diff --git a/internal/agent/loop_compact.go b/internal/agent/loop_compact.go
index a7e81119..87c652c4 100644
--- a/internal/agent/loop_compact.go
+++ b/internal/agent/loop_compact.go
@@ -87,13 +87,15 @@ func (l *Loop) compactMessagesInPlace(ctx context.Context, messages []providers.
 	sctx, cancel := context.WithTimeout(ctx, 30*time.Second)
 	defer cancel()
 
+	inTokens := l.estimateSummaryInputTokens(toSummarize)
+	slog.Info("compact_budget", "agent", l.id, "in_tokens", inTokens, "out_tokens", dynamicSummaryMax(inTokens))
 	resp, err := l.provider.Chat(sctx, providers.ChatRequest{
 		Messages: []providers.Message{{
 			Role:    "user",
 			Content: compactionSummaryPrompt + sb.String(),
 		}},
 		Model:   l.model,
-		Options: map[string]any{"max_tokens": 1024, "temperature": 0.3},
+		Options: map[string]any{"max_tokens": dynamicSummaryMax(inTokens), "temperature": 0.3},
 	})
 	if err != nil {
 		slog.Warn("mid_loop_compaction_failed", "agent", l.id, "error", err)
@@ -129,3 +131,28 @@ func (l *Loop) compactMessagesInPlace(ctx context.Context, messages []providers.
 
 	return result
 }
+
+// dynamicSummaryMax returns the output-token budget for a compaction or
+// summarization call, scaled to input size. Formula: in/25 (~4% compression),
+// clamped to [1024, 8192]. Floor keeps short summaries coherent; cap prevents
+// runaway output billing on pathological inputs.
+func dynamicSummaryMax(inputTokens int) int {
+	out := max(inputTokens/25, 1024)
+	if out > 8192 {
+		out = 8192
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// estimateSummaryInputTokens returns a best-effort input-token count. Prefers
+// TokenCounter when attached; else rune/3 fallback (~±15% for UTF-8).
+func (l *Loop) estimateSummaryInputTokens(messages []providers.Message) int {
+	if l.tokenCounter != nil {
+		return l.tokenCounter.CountMessages(l.model, messages)
+	}
+	total := 0
+	for _, m := range messages {
+		total += len([]rune(m.Content)) / 3
+	}
+	return total
+}
diff --git a/internal/agent/loop_compact_dynamic_max_test.go b/internal/agent/loop_compact_dynamic_max_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..e1b5da88
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/agent/loop_compact_dynamic_max_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,26 @@
+package agent
+
+import "testing"
+
+// TestDynamicSummaryMax validates boundary cases for dynamicSummaryMax.
+// Formula: out = in/25, clamped to [1024, 8192].
+func TestDynamicSummaryMax(t *testing.T) {
+	cases := []struct {
+		input int
+		want  int
+	}{
+		{0, 1024},       // zero → floor
+		{20000, 1024},   // 20000/25=800 → below floor, clamped
+		{25000, 1024},   // 25000/25=1000 → below floor, clamped
+		{26000, 1040},   // 26000/25=1040 → just above floor
+		{100000, 4000},  // 100000/25=4000 → mid-range
+		{204800, 8192},  // 204800/25=8192 → exactly at cap
+		{500000, 8192},  // 500000/25=20000 → above cap, clamped
+	}
+	for _, tc := range cases {
+		got := dynamicSummaryMax(tc.input)
+		if got != tc.want {
+			t.Errorf("dynamicSummaryMax(%d) = %d, want %d", tc.input, got, tc.want)
+		}
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/agent/loop_compact_integration_test.go b/internal/agent/loop_compact_integration_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..305b0856
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/agent/loop_compact_integration_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,99 @@
+package agent
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/providers"
+	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/tokencount"
+)
+
+// buildVietnameseMsgs constructs n alternating user/assistant messages with
+// Vietnamese UTF-8 content. Each message is ~viRunes runes to hit a realistic
+// total token budget (~100k input tokens for 600 messages).
+func buildVietnameseMsgs(n, viRunes int) []providers.Message {
+	// ~viRunes-rune Vietnamese segment (3-byte UTF-8 per diacritic char).
+	segment := strings.Repeat(
+		"Xin chào! Đây là nội dung kiểm tra với ký tự tiếng Việt đặc biệt: ắ ặ ầ ẩ ậ ề ể ệ ọ ộ. ",
+		(viRunes/80)+1,
+	)
+	runes := []rune(segment)
+	if len(runes) > viRunes {
+		segment = string(runes[:viRunes])
+	}
+
+	msgs := make([]providers.Message, n)
+	for i := range msgs {
+		role := "user"
+		if i%2 != 0 {
+			role = "assistant"
+		}
+		msgs[i] = providers.Message{Role: role, Content: segment}
+	}
+	return msgs
+}
+
+// TestLoopCompact_Integration_DynamicMaxTokens_VietnameseFixture verifies the
+// end-to-end composition of Phase 03 (FallbackCounter) + Phase 04 (dynamicSummaryMax):
+//
+//  1. Loop with real FallbackCounter estimates ~100k input tokens from 600 Vietnamese messages.
+//  2. compactMessagesInPlace passes max_tokens in [2000, 8192] to the provider.
+//  3. The formula dynamicSummaryMax(in) = in/25 holds: for ~100k input → ~4000 output budget.
+//
+// Tolerance: FallbackCounter uses rune/3 heuristic so exact input count varies;
+// we assert >= 2000 && <= 8192 rather than == 4000.
+func TestLoopCompact_Integration_DynamicMaxTokens_VietnameseFixture(t *testing.T) {
+	cap := &capturingProvider{response: "Tóm tắt cuộc trò chuyện: Đã thảo luận về nhiều chủ đề."}
+
+	loop := &Loop{
+		provider:     cap,
+		model:        "claude-3-5-sonnet",
+		tokenCounter: tokencount.NewFallbackCounter(),
+	}
+
+	// 600 messages × ~500 runes each ≈ 300k runes ÷ 3 ≈ 100k tokens total.
+	// keepCount defaults to 4; splitIdx = 600-4 = 596 msgs to summarise.
+	// FallbackCounter on 596 msgs × ~500 runes ÷ 3 ≈ ~99k tokens → dynamicSummaryMax(99000) = 3960 (floor 1024).
+	msgs := buildVietnameseMsgs(600, 500)
+
+	result := loop.compactMessagesInPlace(context.Background(), msgs)
+	if result == nil {
+		t.Fatal("compactMessagesInPlace returned nil; expected compaction to succeed with 600 messages")
+	}
+
+	if len(cap.captured) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("provider.Chat called %d time(s), want 1", len(cap.captured))
+	}
+
+	req := cap.captured[0]
+	maxTokensRaw, ok := req.Options["max_tokens"]
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("Options[\"max_tokens\"] not set in ChatRequest")
+	}
+
+	maxTokens, ok := maxTokensRaw.(int)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("Options[\"max_tokens\"] type = %T, want int", maxTokensRaw)
+	}
+
+	// Tolerance: FallbackCounter rune/3 varies slightly by content.
+	// For ~100k token input: dynamicSummaryMax → ~4000 (formula in/25).
+	// Assert range [2000, 8192] to accommodate counter variance.
+	const minExpected = 2000
+	const maxExpected = 8192
+	if maxTokens < minExpected || maxTokens > maxExpected {
+		t.Errorf("max_tokens = %d, want in [%d, %d]; formula dynamicSummaryMax(estimatedInput)",
+			maxTokens, minExpected, maxExpected)
+	}
+
+	// Log actual observed value for diagnostics.
+	keepCount := 4
+	if minKeep := len(msgs) * 3 / 10; minKeep > keepCount {
+		keepCount = minKeep
+	}
+	splitIdx := len(msgs) - keepCount
+	estimatedIn := loop.estimateSummaryInputTokens(msgs[:splitIdx])
+	t.Logf("observed: msgs=%d splitIdx=%d estimatedIn=%d max_tokens=%d dynamicSummaryMax=%d",
+		len(msgs), splitIdx, estimatedIn, maxTokens, dynamicSummaryMax(estimatedIn))
+}
diff --git a/internal/agent/loop_compact_max_tokens_test.go b/internal/agent/loop_compact_max_tokens_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..031feba2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/agent/loop_compact_max_tokens_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,77 @@
+package agent
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/providers"
+)
+
+// capturingProvider records every ChatRequest passed to Chat.
+// Distinct from stubProvider in intent_classify_test.go (that one ignores the request).
+type capturingProvider struct {
+	captured []providers.ChatRequest
+	response string
+}
+
+func (c *capturingProvider) Chat(_ context.Context, req providers.ChatRequest) (*providers.ChatResponse, error) {
+	c.captured = append(c.captured, req)
+	return &providers.ChatResponse{Content: c.response}, nil
+}
+func (c *capturingProvider) ChatStream(_ context.Context, req providers.ChatRequest, _ func(providers.StreamChunk)) (*providers.ChatResponse, error) {
+	c.captured = append(c.captured, req)
+	return &providers.ChatResponse{Content: c.response}, nil
+}
+func (c *capturingProvider) DefaultModel() string { return "capturing-model" }
+func (c *capturingProvider) Name() string         { return "capturing" }
+
+// TestCompactMessagesInPlace_MaxTokensDynamic verifies that compactMessagesInPlace
+// passes max_tokens == dynamicSummaryMax(estimatedInputTokens) to the provider.
+func TestCompactMessagesInPlace_MaxTokensDynamic(t *testing.T) {
+	cap := &capturingProvider{response: "Summary of conversation."}
+
+	loop := &Loop{
+		provider: cap,
+		model:    "claude-3-5-sonnet",
+		// tokenCounter nil → estimateSummaryInputTokens uses rune/3 fallback
+	}
+
+	// Build 10 dummy messages (>= 6 required by compactMessagesInPlace).
+	msgs := make([]providers.Message, 10)
+	for i := range msgs {
+		if i%2 == 0 {
+			msgs[i] = providers.Message{Role: "user", Content: "user message"}
+		} else {
+			msgs[i] = providers.Message{Role: "assistant", Content: "assistant reply"}
+		}
+	}
+
+	result := loop.compactMessagesInPlace(context.Background(), msgs)
+	if result == nil {
+		t.Fatal("compactMessagesInPlace returned nil; expected compaction to succeed")
+	}
+
+	if len(cap.captured) != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("provider.Chat called %d time(s), want 1", len(cap.captured))
+	}
+
+	req := cap.captured[0]
+	maxTokensRaw, ok := req.Options["max_tokens"]
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("Options[\"max_tokens\"] not set in ChatRequest")
+	}
+
+	maxTokens, ok := maxTokensRaw.(int)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("Options[\"max_tokens\"] type = %T, want int", maxTokensRaw)
+	}
+
+	// Compute expected using the same formula the implementation uses.
+	// With keepCount=4 and 10 messages, splitIdx=6 (first 6 messages summarised).
+	// tokenCounter nil → rune/3 fallback.
+	expectedIn := loop.estimateSummaryInputTokens(msgs[:6])
+	wantMax := dynamicSummaryMax(expectedIn)
+	if maxTokens != wantMax {
+		t.Errorf("max_tokens = %d, want %d (dynamicSummaryMax(%d))", maxTokens, wantMax, expectedIn)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/agent/loop_history_sanitize.go b/internal/agent/loop_history_sanitize.go
index e7c880d4..6e0834b8 100644
--- a/internal/agent/loop_history_sanitize.go
+++ b/internal/agent/loop_history_sanitize.go
@@ -282,10 +282,12 @@ func (l *Loop) maybeSummarize(ctx context.Context, sessionKey string) {
 		}
 		prompt.WriteString(sb.String())
 
+		inTokens := l.estimateSummaryInputTokens(toSummarize)
+		slog.Info("compact_budget", "agent", l.id, "in_tokens", inTokens, "out_tokens", dynamicSummaryMax(inTokens))
 		resp, err := l.provider.Chat(sctx, providers.ChatRequest{
 			Messages: []providers.Message{{Role: "user", Content: prompt.String()}},
 			Model:    l.model,
-			Options:  map[string]any{"max_tokens": 1024, "temperature": 0.3},
+			Options:  map[string]any{"max_tokens": dynamicSummaryMax(inTokens), "temperature": 0.3},
 		})
 		if err != nil {
 			slog.Warn("summarization failed", "session", sessionKey, "error", err)
diff --git a/internal/agent/loop_history_sanitize_max_tokens_test.go b/internal/agent/loop_history_sanitize_max_tokens_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..118cbd11
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/agent/loop_history_sanitize_max_tokens_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,174 @@
+package agent
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/google/uuid"
+	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/providers"
+	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/store"
+)
+
+// nopSessionStore is a minimal no-op implementation of store.SessionStore
+// for testing maybeSummarize without a real database.
+// All methods return zero values except GetHistory and GetLastPromptTokens,
+// which return controlled fixture data.
+type nopSessionStore struct {
+	history          []providers.Message
+	lastPromptTokens int
+	lastMsgCount     int
+}
+
+// SessionCoreStore methods
+func (n *nopSessionStore) GetOrCreate(_ context.Context, _ string) *store.SessionData {
+	return &store.SessionData{}
+}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) Get(_ context.Context, _ string) *store.SessionData { return nil }
+func (n *nopSessionStore) AddMessage(_ context.Context, _ string, _ providers.Message) {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) GetHistory(_ context.Context, _ string) []providers.Message {
+	return n.history
+}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) GetSummary(_ context.Context, _ string) string   { return "" }
+func (n *nopSessionStore) SetSummary(_ context.Context, _, _ string)       {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) GetLabel(_ context.Context, _ string) string     { return "" }
+func (n *nopSessionStore) SetLabel(_ context.Context, _, _ string)         {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) SetAgentInfo(_ context.Context, _ string, _ uuid.UUID, _ string) {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) TruncateHistory(_ context.Context, _ string, _ int) {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) SetHistory(_ context.Context, _ string, _ []providers.Message) {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) Reset(_ context.Context, _ string)               {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) Delete(_ context.Context, _ string) error        { return nil }
+func (n *nopSessionStore) Save(_ context.Context, _ string) error          { return nil }
+
+// SessionMetadataStore methods
+func (n *nopSessionStore) UpdateMetadata(_ context.Context, _, _, _, _ string)      {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) AccumulateTokens(_ context.Context, _ string, _, _ int64) {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) IncrementCompaction(_ context.Context, _ string)           {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) GetCompactionCount(_ context.Context, _ string) int        { return 0 }
+func (n *nopSessionStore) GetMemoryFlushCompactionCount(_ context.Context, _ string) int { return 0 }
+func (n *nopSessionStore) SetMemoryFlushDone(_ context.Context, _ string)            {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) GetSessionMetadata(_ context.Context, _ string) map[string]string {
+	return nil
+}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) SetSessionMetadata(_ context.Context, _ string, _ map[string]string) {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) SetSpawnInfo(_ context.Context, _, _ string, _ int)                  {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) SetContextWindow(_ context.Context, _ string, _ int)                 {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) GetContextWindow(_ context.Context, _ string) int                    { return 0 }
+func (n *nopSessionStore) SetLastPromptTokens(_ context.Context, _ string, _, _ int)           {}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) GetLastPromptTokens(_ context.Context, _ string) (int, int) {
+	return n.lastPromptTokens, n.lastMsgCount
+}
+
+// SessionListingStore methods
+func (n *nopSessionStore) List(_ context.Context, _ string) []store.SessionInfo { return nil }
+func (n *nopSessionStore) ListPaged(_ context.Context, _ store.SessionListOpts) store.SessionListResult {
+	return store.SessionListResult{Sessions: []store.SessionInfo{}}
+}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) ListPagedRich(_ context.Context, _ store.SessionListOpts) store.SessionListRichResult {
+	return store.SessionListRichResult{Sessions: []store.SessionInfoRich{}}
+}
+func (n *nopSessionStore) LastUsedChannel(_ context.Context, _ string) (string, string) {
+	return "", ""
+}
+
+// signallingProvider wraps capturingProvider and signals a channel when Chat is called.
+type signallingProvider struct {
+	capturingProvider
+	done chan struct{}
+}
+
+func (s *signallingProvider) Chat(ctx context.Context, req providers.ChatRequest) (*providers.ChatResponse, error) {
+	resp, err := s.capturingProvider.Chat(ctx, req)
+	select {
+	case s.done <- struct{}{}:
+	default:
+	}
+	return resp, err
+}
+
+// TestMaybeSummarize_MaxTokensDynamic verifies that maybeSummarize passes
+// max_tokens == dynamicSummaryMax(estimatedInputTokens) to the provider.
+func TestMaybeSummarize_MaxTokensDynamic(t *testing.T) {
+	const contextWindow = 10000
+
+	// Build history large enough to exceed the compaction threshold.
+	// threshold = contextWindow * DefaultHistoryShare = 10000 * 0.85 = 8500.
+	// EstimateTokens uses ~4 chars/token; 9000 tokens * 4 = 36000 chars of content.
+	// Use 5 user-assistant pairs each carrying ~9000 chars so EstimateTokens > threshold.
+	longContent := makeLongString(9000)
+	history := make([]providers.Message, 10)
+	for i := range history {
+		if i%2 == 0 {
+			history[i] = providers.Message{Role: "user", Content: longContent}
+		} else {
+			history[i] = providers.Message{Role: "assistant", Content: longContent}
+		}
+	}
+
+	done := make(chan struct{}, 1)
+	sp := &signallingProvider{
+		capturingProvider: capturingProvider{response: "compaction summary"},
+		done:              done,
+	}
+
+	sessions := &nopSessionStore{
+		history:          history,
+		lastPromptTokens: 0, // no calibration → falls back to EstimateTokens
+		lastMsgCount:     0,
+	}
+
+	loop := &Loop{
+		provider:      sp,
+		model:         "claude-3-5-sonnet",
+		contextWindow: contextWindow,
+		sessions:      sessions,
+		// hasMemory = false → shouldRunMemoryFlush returns false (skip memory flush)
+		hasMemory:     false,
+		// compactionCfg nil → uses DefaultHistoryShare (0.85), keepLast=4
+		compactionCfg: nil,
+		// tokenCounter nil → estimateSummaryInputTokens uses rune/3 fallback
+	}
+
+	loop.maybeSummarize(context.Background(), "test-session-key")
+
+	// Wait for background goroutine to call provider.Chat (up to 5s).
+	select {
+	case <-done:
+	case <-time.After(5 * time.Second):
+		t.Fatal("timed out waiting for maybeSummarize to call provider.Chat")
+	}
+
+	if len(sp.captured) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("provider.Chat was not called")
+	}
+
+	req := sp.captured[0]
+	maxTokensRaw, ok := req.Options["max_tokens"]
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("Options[\"max_tokens\"] not set in ChatRequest from maybeSummarize")
+	}
+
+	maxTokens, ok := maxTokensRaw.(int)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("Options[\"max_tokens\"] type = %T, want int", maxTokensRaw)
+	}
+
+	// Compute expected using the same formula the implementation uses.
+	// keepLast=4, history has 10 messages → toSummarize = history[:6].
+	// tokenCounter nil → rune/3 fallback on the fixture content.
+	toSummarize := history[:len(history)-4]
+	expectedIn := loop.estimateSummaryInputTokens(toSummarize)
+	wantMax := dynamicSummaryMax(expectedIn)
+	if maxTokens != wantMax {
+		t.Errorf("max_tokens = %d, want %d (dynamicSummaryMax(%d))", maxTokens, wantMax, expectedIn)
+	}
+}
+
+// makeLongString returns a string of n ASCII characters ('a').
+func makeLongString(n int) string {
+	b := make([]byte, n)
+	for i := range b {
+		b[i] = 'a'
+	}
+	return string(b)
+}
diff --git a/internal/pipeline/context_stage.go b/internal/pipeline/context_stage.go
index 3377fffd..5f4d7050 100644
--- a/internal/pipeline/context_stage.go
+++ b/internal/pipeline/context_stage.go
@@ -129,10 +129,24 @@ func (s *ContextStage) Execute(ctx context.Context, state *RunState) error {
 		}
 	}
 
-	// 5. Compute overhead tokens via TokenCounter (replaces heuristic estimateOverhead)
+	// 4.5. Build filtered tools early so OverheadTokens includes tool-schema tokens.
+	// ThinkStage still calls BuildFilteredTools every iteration (tool list is
+	// iteration-dependent; final iteration strips all tools). This call is
+	// best-effort: errors are silently swallowed and the tool slice stays nil,
+	// which means overhead will under-count but remains safe/conservative.
+	if s.deps.BuildFilteredTools != nil {
+		if tools, err := s.deps.BuildFilteredTools(state); err == nil {
+			state.Think.Tools = tools
+		}
+	}
+
+	// 5. Compute overhead tokens via TokenCounter (replaces heuristic estimateOverhead).
+	// Includes both system-prompt tokens and tool-schema tokens so PruneStage
+	// budget shrinks correctly when tools are large.
 	if s.deps.TokenCounter != nil {
 		system := state.Messages.System()
 		overhead := s.deps.TokenCounter.CountMessages(state.Model, []providers.Message{system})
+		overhead += s.deps.TokenCounter.CountToolSchemas(state.Model, state.Think.Tools)
 		state.Context.OverheadTokens = overhead
 	}
 
diff --git a/internal/pipeline/context_stage_integration_test.go b/internal/pipeline/context_stage_integration_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..8b3c60ef
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/pipeline/context_stage_integration_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,131 @@
+package pipeline
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/providers"
+	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/tokencount"
+)
+
+// buildRealisticToolDefinitions returns n ToolDefinitions with ~3KB JSON each,
+// matching the trace-019dab16 scenario (agent with 10 realistic tools).
+// Each tool has 8 uniquely-named parameters with long descriptions to reach ~3KB.
+func buildRealisticToolDefinitions(n int) []providers.ToolDefinition {
+	// Long description filler (~200 chars) repeated per property.
+	descFiller := "This parameter controls an important aspect of the tool behaviour. " +
+		"Provide a valid value according to the schema constraints documented above. "
+
+	paramNames := []string{
+		"source_file_path", "destination_path", "encoding_format",
+		"compression_level", "output_template", "max_retry_count",
+		"timeout_seconds", "verbose_logging",
+	}
+
+	tools := make([]providers.ToolDefinition, n)
+	for i := range tools {
+		properties := map[string]any{}
+		required := make([]string, 0, 2)
+		for j, name := range paramNames {
+			properties[name] = map[string]any{
+				"type":        "string",
+				"description": strings.Repeat(descFiller, 2),
+			}
+			if j < 2 {
+				required = append(required, name)
+			}
+		}
+		tools[i] = providers.ToolDefinition{
+			Type: "function",
+			Function: providers.ToolFunctionSchema{
+				Name: "realistic_tool",
+				Description: strings.Repeat(
+					"A realistic tool that performs complex file and system operations. "+
+						"It accepts multiple parameters and returns structured JSON output. "+
+						"Use this tool when you need to process, transform, or analyse data. ",
+					4,
+				),
+				Parameters: map[string]any{
+					"type":       "object",
+					"properties": properties,
+					"required":   required,
+				},
+			},
+		}
+	}
+	return tools
+}
+
+// TestContextStage_Integration_ToolOverhead_RealCounter verifies the end-to-end
+// composition of Phase 03 (CountToolSchemas) with the real FallbackCounter:
+//  1. state.Think.Tools is populated (len == numTools).
+//  2. OverheadTokens > system-prompt-only count (tools add non-zero overhead).
+//  3. OverheadTokens > 5000 when 10 tools each ~3KB JSON are provided.
+//
+// Uses real tokencount.FallbackCounter (no spy) for deterministic non-zero counts.
+func TestContextStage_Integration_ToolOverhead_RealCounter(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	const numTools = 10
+	counter := tokencount.NewFallbackCounter()
+
+	// Build system prompt ~1500 chars.
+	systemPrompt := strings.Repeat(
+		"You are a capable AI assistant with access to many tools. "+
+			"Use them wisely to help the user accomplish their goals. ",
+		10,
+	)
+
+	fixture := buildRealisticToolDefinitions(numTools)
+
+	// Sanity: verify fixtures are actually ~3KB each.
+	toolJSON, _ := json.Marshal(fixture[0])
+	if len(toolJSON) < 1000 {
+		t.Logf("WARNING: single tool JSON only %d bytes; fixture may be smaller than expected", len(toolJSON))
+	}
+
+	deps := &PipelineDeps{
+		TokenCounter: counter,
+		BuildMessages: func(_ context.Context, _ *RunInput, _ []providers.Message, _ string) ([]providers.Message, error) {
+			return []providers.Message{
+				{Role: "system", Content: systemPrompt},
+			}, nil
+		},
+		BuildFilteredTools: func(_ *RunState) ([]providers.ToolDefinition, error) {
+			return fixture, nil
+		},
+	}
+
+	stage := NewContextStage(deps)
+	state := defaultState()
+
+	if err := stage.Execute(context.Background(), state); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Execute() error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Assert 1: Tools populated.
+	if len(state.Think.Tools) != numTools {
+		t.Errorf("state.Think.Tools len = %d, want %d", len(state.Think.Tools), numTools)
+	}
+
+	// Compute system-only overhead for comparison.
+	sysMsg := providers.Message{Role: "system", Content: systemPrompt}
+	systemOnly := counter.CountMessages("claude-3", []providers.Message{sysMsg})
+
+	// Assert 2: OverheadTokens strictly greater than system-only (tools counted).
+	if state.Context.OverheadTokens <= systemOnly {
+		t.Errorf("OverheadTokens = %d, want > %d (system-only=%d); tool schemas not contributing",
+			state.Context.OverheadTokens, systemOnly, systemOnly)
+	}
+
+	// Assert 3: OverheadTokens > 5000 (system ~500 + 10 tools × 3KB JSON ÷ 3 ≈ 10000+).
+	const wantMinOverhead = 5000
+	if state.Context.OverheadTokens <= wantMinOverhead {
+		t.Errorf("OverheadTokens = %d, want > %d; 10 tools with ~3KB JSON each should contribute significantly",
+			state.Context.OverheadTokens, wantMinOverhead)
+	}
+
+	t.Logf("observed: systemOnly=%d, overhead=%d, tools=%d", systemOnly, state.Context.OverheadTokens, numTools)
+}
diff --git a/internal/pipeline/context_stage_overhead_test.go b/internal/pipeline/context_stage_overhead_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1faa5baf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/pipeline/context_stage_overhead_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,145 @@
+package pipeline
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/providers"
+)
+
+// spyTokenCounter records all CountMessages invocations for assertion.
+type spyTokenCounter struct {
+	calls      [][]providers.Message // each element is the msgs slice from one CountMessages call
+	toolCounts int                   // number of CountToolSchemas calls
+	fixed      int                   // tokens returned per CountMessages call
+	toolFixed  int                   // tokens returned per CountToolSchemas call
+}
+
+func (s *spyTokenCounter) Count(_ string, _ string) int { return s.fixed }
+func (s *spyTokenCounter) CountMessages(_ string, msgs []providers.Message) int {
+	// Deep-copy the slice so later mutations don't affect recorded state.
+	cp := make([]providers.Message, len(msgs))
+	copy(cp, msgs)
+	s.calls = append(s.calls, cp)
+	return len(msgs) * s.fixed
+}
+func (s *spyTokenCounter) CountToolSchemas(_ string, tools []providers.ToolDefinition) int {
+	s.toolCounts++
+	return len(tools) * s.toolFixed
+}
+func (s *spyTokenCounter) ModelContextWindow(_ string) int { return 200_000 }
+
+// fixtureTools returns a slice of n minimal ToolDefinitions for testing.
+func fixtureTools(n int) []providers.ToolDefinition {
+	tools := make([]providers.ToolDefinition, n)
+	for i := range tools {
+		tools[i] = providers.ToolDefinition{
+			Type: "function",
+			Function: providers.ToolFunctionSchema{
+				Name:        "tool_fixture",
+				Description: "A fixture tool for testing overhead calculation.",
+				Parameters:  map[string]any{"type": "object", "properties": map[string]any{}},
+			},
+		}
+	}
+	return tools
+}
+
+// TestContextStage_OverheadSystemPlusTools_PostFix verifies the POST-fix overhead
+// calculation: OverheadTokens = system-message tokens + tool-schema tokens.
+// Both CountMessages and CountToolSchemas are called exactly once.
+func TestContextStage_OverheadSystemPlusTools_PostFix(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	const systemFixed = 100
+	const toolFixed = 50
+	const numTools = 5
+
+	spy := &spyTokenCounter{fixed: systemFixed, toolFixed: toolFixed}
+	fixture := fixtureTools(numTools)
+
+	deps := &PipelineDeps{
+		TokenCounter: spy,
+		// BuildMessages seeds a system message so the counter has content.
+		BuildMessages: func(_ context.Context, _ *RunInput, _ []providers.Message, _ string) ([]providers.Message, error) {
+			return []providers.Message{
+				{Role: "system", Content: "You are a helpful assistant with many capabilities."},
+			}, nil
+		},
+		// BuildFilteredTools returns fixture tools so ContextStage can count them.
+		BuildFilteredTools: func(_ *RunState) ([]providers.ToolDefinition, error) {
+			return fixture, nil
+		},
+	}
+
+	stage := NewContextStage(deps)
+	state := defaultState()
+
+	if err := stage.Execute(context.Background(), state); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Execute() error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// POST-fix: OverheadTokens = system (1 msg × 100) + tools (5 × 50) = 350.
+	wantOverhead := systemFixed + numTools*toolFixed
+	if state.Context.OverheadTokens != wantOverhead {
+		t.Errorf("OverheadTokens = %d, want %d (system=%d + tools=%d)",
+			state.Context.OverheadTokens, wantOverhead, systemFixed, numTools*toolFixed)
+	}
+
+	// Assert: exactly 1 call to CountMessages (system msg).
+	if len(spy.calls) != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("CountMessages called %d time(s), want exactly 1", len(spy.calls))
+	}
+
+	// Assert: CountToolSchemas called exactly once.
+	if spy.toolCounts != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("CountToolSchemas called %d time(s), want exactly 1", spy.toolCounts)
+	}
+
+	// Assert: state.Think.Tools populated by ContextStage.
+	if len(state.Think.Tools) != numTools {
+		t.Errorf("state.Think.Tools len = %d, want %d", len(state.Think.Tools), numTools)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestContextStage_OverheadSystemOnly_NoToolsCallback verifies that when
+// BuildFilteredTools is nil, OverheadTokens = system tokens only (no panic).
+// CountToolSchemas IS called with a nil slice (returns 0) — that's correct behavior.
+func TestContextStage_OverheadSystemOnly_NoToolsCallback(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	spy := &spyTokenCounter{fixed: 100, toolFixed: 0}
+
+	deps := &PipelineDeps{
+		TokenCounter: spy,
+		BuildMessages: func(_ context.Context, _ *RunInput, _ []providers.Message, _ string) ([]providers.Message, error) {
+			return []providers.Message{
+				{Role: "system", Content: "You are a helpful assistant with many capabilities."},
+			}, nil
+		},
+		// BuildFilteredTools intentionally nil.
+	}
+
+	stage := NewContextStage(deps)
+	state := defaultState()
+
+	if err := stage.Execute(context.Background(), state); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Execute() error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// No tools → overhead = system only (1 msg × 100 = 100).
+	// CountToolSchemas(nil) = 0, so overhead is unchanged.
+	wantOverhead := 100
+	if state.Context.OverheadTokens != wantOverhead {
+		t.Errorf("OverheadTokens = %d, want %d", state.Context.OverheadTokens, wantOverhead)
+	}
+}
+
+// roleList returns a slice of role strings for error messages.
+func roleList(msgs []providers.Message) []string {
+	roles := make([]string, len(msgs))
+	for i, m := range msgs {
+		roles[i] = m.Role
+	}
+	return roles
+}
diff --git a/internal/pipeline/context_stage_tool_overhead_test.go b/internal/pipeline/context_stage_tool_overhead_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..73d9eeea
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/pipeline/context_stage_tool_overhead_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,98 @@
+package pipeline
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/providers"
+	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/tokencount"
+)
+
+// TestContextStage_ToolOverhead_ThinkToolsPopulated verifies that:
+// 1. state.Think.Tools is populated by BuildFilteredTools called in ContextStage.
+// 2. state.Context.OverheadTokens > CountMessages(system) when tools are present.
+func TestContextStage_ToolOverhead_ThinkToolsPopulated(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	const numTools = 5
+
+	// Use real FallbackCounter so we get deterministic non-zero tool counts.
+	counter := tokencount.NewFallbackCounter()
+
+	fixture := fixtureTools(numTools)
+
+	deps := &PipelineDeps{
+		TokenCounter: counter,
+		BuildMessages: func(_ context.Context, _ *RunInput, _ []providers.Message, _ string) ([]providers.Message, error) {
+			return []providers.Message{
+				{Role: "system", Content: "You are a capable AI assistant."},
+			}, nil
+		},
+		BuildFilteredTools: func(_ *RunState) ([]providers.ToolDefinition, error) {
+			return fixture, nil
+		},
+	}
+
+	stage := NewContextStage(deps)
+	state := defaultState()
+
+	if err := stage.Execute(context.Background(), state); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Execute() error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// Assert: state.Think.Tools populated.
+	if len(state.Think.Tools) != numTools {
+		t.Errorf("state.Think.Tools len = %d, want %d", len(state.Think.Tools), numTools)
+	}
+
+	// Compute expected system-only overhead to compare.
+	sysMsg := providers.Message{Role: "system", Content: "You are a capable AI assistant."}
+	systemOnly := counter.CountMessages("claude-3", []providers.Message{sysMsg})
+
+	// Assert: overhead includes tool tokens — strictly greater than system-only.
+	if state.Context.OverheadTokens <= systemOnly {
+		t.Errorf("OverheadTokens = %d, want > %d (system-only); tool schemas not counted",
+			state.Context.OverheadTokens, systemOnly)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestContextStage_ToolOverhead_BuildFilteredToolsError_FallsBackToSystemOnly verifies
+// that a BuildFilteredTools error is silently swallowed and overhead = system only.
+func TestContextStage_ToolOverhead_BuildFilteredToolsError_FallsBackToSystemOnly(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+
+	counter := tokencount.NewFallbackCounter()
+
+	deps := &PipelineDeps{
+		TokenCounter: counter,
+		BuildMessages: func(_ context.Context, _ *RunInput, _ []providers.Message, _ string) ([]providers.Message, error) {
+			return []providers.Message{
+				{Role: "system", Content: "You are a capable AI assistant."},
+			}, nil
+		},
+		BuildFilteredTools: func(_ *RunState) ([]providers.ToolDefinition, error) {
+			return nil, context.DeadlineExceeded // simulate error
+		},
+	}
+
+	stage := NewContextStage(deps)
+	state := defaultState()
+
+	// Should not return an error even though BuildFilteredTools failed.
+	if err := stage.Execute(context.Background(), state); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Execute() error: %v", err)
+	}
+
+	// state.Think.Tools should remain nil/empty.
+	if len(state.Think.Tools) != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("state.Think.Tools len = %d, want 0 on BuildFilteredTools error", len(state.Think.Tools))
+	}
+
+	// Overhead = system only (no tool penalty).
+	sysMsg := providers.Message{Role: "system", Content: "You are a capable AI assistant."}
+	wantOverhead := counter.CountMessages("claude-3", []providers.Message{sysMsg})
+	if state.Context.OverheadTokens != wantOverhead {
+		t.Errorf("OverheadTokens = %d, want %d (system-only on tool-build error)",
+			state.Context.OverheadTokens, wantOverhead)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/pipeline/stages_test.go b/internal/pipeline/stages_test.go
index 10f3f7bf..94efb391 100644
--- a/internal/pipeline/stages_test.go
+++ b/internal/pipeline/stages_test.go
@@ -45,7 +45,8 @@ func (m *mockTokenCounter) Count(_ string, _ string) int { return m.countPerMess
 func (m *mockTokenCounter) CountMessages(_ string, msgs []providers.Message) int {
 	return len(msgs) * m.countPerMessage
 }
-func (m *mockTokenCounter) ModelContextWindow(_ string) int { return 200_000 }
+func (m *mockTokenCounter) CountToolSchemas(_ string, _ []providers.ToolDefinition) int { return 0 }
+func (m *mockTokenCounter) ModelContextWindow(_ string) int                              { return 200_000 }
 
 // --- ThinkStage tests ---
 
diff --git a/internal/pipeline/substates.go b/internal/pipeline/substates.go
index aeb3a331..b3ae564d 100644
--- a/internal/pipeline/substates.go
+++ b/internal/pipeline/substates.go
@@ -34,6 +34,13 @@ type ThinkState struct {
 	TruncRetries    int  // consecutive truncation retries (max 3)
 	OverflowRetries int  // context overflow compact+retry attempts (max 1)
 	StreamingActive bool // true during active stream
+
+	// Tools is populated by ContextStage (iteration=0) for overhead calculation.
+	// It holds the best-effort tool list at run start and is used exclusively by
+	// the overhead counter in ContextStage. ThinkStage does NOT consume this field —
+	// it always calls BuildFilteredTools per iteration because the tool list is
+	// iteration-dependent (final iteration strips all tools).
+	Tools []providers.ToolDefinition
 }
 
 // PruneState: owned by PruneStage.
diff --git a/internal/tokencount/count_tool_schemas_test.go b/internal/tokencount/count_tool_schemas_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..50224a9e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/internal/tokencount/count_tool_schemas_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,136 @@
+package tokencount_test
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/providers"
+	"github.com/nextlevelbuilder/goclaw/internal/tokencount"
+)
+
+const testModel = "claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929"
+
+// smallTool returns a minimal ToolDefinition with a short description.
+func smallTool() providers.ToolDefinition {
+	return providers.ToolDefinition{
+		Type: "function",
+		Function: providers.ToolFunctionSchema{
+			Name:        "get_time",
+			Description: "Returns the current UTC time.",
+			Parameters:  map[string]any{"type": "object", "properties": map[string]any{}},
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+// largeTool returns a ToolDefinition with a longer description and parameters.
+func largeTool(name string) providers.ToolDefinition {
+	return providers.ToolDefinition{
+		Type: "function",
+		Function: providers.ToolFunctionSchema{
+			Name: name,
+			Description: "Reads, writes, and appends content to files in the workspace. " +
+				"Supports binary and text modes. Path must be relative to the active workspace root. " +
+				"Returns byte count on success. Errors on path traversal attempts.",
+			Parameters: map[string]any{
+				"type": "object",
+				"properties": map[string]any{
+					"path":    map[string]any{"type": "string", "description": "Relative file path"},
+					"content": map[string]any{"type": "string", "description": "Content to write"},
+					"mode":    map[string]any{"type": "string", "enum": []string{"read", "write", "append"}},
+				},
+				"required": []string{"path", "mode"},
+			},
+		},
+	}
+}
+
+// fiveLargeTools returns 5 distinct large tool definitions.
+func fiveLargeTools() []providers.ToolDefinition {
+	names := []string{"write_file", "read_file", "exec_command", "web_search", "create_image"}
+	tools := make([]providers.ToolDefinition, len(names))
+	for i, n := range names {
+		tools[i] = largeTool(n)
+	}
+	return tools
+}
+
+func TestCountToolSchemas_NilSlice_ReturnsZero(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	tc := tokencount.NewTiktokenCounter()
+	fc := tokencount.NewFallbackCounter()
+
+	if got := tc.CountToolSchemas(testModel, nil); got != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("tiktokenCounter.CountToolSchemas(nil) = %d, want 0", got)
+	}
+	if got := fc.CountToolSchemas(testModel, nil); got != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("FallbackCounter.CountToolSchemas(nil) = %d, want 0", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCountToolSchemas_EmptySlice_ReturnsZero(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	tc := tokencount.NewTiktokenCounter()
+	fc := tokencount.NewFallbackCounter()
+
+	if got := tc.CountToolSchemas(testModel, []providers.ToolDefinition{}); got != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("tiktokenCounter.CountToolSchemas([]) = %d, want 0", got)
+	}
+	if got := fc.CountToolSchemas(testModel, []providers.ToolDefinition{}); got != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("FallbackCounter.CountToolSchemas([]) = %d, want 0", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCountToolSchemas_OneSmallTool_PositiveCount(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	tools := []providers.ToolDefinition{smallTool()}
+	tc := tokencount.NewTiktokenCounter()
+	fc := tokencount.NewFallbackCounter()
+
+	if got := tc.CountToolSchemas(testModel, tools); got <= 0 {
+		t.Errorf("tiktokenCounter.CountToolSchemas(1 small tool) = %d, want > 0", got)
+	}
+	if got := fc.CountToolSchemas(testModel, tools); got <= 0 {
+		t.Errorf("FallbackCounter.CountToolSchemas(1 small tool) = %d, want > 0", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCountToolSchemas_FiveLargeToolsGtOneSmall(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	one := []providers.ToolDefinition{smallTool()}
+	five := fiveLargeTools()
+
+	tc := tokencount.NewTiktokenCounter()
+	fc := tokencount.NewFallbackCounter()
+
+	tcOne := tc.CountToolSchemas(testModel, one)
+	tcFive := tc.CountToolSchemas(testModel, five)
+	if tcFive <= tcOne {
+		t.Errorf("tiktokenCounter: 5 large tools (%d) should produce more tokens than 1 small tool (%d)", tcFive, tcOne)
+	}
+
+	fcOne := fc.CountToolSchemas(testModel, one)
+	fcFive := fc.CountToolSchemas(testModel, five)
+	if fcFive <= fcOne {
+		t.Errorf("FallbackCounter: 5 large tools (%d) should produce more tokens than 1 small tool (%d)", fcFive, fcOne)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestCountToolSchemas_FallbackModel_UsesRuneHeuristic(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Parallel()
+	// Unknown model forces tiktoken to use FallbackCounter path.
+	const unknownModel = "unknown-model-xyz"
+	tools := fiveLargeTools()
+
+	tc := tokencount.NewTiktokenCounter()
+	fc := tokencount.NewFallbackCounter()
+
+	tcCount := tc.CountToolSchemas(unknownModel, tools)
+	fcCount := fc.CountToolSchemas(unknownModel, tools)
+
+	// Both should return same value since tiktoken falls back to FallbackCounter.
+	if tcCount != fcCount {
+		t.Errorf("unknown model: tiktokenCounter(%d) != FallbackCounter(%d), expected same fallback path", tcCount, fcCount)
+	}
+	if tcCount <= 0 {
+		t.Errorf("unknown model: CountToolSchemas = %d, want > 0", tcCount)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/internal/tokencount/fallback_counter.go b/internal/tokencount/fallback_counter.go
index ee940646..d06bb92f 100644
--- a/internal/tokencount/fallback_counter.go
+++ b/internal/tokencount/fallback_counter.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package tokencount
 
 import (
 	"cmp"
+	"encoding/json"
 	"slices"
 	"strings"
 	"unicode/utf8"
@@ -38,6 +39,16 @@ func (c *FallbackCounter) CountMessages(_ string, msgs []providers.Message) int
 	return total
 }
 
+// CountToolSchemas returns rune/3 heuristic count for the JSON-serialised tool list.
+// Returns 0 for nil or empty slice.
+func (c *FallbackCounter) CountToolSchemas(_ string, tools []providers.ToolDefinition) int {
+	if len(tools) == 0 {
+		return 0
+	}
+	blob, _ := json.Marshal(tools)
+	return utf8.RuneCountInString(string(blob)) / 3
+}
+
 // ModelContextWindow uses longest-prefix-match to avoid ambiguity
 // (e.g., "gpt-4o" must match before "gpt-4").
 func (c *FallbackCounter) ModelContextWindow(model string) int {
diff --git a/internal/tokencount/tiktoken_counter.go b/internal/tokencount/tiktoken_counter.go
index 4fcbba7a..74d4d767 100644
--- a/internal/tokencount/tiktoken_counter.go
+++ b/internal/tokencount/tiktoken_counter.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package tokencount
 
 import (
+	"encoding/json"
 	"hash/fnv"
 	"log/slog"
 	"sync"
@@ -80,6 +81,24 @@ func (c *tiktokenCounter) CountMessages(model string, msgs []providers.Message)
 	return total
 }
 
+// CountToolSchemas returns BPE token count for the JSON-serialised tool list.
+// Falls back to FallbackCounter if the encoder is unavailable.
+// Returns 0 for nil or empty slice.
+func (c *tiktokenCounter) CountToolSchemas(model string, tools []providers.ToolDefinition) int {
+	if len(tools) == 0 {
+		return 0
+	}
+	enc := c.encoderForModel(model)
+	if enc == nil {
+		return c.fallback.CountToolSchemas(model, tools)
+	}
+	blob, err := json.Marshal(tools)
+	if err != nil {
+		return 0
+	}
+	return len(enc.Encode(string(blob), nil, nil))
+}
+
 // ModelContextWindow delegates to FallbackCounter (same prefix-match logic).
 func (c *tiktokenCounter) ModelContextWindow(model string) int {
 	return c.fallback.ModelContextWindow(model)
diff --git a/internal/tokencount/token_counter.go b/internal/tokencount/token_counter.go
index 53e12544..ecdc73ca 100644
--- a/internal/tokencount/token_counter.go
+++ b/internal/tokencount/token_counter.go
@@ -16,6 +16,11 @@ type TokenCounter interface {
 	// including per-message overhead (role tokens, separators).
 	CountMessages(model string, msgs []providers.Message) int
 
+	// CountToolSchemas returns token count for a slice of tool definitions
+	// serialised as JSON (the form sent to the LLM provider).
+	// Returns 0 for nil or empty slice.
+	CountToolSchemas(model string, tools []providers.ToolDefinition) int
+
 	// ModelContextWindow returns max context tokens for a model.
 	// Falls back to provider default if model unknown.
 	ModelContextWindow(model string) int