hermes-agent/agent/prompt_caching.py
Teknium b06e999302
fix(cache): kill long-lived prefix layout — system prompt is now byte-static within a session (#24778)
The long-lived prefix-cache layout split the system prompt into stable/
context/volatile blocks and re-derived them on every API call. The
volatile tier (timestamp + memory snapshot + USER profile) ticks per
turn, so the system message bytes mutated mid-conversation and broke
upstream prompt caches (OpenRouter, Nous Portal, Anthropic).

Diagnosed via live wire-format diffing: an 8-turn conversation showed
OLD layout flipping system block[1] sha mid-session at the minute
boundary, dropping cached_tokens to 0 on that turn (cumulative
66.6% vs 83.3% for the single-block layout). Hermes invariant:
history (system + all but the last 1-2 messages) must be static.

Fix: drop the long-lived layout entirely. Single layout everywhere —
system_and_3 with one cached system string built once on first turn,
replayed verbatim on every subsequent turn. Loses cross-session 1h
prefix caching for Claude (the feature that motivated the split), but
within-session caching now actually works on every provider.

Removed:
- run_agent.py: _use_long_lived_prefix_cache flag, _long_lived_cache_ttl,
  _supports_long_lived_anthropic_cache method, the long-lived branch in
  run_conversation, mark_tools_for_long_lived_cache call site
- agent/prompt_caching.py: apply_anthropic_cache_control_long_lived,
  mark_tools_for_long_lived_cache, _mark_system_stable_block helper
- hermes_cli/config.py: prompt_caching.long_lived_prefix and
  prompt_caching.long_lived_ttl config keys
- tests/agent/test_prompt_caching_live.py (entire file)
- tests/agent/test_prompt_caching.py: TestMarkToolsForLongLivedCache,
  TestApplyAnthropicCacheControlLongLived
- tests/run_agent/test_anthropic_prompt_cache_policy.py:
  TestSupportsLongLivedAnthropicCache

Targeted tests: 62/62 pass.
2026-05-12 20:46:04 -07:00

79 lines
2.4 KiB
Python

"""Anthropic prompt caching strategy.
Single layout: ``system_and_3``. 4 cache_control breakpoints — system
prompt + last 3 non-system messages, all at the same TTL (5m or 1h).
Reduces input token costs by ~75% on multi-turn conversations within a
single session.
Pure functions -- no class state, no AIAgent dependency.
"""
import copy
from typing import Any, Dict, List
def _apply_cache_marker(msg: dict, cache_marker: dict, native_anthropic: bool = False) -> None:
"""Add cache_control to a single message, handling all format variations."""
role = msg.get("role", "")
content = msg.get("content")
if role == "tool":
if native_anthropic:
msg["cache_control"] = cache_marker
return
if content is None or content == "":
msg["cache_control"] = cache_marker
return
if isinstance(content, str):
msg["content"] = [
{"type": "text", "text": content, "cache_control": cache_marker}
]
return
if isinstance(content, list) and content:
last = content[-1]
if isinstance(last, dict):
last["cache_control"] = cache_marker
def _build_marker(ttl: str) -> Dict[str, str]:
"""Build a cache_control marker dict for the given TTL ('5m' or '1h')."""
marker: Dict[str, str] = {"type": "ephemeral"}
if ttl == "1h":
marker["ttl"] = "1h"
return marker
def apply_anthropic_cache_control(
api_messages: List[Dict[str, Any]],
cache_ttl: str = "5m",
native_anthropic: bool = False,
) -> List[Dict[str, Any]]:
"""Apply system_and_3 caching strategy to messages for Anthropic models.
Places up to 4 cache_control breakpoints: system prompt + last 3 non-system
messages, all at the same TTL.
Returns:
Deep copy of messages with cache_control breakpoints injected.
"""
messages = copy.deepcopy(api_messages)
if not messages:
return messages
marker = _build_marker(cache_ttl)
breakpoints_used = 0
if messages[0].get("role") == "system":
_apply_cache_marker(messages[0], marker, native_anthropic=native_anthropic)
breakpoints_used += 1
remaining = 4 - breakpoints_used
non_sys = [i for i in range(len(messages)) if messages[i].get("role") != "system"]
for idx in non_sys[-remaining:]:
_apply_cache_marker(messages[idx], marker, native_anthropic=native_anthropic)
return messages