| name | context-doctor |
| description | Visualize and diagnose OpenClaw context window usage. Generates a terminal-rendered breakdown showing workspace files (status, chars, tokens), installed skills inventory, and token budget allocation across bootstrap components. Use when: (1) user asks about context window health or token usage, (2) debugging agent quality degradation ("agent got dumber"), (3) after editing workspace files to verify impact, (4) auditing bootstrap overhead. NOT for: conversation history analysis, model selection, or cost tracking.
|
Context Doctor
Diagnose and visualize how the context window budget is allocated.
Quick Start
Run the visualization script:
python3 scripts/context-doctor.py
The script auto-detects:
- Workspace path (
~/.openclaw/workspace or OPENCLAW_WORKSPACE env)
- OpenClaw version (via
openclaw --version)
- Installed skills (system + workspace)
- Bootstrap file sizes and status
Output Sections
1. Workspace Files
Shows each bootstrap file with:
- Status: โ OK / โ MISSING / โ TRUNCATED (symlink target missing = MISSING)
- Characters & Tokens: Raw size and estimated token count (chars/4)
- Visual bar: Proportional to file size
2. Installed Skills
Lists all discovered SKILL.md files from system and workspace skill directories.
Skills are loaded on-demand, not in bootstrap โ shown for awareness only.
3. Token Budget
Breaks down bootstrap overhead:
- System Prompt (framework)
- Workspace Files (from scan)
- Skills List (metadata descriptions)
- Tool Schemas + Summaries
Shows total bootstrap % vs free conversation space.
Diagnostic Signals
| Signal | Meaning | Action |
|---|
| ๐ด TRUNCATED | File exceeded max chars, silently cut | Reduce file size or split content |
| ๐ก MISSING | File not found or broken symlink | Check path, fix symlink target |
| ๐ข Bootstrap <10% | Healthy | No action needed |
| ๐ Bootstrap >15% | Heavy | Review workspace files for bloat |
Image Output (for chat / sharing)
Generate a PNG image directly โ no terminal screenshot needed:
python3 scripts/context-doctor.py --png /tmp/context-doctor.png
The script renders a colored terminal-style image via Rich SVG export.
Requires: rich (pip3 install rich) + one of: rsvg-convert (brew install librsvg) or cairosvg (pip3 install cairosvg).
Agent workflow: When a user asks about context health in chat, run with --png and send the image directly. The output path is printed to stdout on success.
