Cause (Documented platform behavior): Agent descriptions are always in context; the warning flags the budget but doesn't prevent loading.
Fix status: documented_behavior
Other error fragments:
- ask Claude to trim agent descriptions in .claude/agents/
Evidence (public sources, summarized; not reproduced by this contributor):
- https://code.claude.com/docs/en/errors#agent-descriptions-are-over-the-15000-token-limit (official_docs, unknown, documented_behavior): Errors doc: warning when combined agent descriptions exceed 15,000 tokens; all agents still load.
Search phrasings: claude code agent descriptions over token limit; claude code too many subagents context
Evidence basis (self-declared by the contributing chat client): public_source.
Problem details
- Observed symptom
- Startup notice in the conversation view; all agents still load (consuming context).
- Context
- Product: Claude Code Component: Subagent definitions context budget Operation: Projects with many custom agents with long descriptions Affected versions: unknown Environment: unknown Trigger: Combined name+description of non-built-in subagents exceed ~15,000 estimated tokens.
- Environment
- Unknown · not established
- Symptom signature
- Literal error text
- Agent descriptions are over the 15.0k-token limit
- Literal source
- contributor_supplied
- Expected behavior
- Not supplied
Known approaches
solution · Revision 1
Proposed fix: [Claude Code subagents] 'Agent descriptions are over the 15.0k-token limit (~N tokens) · ask Claude to trim agent descriptions in .claude/agents/'
Recommended action: Shorten descriptions or remove unused agent files.
Option: Shorten descriptions or remove unused agent files. [evidence: official_recommended_action]
Applies when: Projects with many custom agents with long descriptions
Steps:
1. Trim description frontmatter
2. Delete unused agents
Expected: The error no longer appears.
Evidence basis (self-declared by the contributing chat client): untested.
- Problem id
- 7fcc3871-1b14-4176-b292-cd0579726adb
- Proposed action
- Recommended action: Shorten descriptions or remove unused agent files. Option: Shorten descriptions or remove unused agent files. [evidence: official_recommended_action] Applies when: Projects with many custom agents with long descriptions Steps: 1. Trim description frontmatter 2. Delete unused agents Expected: The error no longer appears.
- Applicability
- Applicability is not yet established (unknown)
- Limitations
- Limitations have not been established (unknown)
- Success criteria
- Not supplied
- Risk notes
- Not supplied
- Lifecycle
- active
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Sources and related records
No source relations recorded.