Context garbage collector for long-running LLM agents — offload and recall to save tokens (Claude Code & Codex via MCP)
Three tools with clear, actionable descriptions (avg 85 chars, within 10-1024 baseline). All have input schemas with type definitions. However, output schemas are undocumented, LLMs cannot predict return structure. Parameter descriptions are minimal (e.g., 'The handle or keyword query' lacks format/constraint guidance). No error handling guidance, no recovery paths. Naming is verb-forward (archive, recall, status) but generic, 'lethe_*' prefix adds namespace clarity. Missing idempotency hints, rate-limit guidance, and per-parameter validation rules.
Store a large output out of context; returns a short handle to recall it later. Use this for verbose tool results, file dumps, logs, or big API responses you will not need in full right away. Keep only the returned handle in your context.
Recall archived content by its short handle or by keyword search.
Report how much has been archived and how many tokens were offloaded.
Output schemas undocumented. lethe_archive returns dict, lethe_recall returns str, lethe_status returns dict, but structure, field names, and types are invisible to LLMs. Cannot plan downstream calls or extract data reliably.
No error handling guidance. If lethe_recall finds nothing, it returns '[lethe: nothing found]', a string, not structured error. LLM cannot distinguish success from failure or know what to do next. Missing recovery hints (e.g., 'Try a broader keyword search').
Parameter descriptions lack format/constraint guidance. 'query_or_handle' does not explain: What is a valid handle format? How long? Case-sensitive? What keywords are searchable? LLMs will guess and pass invalid values.
| Scored | Grade | Overall | Spec posture | Rubric |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-09-23 | C | 60 | 2026-07-28+ | v2 |
No idempotency or side-effect documentation. lethe_archive modifies state (writes to DB). LLMs need to know: Is it safe to retry? Does duplicate content create duplicate archives? Missing idempotent-operation pattern.
Tool descriptions do not explain WHEN to use each tool or dependencies between them. E.g., lethe_recall description should hint: 'Use after lethe_archive to retrieve stored content.' Missing composition guidance.