fix(compress): allow manual /compress when auto-compaction is disabled [overflow error directs users there]

compression.enabled: false is documented (agent/conversation_loop.py
overflow path) as disabling *automatic* compaction only — the terminal
context-overflow error explicitly tells users to run /compress manually,
and the gateway handler has never gated on the flag. But the classic CLI
(_manual_compress) and the ACP adapter (/compact) refused with
'Compression is disabled', leaving users at a full context with no
manual escape hatch on those surfaces.

Remove the stale gates (they predate the overflow-path design; the CLI
gate came from the original /compress commit's boilerplate) and unify
force=True across all manual-compaction call sites: ACP /compact and the
TUI's _compress_session_history (manual-only helper) now bypass the
summary-failure cooldown exactly like the CLI and gateway already did.
Also reword the ACP /context status line so a disabled-compression agent
no longer implies /compact is unavailable.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

acp_adapter/server.py

@@ -2021,7 +2021,10 @@ class HermesACPAgent(acp.Agent):
                 lines.append(f"Compression threshold: ~{threshold_tokens:,} tokens")
 
         if getattr(agent, "compression_enabled", True) is False:
-            lines.append("Compression is disabled for this agent.")
+            lines.append(
+                "Auto-compaction is disabled (compression.enabled: false); "
+                "/compact still compresses manually."
+            )
         else:
             lines.append("Tip: run /compress to compress manually before the threshold.")
 
@@ -2048,8 +2051,9 @@ class HermesACPAgent(acp.Agent):
             return "Nothing to compress — conversation is empty."
         try:
             agent = state.agent
-            if not getattr(agent, "compression_enabled", True):
-                return "Context compression is disabled for this agent."
+            # No compression_enabled gate: the flag disables *automatic*
+            # compaction only; manual /compact must keep working (matches
+            # the CLI /compress and gateway handlers).
             if not hasattr(agent, "_compress_context"):
                 return "Context compression not available for this agent."
 
@@ -2074,6 +2078,7 @@ class HermesACPAgent(acp.Agent):
                     getattr(agent, "_cached_system_prompt", "") or "",
                     approx_tokens=approx_tokens,
                     task_id=state.session_id,
+                    force=True,
                 )
             finally:
                 agent._session_db = original_session_db

cli.py

@@ -9929,9 +9929,11 @@ class HermesCLI(CLIAgentSetupMixin, CLICommandsMixin, CLIBillingMixin):
             print("(._.) No active agent -- send a message first.")
             return
 
-        if not self.agent.compression_enabled:
-            print("(._.) Compression is disabled in config.")
-            return
+        # No compression_enabled gate here: the config flag disables
+        # *automatic* compaction only. Manual /compress is an explicit user
+        # action — the context-overflow error path (conversation_loop.py)
+        # directs users here when auto-compaction is off, and the gateway's
+        # /compress handler has never gated on the flag.
 
         from hermes_cli.partial_compress import (
             extract_compress_flags,

tests/acp/test_server.py

@@ -1723,12 +1723,13 @@ class TestSlashCommands:
         original_session_db = object()
         state.agent._session_db = original_session_db
 
-        def _compress_context(messages, system_prompt, *, approx_tokens, task_id):
+        def _compress_context(messages, system_prompt, *, approx_tokens, task_id, force):
             assert state.agent._session_db is None
             assert messages == state.history
             assert system_prompt == "system"
             assert approx_tokens == 40
             assert task_id == state.session_id
+            assert force is True
             return [{"role": "user", "content": "summary"}], "new-system"
 
         state.agent._compress_context = MagicMock(side_effect=_compress_context)
@@ -1756,9 +1757,43 @@ class TestSlashCommands:
             "system",
             approx_tokens=40,
             task_id=state.session_id,
+            force=True,
         )
         mock_save.assert_called_once_with(state.session_id)
 
+    def test_compact_works_when_auto_compaction_disabled(self, agent, mock_manager):
+        """compression.enabled: false disables *automatic* compaction only —
+        manual /compact must still compress (matches CLI /compress and the
+        gateway handler)."""
+        state = self._make_state(mock_manager)
+        state.history = [
+            {"role": "user", "content": "one"},
+            {"role": "assistant", "content": "two"},
+            {"role": "user", "content": "three"},
+            {"role": "assistant", "content": "four"},
+        ]
+        state.agent.compression_enabled = False
+        state.agent._cached_system_prompt = "system"
+        state.agent.tools = None
+        state.agent._session_db = None
+        state.agent._compress_context = MagicMock(
+            return_value=([{"role": "user", "content": "summary"}], "new-system")
+        )
+
+        with (
+            patch.object(agent.session_manager, "save_session"),
+            patch(
+                "agent.model_metadata.estimate_request_tokens_rough",
+                side_effect=[40, 12],
+            ),
+        ):
+            result = agent._handle_slash_command("/compact", state)
+
+        assert "disabled" not in result.lower()
+        assert "Context compressed: 4 -> 1 messages" in result
+        state.agent._compress_context.assert_called_once()
+        assert state.agent._compress_context.call_args.kwargs.get("force") is True
+
     def test_unknown_command_returns_none(self, agent, mock_manager):
         state = self._make_state(mock_manager)
         result = agent._handle_slash_command("/nonexistent", state)

tests/cli/test_manual_compress.py

@@ -188,6 +188,40 @@ def test_manual_compress_does_not_flush_full_history_when_session_id_unchanged()
     shell.agent._flush_messages_to_session_db.assert_not_called()
 
 
+def test_manual_compress_runs_when_auto_compaction_disabled(capsys):
+    """compression.enabled: false disables *automatic* compaction only.
+
+    Manual /compress must still work: the context-overflow error path
+    (agent/conversation_loop.py) explicitly directs users to /compress when
+    auto-compaction is off, and the gateway's /compress handler has never
+    gated on the flag. Regression for the CLI refusing with "Compression is
+    disabled in config."
+    """
+    shell = _make_cli()
+    history = _make_history()
+    compressed = [
+        {"role": "user", "content": "[summary]"},
+        history[-1],
+    ]
+    shell.conversation_history = history
+    shell.agent = MagicMock()
+    shell.agent.compression_enabled = False
+    shell.agent._cached_system_prompt = ""
+    shell.agent.tools = None
+    shell.agent.session_id = shell.session_id
+    shell.agent._compress_context.return_value = (compressed, "")
+
+    with patch("agent.model_metadata.estimate_request_tokens_rough", return_value=100):
+        shell._manual_compress()
+
+    output = capsys.readouterr().out
+    assert "Compression is disabled" not in output
+    shell.agent._compress_context.assert_called_once()
+    # Manual compression bypasses the summary-failure cooldown.
+    assert shell.agent._compress_context.call_args.kwargs.get("force") is True
+    assert shell.conversation_history == compressed
+
+
 def test_manual_compress_no_sync_when_session_id_unchanged():
     """If compression is a no-op (agent.session_id didn't change), the CLI
     must NOT clear _pending_title or otherwise disturb session state.

tests/test_tui_gateway_server.py

@@ -5864,6 +5864,34 @@ def test_config_set_personality_preserves_history_and_returns_info(monkeypatch):
     assert ("session.info", "sid", {"model": "?"}) in emits
 
 
+def test_compress_session_history_passes_force():
+    """_compress_session_history is manual-only (session.compress RPC, slash
+    compress/compact, slash-worker mirror) — it must bypass the
+    summary-failure cooldown via force=True, matching the CLI and gateway
+    manual-compress handlers."""
+    from unittest.mock import MagicMock
+
+    agent = MagicMock()
+    agent.context_compressor = None  # keep _get_usage on the simple path
+    compressed = [{"role": "user", "content": "summary"}]
+    agent._compress_context.return_value = (compressed, "")
+    session = _session(
+        agent=agent,
+        history=[
+            {"role": "user", "content": "one"},
+            {"role": "assistant", "content": "two"},
+            {"role": "user", "content": "three"},
+            {"role": "assistant", "content": "four"},
+        ],
+    )
+
+    removed, _usage = server._compress_session_history(session)
+
+    assert removed == 3
+    assert session["history"] == compressed
+    assert agent._compress_context.call_args.kwargs.get("force") is True
+
+
 def test_session_compress_uses_compress_helper(monkeypatch):
     agent = types.SimpleNamespace()
     server._sessions["sid"] = _session(agent=agent)

tui_gateway/server.py

@@ -3644,12 +3644,18 @@ def _compress_session_history(
     # cached prompt (which already contains the agent identity block)
     # makes the rebuild append the identity a second time. Mirrors the
     # CLI's _manual_compress fix for issue #15281.
+    # force=True: every caller of this helper is a manual /compress path
+    # (session.compress RPC, slash compress/compact, slash-worker mirror) —
+    # auto-compaction runs inside the agent loop, not here. Manual
+    # compaction bypasses the summary-failure cooldown, matching the CLI
+    # and gateway handlers.
     try:
         compressed, _ = agent._compress_context(
             history,
             None,
             approx_tokens=approx_tokens,
             focus_topic=focus_topic or None,
+            force=True,
             defer_context_engine_notification=True,
         )
     except Exception: