CLI, gateway, TUI and ACP each re-sequenced the same chain (partial split -> estimate ->
_compress_context(force=True) -> lock-skip detection -> rejoin tail -> summary), and the
flag set differed per surface: TUI treated `--preview` as a focus topic, ACP ignored
arguments entirely. For the one command that legitimately breaks the prompt cache that
divergence is a correctness problem, not a style one.
`agent/conversation_compression_manual.py::compress_now` owns the sequence; surfaces parse
their own argv, install `after_messages`, re-anchor session ids and render. TUI and ACP gain
`--preview`, `--aggressive` refusal and `here [N]` parity.
Second site of the same bug class #104444 fixes in apply_pending_steer_to_tool_results:
_inject_steer_into_newest_tool_result (the drain that runs when a /steer lands during an
API call) mutated the newest role:tool row in place. That row was already flushed
append-only, so the replayed history diverged from the live request bytes at the
injection point and broke the prompt cache exactly like the post-batch path.
Deliver it the same way: a standalone user row inserted right after the newest tool
result (not yet persisted, so the next flush writes it to the transcript). Restash when
there is no tool row yet, unchanged. Stale comments claiming steer lands "in the newest
tool result" and agent/AGENTS.md's alternation rule now describe the real shape.
Root AGENTS.md 100,797 → 29,295 chars: what applies everywhere (invariants, rubric, footprint ladder, layout + shape rules, commit/PR, testing) plus a routing table. Area rules move to agent/, hermes_cli/, gateway/, tools/, plugins/, tui_gateway/, web/, skills/, cron/, apps/desktop/src/ AGENTS.md (3–9k each; ceiling is now 32k after d61cff60e3, target ~8k). Long-form process-identity and skin key tables go to website/docs/developer-guide/cli-internals.md. Zero rule loss; map in /tmp/rf/agents_md_zero_loss.md. Stale Bot Mode test paths corrected to apps/desktop/src/plugins/hermes-bots/*.test.ts.
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