diff --git a/run_agent.py b/run_agent.py
index 34d2eb7aa00..76d4ffcf456 100644
--- a/run_agent.py
+++ b/run_agent.py
@@ -987,7 +987,7 @@ class AIAgent:
             threshold_percent=compression_threshold,
             protect_first_n=3,
             protect_last_n=4,
-            summary_target_tokens=2500,
+            summary_target_tokens=500,
             summary_model_override=compression_summary_model,
             quiet_mode=self.quiet_mode,
             base_url=self.base_url,
diff --git a/website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md b/website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md
index 02396556a59..1d47f192292 100644
--- a/website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md
+++ b/website/docs/user-guide/configuration.md
@@ -414,6 +414,29 @@ LLM_MODEL=meta-llama/Llama-3.1-70B-Instruct-Turbo
 
 ---
 
+### Context Length Detection
+
+Hermes automatically detects your model's context length by querying the endpoint's `/v1/models` response. For most setups this works out of the box. If detection fails (the model name doesn't match, the endpoint doesn't expose `/v1/models`, etc.), Hermes falls back to a high default and probes downward on context-length errors.
+
+To set the context length explicitly, add `context_length` to your model config:
+
+```yaml
+model:
+  default: "qwen3.5:9b"
+  base_url: "http://localhost:8080/v1"
+  context_length: 131072  # tokens
+```
+
+This takes highest priority — it overrides auto-detection, cached values, and hardcoded defaults.
+
+:::tip When to set this manually
+- Your model shows "2M context" in the status bar (detection failed)
+- You want to limit context below the model's maximum (e.g., 8k on a 128k model to save VRAM)
+- You're running behind a proxy that doesn't expose `/v1/models`
+:::
+
+---
+
 ### Choosing the Right Setup
 
 | Use Case | Recommended |