test: exercise output-cap removal across native and child surfaces

agent/background_review.py

@@ -813,7 +813,8 @@ def _fork_init_kwargs(agent: Any, rt: Dict[str, Any], routed: bool, max_iteratio
         "enabled_toolsets": getattr(agent, "enabled_toolsets", None),
         "disabled_toolsets": getattr(agent, "disabled_toolsets", None), "skip_memory": True,
     }
-
+    if isinstance(rt.get("max_tokens"), int):
+        kwargs["max_tokens"] = rt["max_tokens"]
     if isinstance(rt.get("command"), str) and rt["command"]:
         kwargs.update(acp_command=rt["command"], acp_args=rt.get("args") or [])
     if not routed:

agent/models_dev.py

@@ -765,7 +765,7 @@ def get_model_info(provider_id: str, model_id: str, *, allow_network: bool = Fal
     only for unknown ones. ``allow_network`` defaults to False — cost guard and inventory are hot paths.
 
     ``model_overrides`` entries use the SAME canonical schema as every other consumer (``context_window``,
-    ``max_output_tokens``, ``supports_*``, ``model_family``) — they are translated into the catalog shape at
+    ``supports_*``, ``model_family``) — they are translated into the catalog shape at
     this boundary, and sub-dicts (``limit``, ``modalities``) are merged rather than clobbered. See #84482,
     #8731.
     """

agent/secret_scope.py

@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ def current_secret_scope() -> Optional[Mapping[str, str]]:
 _GLOBAL_ENV_EXACT = frozenset({
     # Hermes runtime / deployment
     "HERMES_HOME", "HERMES_PROFILE", "HERMES_GATEWAY_LOCK_DIR",
-    "HERMES_MAX_ITERATIONS", "HERMES_MAX_TOKENS", "HERMES_API_TIMEOUT",
+    "HERMES_MAX_ITERATIONS", "HERMES_API_TIMEOUT",
     "HERMES_REDACT_SECRETS", "HERMES_NOUS_TIMEOUT_SECONDS",
     "_HERMES_GATEWAY",
     # OS / interpreter

evals/output_caps_local_capture.py

@@ -31,9 +31,15 @@ class Capture(BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
         else:
             reply = {"id": "fixture", "object": "chat.completion", "created": 0, "model": body["model"], "choices": [{"index": 0, "message": {"role": "assistant", "content": "LOCAL_CAPTURE_ONLY"}, "finish_reason": "stop"}], "usage": {"prompt_tokens": 1, "completion_tokens": 1, "total_tokens": 2}}
         self.send_response(200)
-        self.send_header("Content-Type", "application/json")
-        self.end_headers()
-        self.wfile.write(json.dumps(reply).encode())
+        if body.get("stream"):
+            self.send_header("Content-Type", "text/event-stream")
+            self.end_headers()
+            chunk = {"id": "fixture", "object": "chat.completion.chunk", "created": 0, "model": body["model"], "choices": [{"index": 0, "delta": {"content": "LOCAL_CAPTURE_ONLY"}, "finish_reason": "stop"}], "usage": {"prompt_tokens": 1, "completion_tokens": 1, "total_tokens": 2}}
+            self.wfile.write(("data: " + json.dumps(chunk) + "\n\ndata: [DONE]\n\n").encode())
+        else:
+            self.send_header("Content-Type", "application/json")
+            self.end_headers()
+            self.wfile.write(json.dumps(reply).encode())
 
     def log_message(self, format, *args):
         pass
@@ -95,6 +101,9 @@ Anthropic(api_key="fixture", base_url=url, max_retries=0).messages.create(**kwar
 results["native-anthropic"] = captures[-1]
 results["bedrock-converse-built-not-sent"] = BedrockTransport().build_kwargs("amazon.nova-pro-v1:0", messages)
 results["moa-normalized"] = _normalize_preset({"max_tokens": 23, "reference_max_tokens": 29})
+if os.environ.get("FULL_OUTPUT_CAP_SURFACES"):
+    from output_caps_surfaces import exercise_surfaces
+    results.update(exercise_surfaces(agent, captures, url, home, config))
 print(json.dumps(results, indent=2, default=str))
 server.shutdown()
 server.server_close()

evals/output_caps_scope.md

@@ -0,0 +1,68 @@
+# Output-cap removal: scope and local evidence
+
+Run from a checkout (Python dependencies installed):
+
+```sh
+HERMES_HOME=$(mktemp -d) FULL_OUTPUT_CAP_SURFACES=1 \
+  VERIFY_OUTPUT_CAP_REMOVAL=1 PYTHONPATH=$PWD \
+  .venv/bin/python evals/output_caps_local_capture.py
+```
+
+The HTTP fixture returns `LOCAL_CAPTURE_ONLY`, never vendor inference. The same
+harness runs against the unchanged baseline with `VERIFY_OUTPUT_CAP_REMOVAL`
+unset, using that checkout's working directory and `PYTHONPATH`. Capture bodies,
+not the fake response length, are the oracle. The fixture exercises installed
+OpenAI, Anthropic and boto3 SDKs; the latter is a local Converse capture, **not an
+AWS call**. The PTY transcript is saved under the disposable `HERMES_HOME`.
+
+## Boundary
+
+Removed: `HERMES_MAX_TOKENS`, `model.max_tokens`, dedicated named/custom provider
+`max_output_tokens` fields, model metadata output overrides, batch CLI cap,
+MoA preset/reference/slot caps, and auxiliary compression user caps. Dedicated
+caps are no longer lifted through gateway/API/CLI, child, review or curator
+runtime resolution. Stale configuration is ignored; no global request-field
+scrubber is introduced.
+
+Preserved:
+
+- **Protocol fields and internal task arguments:** native Anthropic Messages
+  requires `max_tokens`; native Anthropic on Bedrock is distinct from Converse.
+  Converse `inferenceConfig.maxTokens` is optional. Provider defaults need not
+  equal a model's maximum.
+- **Provider implementation constraints:** existing NVIDIA, Qwen OAuth, Meta,
+  Kimi, Opencode and native Gemini profile/adapter budgets are unchanged. This
+  change does not establish fresh vendor acceptance or billing for those paths.
+- **Task APIs:** `AIAgent(max_tokens=...)`, auxiliary `call_llm` budgets and
+  `llm.oneshot` remain callable by application tasks, not user model settings.
+  Desktop `requestOneShot` serves commit-message and other short generation
+  tasks; the project-idea action also uses the stateless RPC. There is no output
+  limit input in that UI. The optional Desktop maxTokens wrapper currently has
+  no explicit maxTokens-valued caller; its task RPC contract is retained.
+- **MCP security policy:** `SamplingHandler.max_tokens_cap` bounds a particular
+  server's sampling requests, alongside rate/timeout/tool-round limits. Its
+  Nix, migration, example and documentation settings belong to that separate
+  trust boundary and remain supported.
+- **Generic protocol passthrough:** `request_overrides`/`extra_body` remain
+  arbitrary request-shaping mechanisms. They are not dedicated output-cap
+  controls; stripping arbitrary native fields would break other protocols.
+- Session `--max-tokens` selection filters, observed usage, context limits,
+  provider-error recovery and tool-output size budgets are unrelated.
+
+## Observed before / after
+
+| Local production surface | Baseline cap | Fixed cap |
+| --- | --- | --- |
+| Main agent conversation | 17 | omitted |
+| Child build and completed lifecycle | 17 | omitted |
+| Full MoA: two advisors + aggregator | 23 / 23 / omitted | all omitted |
+| Compression `call_llm` | 47 | omitted |
+| CLI one-shot through PTY | 13 | omitted |
+| Converse through boto3 to loopback | 4096 | omitted |
+| Native Anthropic SDK | 16384 | 16384 |
+| Explicit internal task budget | 43 | 43 |
+
+The initial capture also covers real gateway/API/custom-provider resolvers and
+the registered custom provider profile. It does not prove remote provider
+behavior, billing, a native Desktop interaction, or curator/review scheduling.
+Those surfaces must be validated separately rather than inferred from builders.

evals/output_caps_surfaces.py

@@ -0,0 +1,123 @@
+"""Full local execution controls; never sends a request to an inference vendor."""
+import json
+import os
+import pty
+import select
+import subprocess
+import sys
+import time
+from pathlib import Path
+
+
+def exercise_surfaces(agent, captures, url, home, config):
+    results = {}
+    start = len(captures)
+    response = agent.run_conversation("Return the fixture response.")
+    assert response["final_response"] == "LOCAL_CAPTURE_ONLY", response
+    results["full-agent"] = captures[start:]
+
+    from tools.delegate_tool import _build_child_agent, _run_single_child
+    child = _build_child_agent(0, "Return fixture response", None, [], "fixture", 2, 1, agent)
+    start = len(captures)
+    response = _run_single_child(0, "Return fixture response", child, agent)
+    assert response.get("status") == "completed", response
+    results["full-child"] = captures[start:]
+
+    slot = {"provider": "fixture-local", "model": "fixture", "max_tokens": 23}
+    config["moa"] = {"default_preset": "fixture", "presets": {"fixture": {
+        "reference_models": [slot, slot], "aggregator": slot,
+        "max_tokens": 29, "reference_max_tokens": 31,
+    }}}
+    config["auxiliary"] = {"compression": {"provider": "fixture-local", "model": "fixture", "reasoning_effort": "none", "max_output_tokens": 47}}
+    config["_setup_done"] = True
+    (home / "config.yaml").write_text(json.dumps(config))
+    from agent.moa_loop import MoAClient
+    start = len(captures)
+    response = MoAClient("fixture").chat.completions.create(model="fixture", messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Return fixture"}])
+    assert response.choices[0].message.content == "LOCAL_CAPTURE_ONLY"
+    results["full-moa"] = captures[start:]
+    assert len(results["full-moa"]) == 3, results["full-moa"]
+
+    from agent.auxiliary_client import call_llm
+    start = len(captures)
+    response = call_llm(task="compression", messages=[{"role": "user", "content": "Return fixture"}])
+    assert response.choices[0].message.content == "LOCAL_CAPTURE_ONLY"
+    results["full-compression-call"] = captures[start:]
+
+    from agent.curator import _run_llm_review
+    start = len(captures)
+    response = _run_llm_review("Return the fixture response without tools.")
+    assert response["final"] == "LOCAL_CAPTURE_ONLY", response
+    results["full-curator-fork"] = captures[start:]
+
+    from agent.background_review import build_cache_parity_fork
+    start = len(captures)
+    review, _, _ = build_cache_parity_fork(agent, {}, max_iterations=2)
+    try:
+        response = review.run_conversation("Return fixture response without tools.")
+        assert response["final_response"] == "LOCAL_CAPTURE_ONLY", response
+    finally:
+        review.close()
+    results["full-review-fork"] = captures[start:]
+
+    agent.max_tokens = 43
+    start = len(captures)
+    review, _, _ = build_cache_parity_fork(agent, {}, max_iterations=2)
+    try:
+        response = review.run_conversation("Return fixture response without tools.")
+        assert response["final_response"] == "LOCAL_CAPTURE_ONLY", response
+    finally:
+        review.close()
+        agent.max_tokens = None
+    results["internal-review-budget"] = captures[start:]
+    assert results["internal-review-budget"][0]["body"]["max_tokens"] == 43
+
+    import boto3
+    from agent.transports.bedrock import BedrockTransport
+    native = boto3.client("bedrock-runtime", region_name="us-east-1", endpoint_url=url,
+                          aws_access_key_id="fixture", aws_secret_access_key="fixture")
+    kwargs = BedrockTransport().build_kwargs("amazon.nova-pro-v1:0", [{"role": "user", "content": "fixture"}])
+    kwargs.pop("__bedrock_converse__", None)
+    kwargs.pop("__bedrock_region__", None)
+    start = len(captures)
+    native.converse(**kwargs)
+    results["bedrock-sdk-local-not-aws"] = captures[start:]
+
+    master, slave = pty.openpty()
+    env = {k: v for k, v in os.environ.items() if not any(s in k for s in ("API_KEY", "TOKEN", "SECRET"))}
+    env.update(HOME=str(home), HERMES_HOME=str(home), HERMES_MAX_TOKENS="13", TERM="xterm", NO_COLOR="1")
+    start = len(captures)
+    proc = subprocess.Popen([sys.executable, "-m", "hermes_cli.main", "chat", "--provider", "fixture-local", "-m", "fixture", "-q", "Return fixture"], stdin=slave, stdout=slave, stderr=slave, cwd=os.getcwd(), env=env)
+    os.close(slave)
+    output = bytearray()
+    deadline = time.monotonic() + 60
+    try:
+        while time.monotonic() < deadline:
+            if select.select([master], [], [], 0.1)[0]:
+                try:
+                    chunk = os.read(master, 65536)
+                except OSError:
+                    break
+                if not chunk:
+                    break
+                output.extend(chunk)
+            elif proc.poll() is not None:
+                break
+        if proc.poll() is None:
+            proc.terminate()
+        proc.wait(timeout=10)
+    finally:
+        os.close(master)
+    (home / "cli-pty.txt").write_bytes(output)
+    assert proc.returncode == 0 and b"LOCAL_CAPTURE_ONLY" in output, output.decode(errors="replace")
+    results["cli-pty"] = captures[start:]
+    assert results["cli-pty"]
+    if os.environ.get("VERIFY_OUTPUT_CAP_REMOVAL"):
+        for label, requests in results.items():
+            if label == "internal-review-budget":
+                continue
+            assert requests, label
+            for request in requests:
+                assert "max_tokens" not in request["body"] and "max_completion_tokens" not in request["body"], (label, request)
+                assert "maxTokens" not in request["body"].get("inferenceConfig", {}), (label, request)
+    return results

tests/agent/test_curator.py

@@ -838,7 +838,7 @@ def test_review_fork_uses_runtime_model_and_output_cap(curator_env, monkeypatch)
 
     assert result["error"] is None
     assert captured["model"] == "real-model-id"
-    assert captured["max_tokens"] is None
+    assert captured.get("max_tokens") is None
 
 
 

tests/agent/test_fast_compression_lane.py

@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@ def _resolve(config, *, provider="ollama", model="qwen3:8b", requested_model=Non
         )
 
 
-def test_explicit_non_reasoning_compression_route_is_certified_and_bounded():
+def test_explicit_non_reasoning_compression_route_is_certified():
     lane = _resolve(
         {
             "provider": "ollama",
@@ -155,7 +155,7 @@ def test_compression_latency_records_delayed_first_provider_chunk():
     assert timings["summary_generation_ms"] >= timings["time_to_first_progress_ms"]
 
 
-def test_certified_fast_lane_sends_the_configured_cap_to_its_provider():
+def test_certified_fast_lane_ignores_legacy_cap_and_preserves_reasoning():
     from agent.auxiliary_client import call_llm
 
     config = {
@@ -217,7 +217,7 @@ def test_uncertified_effective_primary_route_does_not_receive_fast_cap():
     assert "reasoning" not in request.get("extra_body", {})
 
 
-def test_boolean_cap_drift_stays_uncapped_and_preserves_existing_reasoning():
+def test_legacy_boolean_cap_does_not_bypass_route_certification():
     from agent.auxiliary_client import call_llm
 
     config = {
@@ -323,7 +323,7 @@ def test_summary_model_override_cap_uses_the_actual_primary_request():
     assert "max_tokens" not in request
 
 
-def test_fallback_cap_requires_independent_route_certification():
+def test_fallback_reasoning_requires_independent_route_certification():
     from agent.auxiliary_client import _call_fallback_candidate_sync
 
     response = object()

tests/agent/test_moa_slot_max_tokens.py

@@ -13,10 +13,10 @@ import pytest
 
 
 class TestRunReferenceSlotMaxTokens:
-    """_run_reference should prefer slot-level max_tokens over preset-level."""
+    """Legacy slot settings cannot override internal advisor task budgets."""
 
-    def test_slot_max_tokens_overrides_preset_level(self):
-        """When slot has max_tokens, it overrides the preset-level cap."""
+    def test_legacy_slot_max_tokens_cannot_override_internal_budget(self):
+        """An explicit internal caller budget wins over a stale user setting."""
         from agent.moa_loop import _run_reference
 
         captured_kwargs: dict = {}

tests/agent/test_models_dev.py

@@ -1164,7 +1164,7 @@ class TestModelOverrides:
         assert info is not None
         assert info.family == "llava"
         assert info.context_window == 8192
-        assert info.max_output is None
+        assert info.max_output == 0
         assert info.tool_call is True
         assert info.reasoning is False
 

tests/run_agent/test_background_review_cost_controls.py

@@ -73,7 +73,7 @@ def test_routing_to_different_model_marks_routed_and_resolves_credentials():
     assert rt["api_key"] == "or-key"
     assert rt["credential_pool"] == "routed-pool"
     assert rt["request_overrides"] == {"extra_body": {"store": False}}
-    assert rt["max_tokens"] is None
+    assert rt.get("max_tokens") is None
 
 
 def test_unrouted_runtime_keeps_parent_pool_and_overrides():

tests/tools/test_delegate_request_overrides.py

@@ -58,7 +58,7 @@ def test_direct_branch_forwards_request_overrides():
     assert creds["request_overrides"] == {
         "extra_body": {"provider": {"sort": "throughput"}},
     }
-    # Shape parity with the named-provider branch: max_output_tokens present.
+    # Dedicated user cap controls are not part of child credentials.
     assert "max_output_tokens" not in creds
 
 
@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ def test_explicit_merges_over_runtime_on_provider_alongside_base_url(mock_resolv
     """Precedence on the provider-alongside-base_url path (#98237 interplay):
     explicit delegation.request_overrides merges OVER the named provider's
     runtime overrides — runtime extra_body keys survive unless redefined,
-    explicit top-level keys win, and max_output_tokens is preserved."""
+    explicit top-level keys win, and legacy max_output_tokens is ignored."""
     mock_resolve.return_value = {
         "provider": "custom",
         "base_url": "https://provider-default.example/v1",

website/docs/user-guide/skills/optional/devops/devops-actual-setup.md

@@ -141,8 +141,8 @@ a human in a browser.
    `actual models load` takes the INSTALLED name from `actual models list`.
 4. **Reasoning models returning empty content.** GLM/Qwen reasoning variants
    emit thinking in a separate `reasoning` field and can burn a small
-   `max_tokens` entirely on reasoning. Give generous max_tokens before
-   assuming failure.
+   output budget entirely on reasoning. Check the server-side output default
+   before assuming failure.
 5. **Do not create a custom provider named `actual`.** Older setup guides
    (pre first-class support) wrote `providers.actual.*` config blocks. On
    current Hermes the built-in provider wins the name; stale custom blocks

website/i18n/zh-Hans/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/current/integrations/providers.md

@@ -720,7 +720,7 @@ hermes model
 **工具调用：** 使用 `--tool-call-parser` 并选择适合你模型系列的解析器：`qwen`（Qwen 2.5）、`llama3`、`llama4`、`deepseekv3`、`mistral`、`glm`。没有此标志，工具调用将以纯文本返回。
 
 :::caution SGLang 默认最大输出 128 tokens
-如果响应看起来被截断，在请求中添加 `max_tokens` 或在服务器上设置 `--default-max-tokens`。SGLang 的默认值是每次响应仅 128 tokens（如果请求中未指定）。
+如果响应看起来被截断，在服务器上设置 `--default-max-tokens`。SGLang 的默认值是每次响应仅 128 tokens（如果请求中未指定）。
 :::
 
 ---
@@ -977,7 +977,7 @@ model:
 #### 响应在句子中间被截断
 
 **可能原因：**
-1. **服务器上的输出上限（`max_tokens`）过低** — SGLang 默认每次响应 128 tokens。在服务器上设置 `--default-max-tokens`，或在 config.yaml 中配置 `model.max_tokens`。注意：`max_tokens` 只控制响应长度——与对话历史可以有多长无关（那是 `context_length`）。
+1. **服务器上的输出上限（`max_tokens`）过低** — SGLang 默认每次响应 128 tokens。在服务器上设置 `--default-max-tokens`；Hermes 不再提供用户输出上限设置。注意：`max_tokens` 只控制响应长度——与对话历史可以有多长无关（那是 `context_length`）。
 2. **上下文耗尽** — 模型填满了上下文窗口。增加 `model.context_length` 或在 Hermes 中启用[上下文压缩](/user-guide/configuration#context-compression)。
 
 ---
@@ -1075,10 +1075,10 @@ model:
 :::note 两个设置，容易混淆
 **`context_length`** 是**总上下文窗口**——输入和输出 token 的合计预算（例如 Claude Opus 4.6 为 200,000）。Hermes 用它来决定何时压缩历史记录以及验证 API 请求。
 
-**`model.max_tokens`** 是**输出上限**——模型在*单次响应*中最多可生成的 token 数。与对话历史可以有多长无关。行业标准名称 `max_tokens` 是常见的混淆来源；Anthropic 的原生 API 已将其重命名为 `max_output_tokens` 以更清晰。
+**输出上限**限制单次响应，而非对话历史。Hermes 不再读取 `model.max_tokens`、`HERMES_MAX_TOKENS` 或提供商及模型的输出上限设置。兼容端点使用服务器默认值；该值不一定是模型最大值。原生 Anthropic Messages 仍要求 `max_tokens`，Hermes 会提供内部值。Bedrock Converse 的可选输出限制默认省略。
 
 当自动检测获取的窗口大小不正确时，设置 `context_length`。
-仅当需要限制单次响应长度时，才设置 `model.max_tokens`。
+请删除旧的用户输出上限配置；内部任务预算与 MCP 采样安全预算保持不变。
 :::
 
 Hermes 使用多源解析链来检测模型和提供商的正确上下文窗口：

website/i18n/zh-Hans/docusaurus-plugin-content-docs/current/user-guide/features/batch-processing.md

@@ -68,7 +68,6 @@ python batch_runner.py --list_distributions
 | `--resume` | `false` | 从断点恢复 |
 | `--verbose` | `false` | 启用详细日志 |
 | `--max_samples` | 全部 | 仅处理数据集中前 N 条样本 |
-| `--max_tokens` | 模型默认值 | 每次模型响应的最大 token 数 |
 
 ### 供应商路由（OpenRouter）