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Overview

The /context slash command shows exactly what is occupying the agent’s context window in the current session. It applies the same pre-API transforms — compact boundary, context collapse, and microcompact — so the token count matches what the model actually sees, not the raw conversation history. Use /context when:
  • A session feels sluggish or starts losing earlier details
  • You want to verify how much of the window is consumed by tools, skills, memory, or agents
  • You need to decide whether to compact, fork, or start a new session
  • You are debugging why a long attachment or MCP server is not loaded
The command has two forms:

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Basic usage

In an interactive session, type:
The TUI renders a grid where each block represents a slice of the context window, color-coded by category. In non-interactive mode, the same command prints a markdown report:

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What the report shows

The output is split into several sections.
  • Model — the active main-loop model
  • Tokens — estimated tokens currently in context versus the model’s effective window
  • Percentage — share of the window consumed

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Context strategy

When context collapse is enabled, a one-liner describes the current strategy:
This tells you that earlier conversation spans were summarized and replaced with <collapsed> placeholders, and that another span is queued for summarization.

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Estimated usage by category

Categories include conversation history, system prompt, built-in and MCP tool definitions, custom agents, memory files, skills, and any autocompact or manual compact buffer.

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MCP tools

Lists attached Model Context Protocol servers and the token cost of their exposed tools: Tools that exceed the available budget are marked as deferred and are not sent to the model.

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Custom agents

Source can be Project, User, Local, Flag, Policy, Plugin, or Built-in.

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Memory files

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Skills

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Message breakdown

A detailed breakdown of where conversation tokens come from: Plus top tools and attachments by token cost.

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Understanding the colored grid

The interactive visualization divides the context window into squares. Each square is color-coded by category, and partially filled squares indicate categories that do not align cleanly with a single grid cell. Hovering is not required — the legend beneath the grid maps colors to categories and token counts. Colors are stable within a session, so you can run /context multiple times and watch a single category grow or shrink after compactions.

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When numbers change

The token estimate updates immediately after:
  • A message is sent or received
  • A tool definition is loaded or deferred
  • A skill, agent, or memory file is added or removed
  • Context collapse summarizes a span
  • Autocompact or manual compact rewrites history
Because /context uses the same code path as the API request, its total should match the billed input tokens closely. Small differences are expected due to provider-specific tokenization and caching metadata.

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Non-interactive output

When running through gizzi exec, /context returns the same data as markdown instead of Ink graphics:
This is useful for:
  • Logging context state in CI pipelines
  • Comparing token usage across sessions
  • Generating reports from headless runs