KCAE.DELIVER:4.5 - Budget discovery, application and explanation together

Reserve room and time for the selected source, necessary connections, answer and uncertainty before spending the entire allowance on candidate discovery. Include the cost of parallel calls and external readers in total work, even if they save main-context space. A cheaper main dialogue can conceal a much more expensive service.

Use a runtime observation of remaining capacity where available. When it is unavailable, label the estimate and leave a margin for interface overhead and output. Cumulative billed tokens across calls do not reveal the active window’s remaining space; cached, repeated and external-reader input can be counted differently. Do not present an inferred residual as a measured runtime fact.

For example, if the active window has room for 12,000 further tokens, and source closure plus explanation is estimated at 7,000, a 9,000-token candidate dump is infeasible even if the model has consumed only a small fraction of its account quota. Either shrink discovery output, use a genuine external reader, obtain more capacity or return a narrower justified result. These invented numbers illustrate reservation, not a recommended product limit.

Check data boundaries on every transfer. Public retrieval can use a sanitized question; local case facts can remain with a local assessor. A remote provider’s retention and logging behavior is part of the chosen interface, not implied by calling the input “context.” Redact with attention to meaning: if removing the decisive condition makes assessment impossible, obtain an approved local route or a permission decision rather than guessing.