Kontext Impact on Turn Latency

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{
  "id": "b6324dbe-c63d-44a8-a31d-8bfc0b5eed0f",
  "type": "general",
  "status": "completed",
  "title": "Kontext Impact on Turn Latency",
  "description": "Analysis of whether embeddings layer would speed up or slow down end-to-end kontask turns",
  "context": {
    "output": "<div style=\"background:#1e1e1e;color:#e0e0e0;padding:20px;border-radius:8px;font-family:sans-serif;\"><h2 style=\"color:#fff;margin:0 0 20px 0;\">Would Kontext Speed Up Kontask Turns?</h2><div style=\"background:#2d2d2d;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;margin-bottom:16px;\"><h3 style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;color:#f97316;\">Short Answer: Probably Not (for speed)</h3><p style=\"margin:0;color:#9ca3af;line-height:1.6;\">Kontext adds latency overhead. The value is in <strong>quality</strong> and <strong>cost</strong>, not raw speed.</p></div><div style=\"background:#2d2d2d;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;margin-bottom:16px;\"><h3 style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;color:#61afef;\">Current Turn Breakdown</h3><table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:13px;\"><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">CLI spin-up</td><td style=\"text-align:right;color:#9ca3af;\">~6s</td><td style=\"color:#7f848e;padding-left:12px;\">Process spawn + auth</td></tr><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">Context loading</td><td style=\"text-align:right;color:#9ca3af;\">~2s</td><td style=\"color:#7f848e;padding-left:12px;\">CLAUDE.md + history</td></tr><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">API call (thinking)</td><td style=\"text-align:right;color:#9ca3af;\">5-30s</td><td style=\"color:#7f848e;padding-left:12px;\">Depends on complexity</td></tr><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">Tool execution</td><td style=\"text-align:right;color:#9ca3af;\">1-10s</td><td style=\"color:#7f848e;padding-left:12px;\">File reads, bash, etc.</td></tr><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">Kontask creation</td><td style=\"text-align:right;color:#9ca3af;\">~0.5s</td><td style=\"color:#7f848e;padding-left:12px;\">Write to store</td></tr><tr style=\"font-weight:bold;border-top:2px solid #61afef;\"><td style=\"padding:12px 0;\">Total</td><td style=\"text-align:right;color:#f97316;\">15-50s</td><td></td></tr></table></div><div style=\"background:#2d2d2d;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;margin-bottom:16px;\"><h3 style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;color:#e06c75;\">What Kontext Would ADD</h3><table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:13px;\"><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">Embed query</td><td style=\"text-align:right;color:#e06c75;\">+100-300ms</td><td style=\"color:#7f848e;padding-left:12px;\">Embed the prompt</td></tr><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">Vector search</td><td style=\"text-align:right;color:#e06c75;\">+50-100ms</td><td style=\"color:#7f848e;padding-left:12px;\">SQLite vec query</td></tr><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#e5c07b;\">Context assembly</td><td style=\"text-align:right;color:#e06c75;\">+50ms</td><td style=\"color:#7f848e;padding-left:12px;\">Build prompt</td></tr><tr style=\"font-weight:bold;border-top:2px solid #e06c75;\"><td style=\"padding:12px 0;\">Overhead</td><td style=\"text-align:right;color:#e06c75;\">+200-450ms</td><td></td></tr></table></div><div style=\"background:#2d2d2d;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;margin-bottom:16px;\"><h3 style=\"margin:0 0 12px 0;color:#98c379;\">Where It COULD Help</h3><table style=\"width:100%;border-collapse:collapse;font-size:13px;\"><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#98c379;\">✓ Fewer tool calls</td><td style=\"color:#9ca3af;\">Right context upfront = Claude doesn't need to Read/Grep as much</td></tr><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#98c379;\">✓ Smaller context</td><td style=\"color:#9ca3af;\">Only relevant chunks vs full files = faster API response</td></tr><tr style=\"border-bottom:1px solid #444;\"><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#98c379;\">✓ Better cache hits</td><td style=\"color:#9ca3af;\">Consistent context preamble = more prompt caching</td></tr><tr><td style=\"padding:8px 0;color:#98c379;\">✓ Cost savings</td><td style=\"color:#9ca3af;\">Less tokens = lower $ per turn</td></tr></table></div><div style=\"background:#1a2332;border:1px solid #61afef;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;margin-bottom:16px;\"><h4 style=\"margin:0 0 8px 0;color:#61afef;\">Real Speed Wins</h4><p style=\"margin:0;color:#9ca3af;line-height:1.6;\">If you want faster kontask turns, the biggest wins are:<br><br><strong>1. Session pooling</strong> - eliminate 6s CLI spin-up (already built for Quick Turn)<br><strong>2. Prompt caching</strong> - consistent context = cheaper + faster API<br><strong>3. Haiku for exploration</strong> - use fast model for file discovery, Opus for output<br><strong>4. Parallel tool calls</strong> - Claude already does this when possible</p></div><div style=\"background:#2d2d2d;padding:16px;border-radius:6px;\"><h4 style=\"margin:0 0 8px 0;color:#fff;\">Bottom Line</h4><p style=\"margin:0;color:#9ca3af;\">Kontext is about <strong>smarter context</strong> (quality, relevance, cost) not <strong>faster turns</strong>. For speed, focus on session pooling and prompt caching.</p></div></div>",
    "requestedAt": "2026-01-05T03:58:00Z",
    "requestId": "71bdb976-bea5-4a17-8f8f-b8d76ba6a76b",
    "choices": [
      {
        "label": "Explore session pooling",
        "value": "How can we use session pooling for full CLI sessions to eliminate spin-up time?"
      },
      {
        "label": "Prompt caching strategy",
        "value": "Design a prompt caching strategy to maximize cache hits and reduce latency"
      },
      {
        "label": "Add kontext to backlog",
        "value": "Add kontext to backlog focused on quality/cost benefits rather than speed"
      }
    ],
    "turnTiming": {
      "totalMs": 48028,
      "ttfeMs": 5330,
      "thinkingMs": 41583,
      "toolExecutionMs": 1112,
      "toolCallCount": 1,
      "thinkingPct": 87,
      "toolsPct": 2,
      "ttfePct": 11
    }
  },
  "createdBy": "claude",
  "createdAt": "2026-01-05T04:12:35.827Z",
  "updatedAt": "2026-01-05T04:12:43.783Z",
  "requestId": "71bdb976-bea5-4a17-8f8f-b8d76ba6a76b",
  "scope": "vibetools",
  "tags": [
    "kontext",
    "performance",
    "latency"
  ],
  "targetUser": "claude"
}