# what-loads-before-you-type

Idea IB-0322. Status: DRAFT, nothing posted.

## Slides

**Cover.** 123,384 characters load before I type. Rules, instructions and memory, before any work starts. Measured 26 Aug 2026.

**Slide 2.** Your agent is not starting empty. Your setup loads first and uses the same window as your work.

**Slide 3.** Data. Rules files (25): 123,384 characters. Instruction files: 18,737. Memory index: 8,676. Read 26 Aug 2026.

**Slide 4.** Data. One skill body, when called: 21,493 characters. Read 26 Aug 2026.

**Slide 5.** Why it bit me. A session hit its context limit while I believed I had plenty left.

**Slide 6.** Steps to count yours: find rules and instruction files, character count each, count the memory index, add them up, note the date.

**Slide 7.** Quote. Measure the window. Do not estimate it.

**Slide 8.** Comment FLEET for the context-count steps plus the free Fleet Room invite.

## Claims and sources

| Claim | Source | Read-date | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| 123,384 characters in rules files (25 files) | Memory note on harness overhead, measured on disk | 2026-08-26 | Perishable; files change |
| 18,737 characters in instruction files | Same note | 2026-08-26 | |
| 8,676 characters in the memory index | Same note | 2026-08-26 | |
| 21,493 characters in one skill body | Same note | 2026-08-26 | Loads only when that skill is called |
| Session hit the context limit despite a low estimate | Same note | 2026-08-26 | Recurred 2026-09-06 |
| No combined total stated | Deliberate | 2026-10-11 | Bank title says 170KB; not restated on slides |