Bounds

Bounds

This page tells maintainers each bound, its value, and its file. The values come from the code. A value in a placeholder is filled from the code when just generate runs.

Where a New Bound Goes

A new bound goes in the tier of its reader. Each bound has one owner, and tests pin the copies of a bound in code and config.

• A shared runtime bound goes in src/kernel/budget.ts. Inference: use this tier when the shipped code of more than one slice reads the bound.
• A slice bound goes in src/plugins/<plugin>/slices/<slice>/limits.ts. Use this tier when one slice reads the bound.
• A repository bound goes in tools/limits.ts. Use this tier when only the tests and the tools read the bound, so it does not ship.

The rule for each tier is in CLAUDE.md. The choice of the three tiers is in Decisions-Layout.

Shared Runtime Bounds

Name	Value	File	Purpose
CONTEXT_WINDOW	300,000	src/kernel/budget.ts	The context window in tokens, which the settings snippet sets for Claude Code.
CONTEXT_BLOCK_MARGIN	23,000	src/kernel/budget.ts	The tokens below the window at which the client blocks the next request as too long.
USAGE_LEVELS (low)	75	src/kernel/budget.ts	The percent of the window at which the status line shows the context in yellow.
USAGE_LEVELS (high)	90	src/kernel/budget.ts	The percent of the window at which the status line shows the context in red.
BASH_OUTPUT_MAX_CHARS	4,000	src/kernel/budget.ts	The characters of a successful Bash output that Claude gets inline.
COMMAND_OUTPUT_MAX_CHARS	20,000	src/kernel/budget.ts	The characters of a skill command output that shows with no model turn.
POLICY_TIMEOUT_MS	5,000	src/kernel/budget.ts	The time for one gh call of the policy guard.
POLICY_FILE_MAX_CHARS	2,000	src/kernel/budget.ts	The characters of one policy file in the ask prompt.
SHELL_SCAN_MAX_CHARS	200,000	src/kernel/budget.ts	The most characters that commands in src/kernel/shell.ts reads in one command.
CODE_COMMAND_MAX_WORDS	32	src/kernel/budget.ts	The most words of one command that a code reader reads from code in another language.

Slice Bounds

Name	Value	File	Purpose
MAX_GUIDE_CHARS	40,000	src/plugins/dotclaude-browser/slices/browse/limits.ts	The most characters of the agent-browser guide in the skill.
GUIDE_TIMEOUT_MS	15,000	src/plugins/dotclaude-browser/slices/browse/limits.ts	The time that agent-browser skills get core may take.
MAX_OUTPUT_CHARS	20,000	src/plugins/dotclaude-browser/slices/search/limits.ts	The most characters of page text in one search result.
OPEN_TIMEOUT_MS	30,000	src/plugins/dotclaude-browser/slices/search/limits.ts	The time that the browser may take to open the search page.
READ_TIMEOUT_MS	15,000	src/plugins/dotclaude-browser/slices/search/limits.ts	The time that the browser may take to read the page text.
CLOSE_TIMEOUT_MS	10,000	src/plugins/dotclaude-browser/slices/search/limits.ts	The time that the browser may take to close.
SESSION_NAME_MAX	12	src/plugins/dotclaude-browser/slices/search/limits.ts	The longest name of a search session, which keeps a socket path under the macOS limit.
MAX_DOMAINS	10	src/plugins/dotclaude-browser/slices/search/limits.ts	The most allowed_domains or blocked_domains that the query takes.
QUERY_TIMEOUT_MS	2,000	src/plugins/dotclaude-codegraph/slices/graph/limits.ts	The time that codegraph --version may take for the check.
START_SYNC_TIMEOUT_MS	6,000	src/plugins/dotclaude-codegraph/slices/graph/limits.ts	The time that the sync at session start may take.
BACKGROUND_SYNC_TIMEOUT_MS	60,000	src/plugins/dotclaude-codegraph/slices/graph/limits.ts	The time that the background sync after an edit may take.
GIT_SYNC_TIMEOUT_MS	15,000	src/plugins/dotclaude-codegraph/slices/graph/limits.ts	The time that the sync after a git command may take.
FILE_MAX_BYTES	1,000,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/asks/limits.ts	The largest file in bytes that a check reads to compare the text before and after a call.
SCAN_MAX_CHARS	200,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/asks/limits.ts	The most characters of text that a check scans for banned patterns.
ITEMS_SHOWN_MAX	8	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/asks/limits.ts	The most reasons that the write ask of one Bash command gives.
SCRIPT_FILES_MAX	8	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/asks/limits.ts	The most script files of one Bash command that the git ask and the write ask read.
LINE_SHOWN_MAX_CHARS	80	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/asks/limits.ts	The most characters of a changed line that an ask reason shows.
STATEMENT_MAX_CHARS	4,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/asks/weak-limits.ts	The most characters of one statement that the reader of code text scans.
JSON_DEPTH_MAX	24	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/asks/weak-limits.ts	The most nested levels of a JSON value that the config check compares.
MAX_FAILURE_LINES	40	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/checks/limits.ts	The most failure lines that the summary of one command prints.
MAX_LINE_CHARS	200	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/checks/limits.ts	The most characters of one failure line before it is cut.
TAIL_LINES	10	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/checks/limits.ts	The last output lines that the summary prints for a failed command with no failure line.
MAX_PASS_OUTPUT_LINES	10	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/checks/limits.ts	The most output lines that the summary prints for a passing command.
COMMAND_TIMEOUT_MS	1,800,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/checks/limits.ts	The time that one command may run before it is killed and counts as failed.
RUN_ID_LENGTH	8	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/checks/limits.ts	The characters of the random part of a log file name.
JEV_TIMEOUT_MS	45,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/decide/limits.ts	The most time that the hook waits for one run of the TypeSafe client.
TRIES	3	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/decide/limits.ts	The tries of the TypeSafe client on a 429 or a 529 reply.
BACKOFF_MS	1,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/decide/limits.ts	The first wait before a retry, which doubles for each later wait.
ATTEMPT_TIMEOUT_MS	12,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/decide/limits.ts	The timeout of one try of the TypeSafe client.
ERROR_BODY_MAX	200	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/decide/limits.ts	The most characters of an error body of the TypeSafe API that the client keeps.
FALLBACK_TIMEOUT_MS	30,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/decide/limits.ts	The time limit of one fallback completion.
FALLBACK_MAX_TOKENS	512	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/decide/limits.ts	The token cap of one fallback reply.
MIN_OPTIONS	2	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/decide/limits.ts	The fewest options of a pick question.
MAX_OPTIONS	255	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/decide/limits.ts	The most options of a pick question.
MIN_CONFIDENCE	0.5	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/decide/limits.ts	The confidence under which a Jev answer says that Jev is not sure.
YES_NO_UNSURE_BAND	0.2	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/decide/limits.ts	The distance from 0.5 under which a yes or no answer says that Jev is not sure.
READ_MAX_BYTES	4,194,304	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/guard/limits.ts	The size of the largest file that $.fs.read reads, which is 4 MiB.
SUBAGENT_CONTEXT_MAX	100,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/handoff/limits.ts	The context of a subagent in tokens, from which the hook tells it to report now.
HAIKU_CONTEXT_MAX	85,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/handoff/limits.ts	The context of a Haiku 5.5 subagent in tokens, from which the hook tells it to report.
REPORT_MAX_WORDS	400	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/handoff/limits.ts	The most words in the final report of an agent.
CONTEXT_PERCENT	60	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/handoff/limits.ts	The share of the context window in percent, at which the main session starts a handoff.
HANDOFF_WAIT_TURNS	2	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/handoff/limits.ts	The turns of the main session that a handoff waits for its file before it counts as not written.
HANDOFF_RETRY_MAX	1	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/handoff/limits.ts	The times that the hook submits the write prompt again for one trigger when no file appears.
BUN_MIN	1.4.3	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/setup/limits.ts	The lowest Bun version that the CLIs, hooks, and bins of the plugins need.
GAP_KEYS_MAX	8	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/setup/limits.ts	The most key paths that the line of missing snippet values names.
RULE_LINES_MAX	8	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/setup/limits.ts	The most lines that the rule problems add to the drift check.
SUBAGENTS_PRO	5	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/setup/limits.ts	The CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONCURRENT_SUBAGENTS of the Pro baseline and the API key account.
SUBAGENTS_MAX_5X	10	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/setup/limits.ts	The CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONCURRENT_SUBAGENTS of the Max 5x account.
SUBAGENTS_MAX_20X	20	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/setup/limits.ts	The CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONCURRENT_SUBAGENTS of the Max 20x account.
AUTH_STATUS_TIMEOUT_MS	10,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/setup/limits.ts	The time that claude auth status --json may take before setup reads no account.
USAGE_SAMPLE_MAX_MS	600,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/spec/limits.ts	The most age of the usage sample that dotclaude-spec runs trusts.
SHOW_EVENTS_MAX	5	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/spec/limits.ts	The most events of one package that dotclaude-spec show prints, from the last.
SUBAGENTS_DEFAULT	20	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/spec/limits.ts	The cap on subagents that Claude Code uses when CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONCURRENT_SUBAGENTS is unset.
REFRESH_SECONDS	1	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/statusline/limits.ts	The seconds between two runs of the status line.
GIT_TIMEOUT_MS	1,500	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/statusline/limits.ts	The time that the one git status call can take.
MAX_ROWS	3	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/statusline/limits.ts	The most rows of the main status line.
USAGE_REWRITE_MS	300,000	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/statusline/limits.ts	The age of the saved usage sample that the status line rewrites even when the values are equal.
DEFAULT_COLUMNS	120	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/statusline/limits.ts	The width in columns when COLUMNS is not set.
COLUMNS_MARGIN	4	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/statusline/limits.ts	The columns that stay free at the right edge.
SUBAGENT_ROWS_MAX	20	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/statusline/limits.ts	The most subagent rows in the status line.
DESCRIPTION_ROOM_MIN	8	src/plugins/dotclaude/slices/statusline/limits.ts	The columns that a subagent row needs for its description before the description shows.

Repository Bounds

Name	Value	File	Purpose
FILE_MAX_LINES	300	tools/limits.ts	The most lines in a file that is not a test.
TEST_FILE_MAX_LINES	500	tools/limits.ts	The most lines in a test file.
WORKTREE_TEST_TIMEOUT_MS	15,000	tools/limits.ts	The time for one test that makes a git worktree.
AGENT_DESCRIPTION_MAX_CHARS	300	tools/limits.ts	The most characters in the description of an agent file.
CLAUDE_MD_MAX_BYTES	6,144	tools/limits.ts	The most bytes in a CLAUDE.md or AGENTS.md file.
SKILL_META_LOW_BYTES	150	tools/limits.ts	The fewest bytes in the name and description of one skill.
SKILL_META_HIGH_BYTES	300	tools/limits.ts	The most bytes in the name and description of one skill.
SKILL_META_TOTAL_LOW_BYTES	5,120	tools/limits.ts	The fewest bytes of skill metadata in all skills together.
SKILL_META_TOTAL_HIGH_BYTES	8,192	tools/limits.ts	The target for the skill metadata of all skills together. A larger sum is reported.
SKILL_META_TOTAL_MAX_BYTES	15,360	tools/limits.ts	The ceiling for the skill metadata of all skills together. A larger sum fails.
SKILL_BODY_LOW_BYTES	2,048	tools/limits.ts	The fewest bytes in a SKILL.md body.
SKILL_BODY_HIGH_BYTES	8,192	tools/limits.ts	The most bytes in a SKILL.md body.
FIRST_REQUEST_LOW_BYTES	8,192	tools/limits.ts	The fewest bytes in the first request, with no tool schemas.
FIRST_REQUEST_HIGH_BYTES	16,384	tools/limits.ts	The most bytes in the first request, with no tool schemas.
START_TOKENS	9,960	tools/limits.ts	The most tokens in the first request of a dotclaude session.

Source of the Binary Facts

Three shared bounds depend on the Claude Code 2.1.296 binary: CONTEXT_WINDOW, CONTEXT_BLOCK_MARGIN, and BASH_OUTPUT_MAX_CHARS. The range of bashOutputMaxChars (4,000 to 128,000) comes from the 2.1.296 settings table of a local dossier. The dossier is not in the repository. The other two values come from code comments that cite the 2.1.296 bundle.

Related Pages

• Settings Snippet gives the settings that use CONTEXT_WINDOW.
• Context and Handoff explains the handoff bounds.
• Decisions Layout gives the choice of the bound tiers.