endpoints
timeout: 30000, // ms
fallback: true, // return uncompressed if proxy is down (default)
retries: 1, // retry on transient failures (default)
tokenBudget: 4000, // compress to fit this limit
hooks: new MyHooks(), // pre/post compression hooks
});
Or use environment variables:
HEADROOM_BASE_URL— proxy URLHEADROOM_API_KEY— optional API key for authenticated endpoints
Utilities
// Case conversion for proxy communication
import { deepCamelCase, deepSnakeCase } from 'headroom-ai';
const tsObj = deepCamelCase({ tokens_before: 100 }); // { tokensBefore: 100 }
const pyObj = deepSnakeCase({ tokensBefore: 100 }); // { tokens_before: 100 }
// SSE stream parsing
import { parseSSE, collectStream } from 'headroom-ai';
// Hook helpers
import { extractUserQuery, countTurns, extractToolCalls } from 'headroom-ai';
License
Apache-2.0