LLeMbas CLI 1.5.2: a login again leaves one device; the link says why it cannot connect

A second `lembas login` to the same instance overwrote the old token without signing it out, leaving an offline twin of the device holding its agent chats. The old token is now signed out over the TLS that just worked, naming the new one, so an instance that knows `replaced_by` moves the chats; a failed sign-out is said. `login --ca` kept the path as typed, so a service started in another directory dialled with no CA. It is kept in full now, the link trusts what discovery got through with (the system's bundle included), and "could not reach the instance" says why: a CA file that is gone, or what discovery met. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 5.5 <noreply@anthropic.com>
LLeMbas CLI 1.5.1
2026-10-25 19:48:50 +00:00 · 2026-10-23 21:24:31 +00:00
17 changed files with 315 additions and 30 deletions
@@ -6,6 +6,42 @@ All notable changes to LLeMbas CLI. The format follows

 ## [Unreleased]

+## [1.5.2] — 2026-10-25
+
+Logging in again leaves one device, and a link that cannot connect says why.
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **Logging in again left an offline twin of this device on the instance.** A second
+  `lembas login` to the same instance overwrote the old token without signing it out, so the web
+  UI showed the device twice -- the new one linked, the old one offline and holding its agent
+  chats. The old token is now signed out, naming the new one, and a LLeMbas server 1.7.2 or later
+  moves the old device's agent chats to it. A sign-out that fails is said, with where to revoke it.
+- **`lembas service` could not link when the login was given its CA as a relative path.** `login
+  --ca` kept the path as typed, and the service, started in another directory, did not find it and
+  dialled with no CA at all. The path is now kept in full, and a link to an instance whose
+  certificate is signed by a CA in the system's store gets through even without `--ca`, as the
+  rest of the CLI already did.
+- **"Could not reach the instance" now says why**: a CA file given at login that is gone, a
+  certificate that is not trusted, or what else the connection met.
+
+## [1.5.1] — 2026-10-23
+
+A screenshot no longer makes the session compact.
+
+### Fixed
+
+- **An image counted as half a million tokens.** The context estimate measured an image's base64
+  as text, so a 1–3 MB screenshot read as "context at 150–280%" the moment `view_image` (or an
+  `@` attachment) added it, and the session was compacted -- after every image, since the summary
+  drops pictures and the model looked again. The provider's own count, a few thousand tokens, was
+  never in question. An image now counts by its dimensions (28-pixel patches, at most 16k tokens;
+  a flat 1600 when the size cannot be read), everywhere the CLI estimates: the context meter,
+  pruning, `/context`, and the estimate a provider that reports no usage falls back to.
+- **Screenshots are sent at 1600 px.** Any image over 1600 px or 500 KB is shrunk to 1600 px on
+  its longer edge when ImageMagick is there (only files over 3.5 MB were before): no more detail
+  than the model is billed for, and a lighter request.
+
 ## [1.5.0] — 2026-10-20

 Harness spec 2.0.0: background work is one thing — a job — for commands and subagents alike, and
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 {
  "name": "lembas-cli",
-  "version": "1.5.0",
+  "version": "1.5.2",
  "description": "LLeMbas CLI: a terminal coding agent and project manager — OpenTUI, any LLM API, memory, skills, MCP, git-native.",
  "license": "MIT",
  "private": true,
@@ -8,6 +8,8 @@
 // account lost the permission) ends the link for good: retrying it would only knock on a closed door.
 import { existsSync, readFileSync } from "node:fs"
 import { hostname } from "node:os"
+import { resolve as resolvePath } from "node:path"
+import { expandHome } from "../config/paths.ts"
 import { remoteBlock } from "../config/remote.ts"
 import { refusedLocally } from "../project/local.ts"
 import type { Mode } from "../config/schema.ts"
@@ -143,7 +145,11 @@ export async function runLink(o: LinkOptions = {}): Promise<LinkStatus> {
    o.onStatus?.(s)
    return s
  }
-  const ca = instance.ca && existsSync(instance.ca) ? readFileSync(instance.ca, "utf8") : undefined
+  // The CA the login was given, as a full path (an older login kept what was typed: relative, or
+  // with ~, which a service started elsewhere does not find). One that is gone is said, not skipped.
+  const caPath = instance.ca ? resolvePath(expandHome(instance.ca)) : undefined
+  const caGone = caPath && !existsSync(caPath) ? caPath : undefined
+  const loginCa = caPath && !caGone ? readFileSync(caPath, "utf8") : undefined
  /** A 4400 to a hello that said 2: the protocols known were stale (or discovery said more than the
   *  link takes) — the next dial, at once, says 1; only a 4400 to that stops the link. */
  let downgraded = false
@@ -154,11 +160,20 @@ export async function runLink(o: LinkOptions = {}): Promise<LinkStatus> {
    // What the instance speaks now: asked at every dial, since it may have been updated
    // since the login; what was said last when it cannot be asked.
    let protocols = instances()[instance.connection]?.protocols ?? instance.protocols
+    // What the socket trusts is what discovery just got through with: the login's CA, or the
+    // system's bundle when the instance's certificate needs it (Bun's own roots do not hold a
+    // private CA). Why discovery failed is why the dial will, said in the status.
+    let ca = loginCa
+    let why: string | undefined
    try {
-      const { discovery } = await discover(instance.base_url, ca ? { ca: instance.ca } : undefined)
-      protocols = spoken(discovery)
+      const found = await discover(instance.base_url, loginCa ? { ca: caPath! } : undefined)
+      protocols = spoken(found.discovery)
      rememberProtocols(instance.connection, protocols)
-    } catch {}
+      if (found.tls?.ca && found.tls.ca !== caPath) ca = readFileSync(found.tls.ca, "utf8")
+    } catch (e) {
+      why = (e as Error).message
+    }
+    const unreachable = [caGone && `the CA file given at login, ${caGone}, is not there`, why ?? "could not reach the instance"].filter(Boolean).join("; ")
    const protocol = downgraded ? 1 : linkProtocol(protocols)
    const outcome = await new Promise<{ refused?: string; dropped?: string; final?: boolean; changed?: boolean }>((resolve) => {
      let opened = false
@@ -202,7 +217,7 @@ export async function runLink(o: LinkOptions = {}): Promise<LinkStatus> {
        if ([4401, 4403, 1008].includes(e.code)) return resolve({ refused: e.reason || "the instance refused this device's token" })
        // 4400: the hello's protocol is not one it speaks. Dialling again would say the same.
        if (e.code === 4400) return resolve({ refused: "the instance and this CLI speak different link protocols — update one of them", final: true })
-        resolve({ dropped: opened ? `the link dropped (${e.code}${e.reason ? `: ${e.reason}` : ""})` : "could not reach the instance" })
+        resolve({ dropped: opened ? `the link dropped (${e.code}${e.reason ? `: ${e.reason}` : ""})` : unreachable })
      })
      ws.addEventListener("error", () => {})
    })
@@ -255,9 +255,15 @@ export async function instanceInfo(base: string, token: string, tls: Tls | undef

 /** Revoke this machine's token on the instance. Best-effort: signing out locally goes ahead even
 *  when the instance cannot be reached, and says so. */
-export async function signOut(baseUrl: string, token: string, tls: Tls | undefined): Promise<boolean> {
+/** DELETE /api/v1/token: the token revokes itself. `replacedBy`, a login again's new token: an
+ *  instance that knows it hands the old device's agent chats to the new one first (one that does
+ *  not ignores the body and only revokes). */
+export async function signOut(baseUrl: string, token: string, tls: Tls | undefined, replacedBy?: string): Promise<boolean> {
  try {
-    const res = await call(`${baseUrl}/api/v1/token`, { method: "DELETE", headers: { authorization: `Bearer ${token}` } }, tls)
+    const headers: Record<string, string> = { authorization: `Bearer ${token}` }
+    if (replacedBy) headers["content-type"] = "application/json"
+    const body = replacedBy ? JSON.stringify({ replaced_by: replacedBy }) : undefined
+    const res = await call(`${baseUrl}/api/v1/token`, { method: "DELETE", headers, body }, tls)
    return res.ok || res.status === 401
  } catch {
    return false
@@ -9,9 +9,9 @@
 // `login` again refreshes them and `logout` removes exactly them. Without a login nothing here is
 // read, and LLeMbas CLI runs on its hand-written config as before.
 import { chmodSync, existsSync, mkdirSync, readFileSync, rmSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs"
-import { join } from "node:path"
+import { join, resolve } from "node:path"
 import { parseDocument } from "yaml"
-import { globalPaths, isLocal, paths } from "../config/paths.ts"
+import { expandHome, globalPaths, isLocal, paths } from "../config/paths.ts"
 import { awaitToken, discover, LembasError, signOut, spoken, startDevice, type DeviceStart, type Discovery, type InstanceInfo, type ServedModel, type Tls } from "./client.ts"
 import { dropCache, fetchWebui, isChatModel, readCache, specFor } from "./webui.ts"

@@ -390,12 +390,17 @@ function webuiCount(): number {
 }

 export async function login(address: string, o: LoginOptions): Promise<LoginResult> {
-  const { discovery, tls } = await discover(address, o.ca ? { ca: o.ca } : undefined)
+  // Kept as a full path: `lembas service` and Desktop read it from another directory.
+  const ca = o.ca ? resolve(expandHome(o.ca)) : undefined
+  const { discovery, tls } = await discover(address, ca ? { ca } : undefined)
  const start = await startDevice(discovery, tls)
  o.onCode(start, discovery)
  const granted = await awaitToken(discovery, start, tls, { signal: o.signal, sleep: o.sleep })

  const connection = connectionNameFor(discovery.base_url, discovery.connection)
+  // Logging in again under the same name: the token being replaced, read before its file is.
+  const before = ownInstances()[connection]
+  const replaced = before?.base_url === discovery.base_url && existsSync(ownKeyFile(connection)) ? readFileSync(ownKeyFile(connection), "utf8").trim() : ""
  mkdirSync(keyDir(), { recursive: true, mode: 0o700 })
  writeFileSync(ownKeyFile(connection), granted.access_token + "\n", { mode: 0o600 })
  chmodSync(ownKeyFile(connection), 0o600)
@@ -403,13 +408,20 @@ export async function login(address: string, o: LoginOptions): Promise<LoginResu
  const instanceDefault = fetched.instance?.default_model ?? fetched.models.find((m) => m.default)?.id ?? undefined

  const changes: string[] = []
+  // The old token is signed out too: this machine holds one, the new one. Over the TLS that has
+  // just worked (the old login's CA may be what was wrong), naming the new token, so the instance
+  // moves the old device's agent chats to it instead of keeping an offline twin.
+  const handOver = async (old: string) => {
+    if (old && old !== granted.access_token && !(await signOut(discovery.base_url, old, tls, granted.access_token)))
+      changes.push("the previous login could not be signed out: revoke it under User → Security → Devices on the instance")
+  }
+  await handOver(replaced)
  // Only logins this mode made: in local mode, the user's own login to the same instance is not
  // signed out or replaced — it is not this project's.
  const known = ownInstances()
  for (const [name, old] of Object.entries(known))
    if (name !== connection && old.base_url === discovery.base_url) {
-      // The old token is signed out too: this machine holds one, the new one.
-      if (existsSync(ownKeyFile(name))) await signOut(old.base_url, readFileSync(ownKeyFile(name), "utf8").trim(), old.ca ? { ca: old.ca } : undefined)
+      if (existsSync(ownKeyFile(name))) await handOver(readFileSync(ownKeyFile(name), "utf8").trim())
      changes.push(...replaceOld(name, connection, instanceDefault))
      delete known[name]
    }
@@ -1,17 +1,21 @@
 // Images for vision models: read, size-checked, downscaled when ImageMagick is there.
 import { readFileSync, statSync } from "node:fs"
 import { extname } from "node:path"
+import { imageSize } from "../provider/tokens.ts"
 import type { ImagePart } from "../provider/types.ts"

 export const IMAGE_TYPES: Record<string, string> = { ".png": "image/png", ".jpg": "image/jpeg", ".jpeg": "image/jpeg", ".gif": "image/gif", ".webp": "image/webp" }
 const MAX_BYTES = 3_500_000
+const SHRINK_ABOVE_BYTES = 500_000
+const MAX_EDGE = 1600
 const magick = Bun.which("magick") ?? Bun.which("convert")

 export function isImage(path: string): boolean {
  return extname(path).toLowerCase() in IMAGE_TYPES
 }

-/** The image as a part, or a reason it cannot be one. Large ones are shrunk to 1600 px if possible. */
+/** The image as a part, or a reason it cannot be one. Anything over 1600 px or 500 KB is shrunk to
+ *  1600 px when ImageMagick is there. */
 export function loadImage(path: string): ImagePart | string {
  const mime = IMAGE_TYPES[extname(path).toLowerCase()]
  if (!mime) return `${path} is not a supported image (png, jpg, gif, webp)`
@@ -21,7 +25,13 @@ export function loadImage(path: string): ImagePart | string {
  } catch {
    return `${path} does not exist`
  }
-  if (size <= MAX_BYTES) return { type: "image", mime, data: readFileSync(path).toString("base64") }
+  const bytes = readFileSync(path)
+  const dims = imageSize(bytes)
+  // A screenshot of a large monitor is sent at 1600 px on its longer edge, as the LLeMbas server
+  // scales uploads: a model sees no more detail in 2560 px than it is billed tokens for, and a
+  // half-megabyte PNG is a slow request for nothing. Without ImageMagick it goes as it is.
+  const big = size > SHRINK_ABOVE_BYTES || (dims !== undefined && Math.max(dims.width, dims.height) > MAX_EDGE)
+  if (size <= MAX_BYTES && (!big || !magick)) return { type: "image", mime, data: bytes.toString("base64") }
  if (!magick) return `${path} is ${(size / 1e6).toFixed(1)} MB — too large to send, and ImageMagick is not installed to shrink it`
  // The coder named from the extension: ImageMagick otherwise decides by content, and a file named
  // .png that is really SVG or MVG can make it read other files or fetch URLs.
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { resolveKey } from "../config/load.ts"
 import { Parts, record, recordFailure, retrying, statusOf, SwapBanner } from "./common.ts"
 import { authHeaders, joinUrl, request, tlsFor } from "./http.ts"
 import { sseJson } from "./sse.ts"
-import { estimateTokens } from "./tokens.ts"
+import { estimateTokens, estimateValue } from "./tokens.ts"
 import { ProviderError, type ChatRequest, type Client, type DiscoveredModel, type Message, type ResolvedModel, type StreamEvent, type ToolCallPart } from "./types.ts"

 /** Thinking budgets by effort, when the model's config gives no effort_map. */
@@ -216,7 +216,7 @@ export class AnthropicClient implements Client {
    const reason = finish === "max_tokens" ? "length" : finish === "tool_use" || message.parts.some((p) => p.type === "tool_call") ? "tool_calls" : "stop"
    yield sawUsage
      ? { type: "usage", usage: { input, output, cached } }
-      : { type: "usage", usage: { input: estimateTokens(JSON.stringify(body.messages)), output: message.parts.reduce((n, p) => n + estimateTokens(p.type === "tool_call" ? p.args : p.text), 0), estimated: true } }
+      : { type: "usage", usage: { input: estimateValue(body.messages), output: message.parts.reduce((n, p) => n + estimateTokens(p.type === "tool_call" ? p.args : p.text), 0), estimated: true } }
    yield { type: "finish", reason, message }
  }

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@ import { DEFAULT_BUDGETS } from "./anthropic.ts"
 import { Parts, record, recordFailure, retrying, statusOf } from "./common.ts"
 import { authHeaders, joinUrl, request, tlsFor } from "./http.ts"
 import { sseJson } from "./sse.ts"
-import { estimateTokens } from "./tokens.ts"
+import { estimateTokens, estimateValue } from "./tokens.ts"
 import { ProviderError, type ChatRequest, type Client, type DiscoveredModel, type Message, type ResolvedModel, type StreamEvent, type ToolCallPart } from "./types.ts"

 type Content = { role: "user" | "model"; parts: Record<string, unknown>[] }
@@ -301,7 +301,7 @@ export class GeminiClient implements Client {
    }
    const message = out.message()
    if (slots.size && finish !== "length") finish = "tool_calls"
-    yield usage ?? { type: "usage", usage: { input: estimateTokens(JSON.stringify(body.contents)), output: message.parts.reduce((n, p) => n + estimateTokens(p.type === "tool_call" ? p.args : p.text), 0), estimated: true } }
+    yield usage ?? { type: "usage", usage: { input: estimateValue(body.contents), output: message.parts.reduce((n, p) => n + estimateTokens(p.type === "tool_call" ? p.args : p.text), 0), estimated: true } }
    yield { type: "finish", reason: finish, message }
  }

@@ -7,7 +7,7 @@
 import { resolveKey } from "../config/load.ts"
 import { Parts, record, recordFailure, retrying, statusOf } from "./common.ts"
 import { authHeaders, joinUrl, request, tlsFor } from "./http.ts"
-import { estimateTokens } from "./tokens.ts"
+import { estimateTokens, estimateValue } from "./tokens.ts"
 import { ProviderError, type ChatRequest, type Client, type DiscoveredModel, type Message, type ResolvedModel, type StreamEvent } from "./types.ts"

 export function toOllamaMessages(system: string, messages: Message[], vision: boolean): Record<string, unknown>[] {
@@ -160,7 +160,7 @@ export class OllamaClient implements Client {
    }
    const message = out.message()
    if (calls && finish !== "length") finish = "tool_calls"
-    yield usage ?? { type: "usage", usage: { input: estimateTokens(JSON.stringify(body.messages)), output: message.parts.reduce((n, p) => n + estimateTokens(p.type === "tool_call" ? p.args : p.text), 0), estimated: true } }
+    yield usage ?? { type: "usage", usage: { input: estimateValue(body.messages), output: message.parts.reduce((n, p) => n + estimateTokens(p.type === "tool_call" ? p.args : p.text), 0), estimated: true } }
    yield { type: "finish", reason: finish, message }
  }

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ import { learned, learnEfforts, learnNoProgress, learnNoStreamOptions } from "./
 import { historyArgs, Parts, record, recordFailure, retrying, statusOf, SwapBanner } from "./common.ts"
 import { sseJson } from "./sse.ts"
 import { ThinkSplitter } from "./think.ts"
-import { estimateTokens } from "./tokens.ts"
+import { estimateTokens, estimateValue } from "./tokens.ts"
 import {
  ProviderError,
  type ChatRequest,
@@ -274,7 +274,7 @@ export class OpenAIChatClient implements Client {
    const parts = message.parts
    if (!usage) {
      const out = parts.reduce((n, p) => n + estimateTokens(p.type === "tool_call" ? p.name + p.args : p.text), 0)
-      usage = { type: "usage", usage: { input: estimateTokens(JSON.stringify(body.messages)), output: out, estimated: true } }
+      usage = { type: "usage", usage: { input: estimateValue(body.messages), output: out, estimated: true } }
    }
    yield usage
    yield { type: "finish", reason: finish, message }
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ import { historyArgs, Parts, record, recordFailure, retrying, statusOf, SwapBann
 import { authHeaders, joinUrl, request, tlsFor } from "./http.ts"
 import { contextFrom } from "./openai-chat.ts"
 import { sseJson } from "./sse.ts"
-import { estimateTokens } from "./tokens.ts"
+import { estimateTokens, estimateValue } from "./tokens.ts"
 import { ProviderError, type ChatRequest, type Client, type DiscoveredModel, type Message, type ResolvedModel, type StreamEvent } from "./types.ts"

 type Item = Record<string, unknown>
@@ -161,7 +161,7 @@ export class ResponsesClient implements Client {
    if (finish !== "length" && message.parts.some((p) => p.type === "tool_call")) finish = "tool_calls"
    yield usage ?? {
      type: "usage",
-      usage: { input: estimateTokens(JSON.stringify(body.input)), output: message.parts.reduce((n, p) => n + estimateTokens(p.type === "tool_call" ? p.args : p.text), 0), estimated: true },
+      usage: { input: estimateValue(body.input), output: message.parts.reduce((n, p) => n + estimateTokens(p.type === "tool_call" ? p.args : p.text), 0), estimated: true },
    }
    yield { type: "finish", reason: finish, message }
  }
@@ -4,3 +4,87 @@ export const CHARS_PER_TOKEN = 4
 export function estimateTokens(text: string): number {
  return Math.ceil(text.length / CHARS_PER_TOKEN)
 }
+
+/** An image whose size cannot be read counts as this many tokens (a 1600 px screenshot, roughly). */
+export const IMAGE_FALLBACK_TOKENS = 1600
+/** Pixels per token edge: Qwen-VL's 28 px patches; OpenAI's and Anthropic's tiles land near it. */
+const PATCH = 28
+/** No image costs more than this (vLLM's Qwen default max_pixels / 784). */
+const IMAGE_MAX_TOKENS = 16_384
+/** A string this long made only of base64 characters is an image's bytes, not text. */
+const BASE64_MIN = 2_000
+const BASE64 = /^[A-Za-z0-9+/=_-]+$/
+
+/** The width and height in an image's first bytes (PNG, JPEG, GIF, WebP), or undefined. */
+export function imageSize(bytes: Uint8Array): { width: number; height: number } | undefined {
+  const at = (i: number) => bytes[i] ?? 0
+  const be16 = (i: number) => (at(i) << 8) | at(i + 1)
+  const le16 = (i: number) => at(i) | (at(i + 1) << 8)
+  const be32 = (i: number) => ((at(i) << 24) | (at(i + 1) << 16) | (at(i + 2) << 8) | at(i + 3)) >>> 0
+  if (at(0) === 0x89 && at(1) === 0x50 && at(2) === 0x4e && at(3) === 0x47) return { width: be32(16), height: be32(20) }
+  if (at(0) === 0x47 && at(1) === 0x49 && at(2) === 0x46) return { width: le16(6), height: le16(8) }
+  if (at(0) === 0x52 && at(1) === 0x49 && at(2) === 0x46 && at(3) === 0x46 && at(8) === 0x57 && at(9) === 0x45) {
+    const chunk = String.fromCharCode(at(12), at(13), at(14), at(15))
+    if (chunk === "VP8X") return { width: 1 + (at(24) | (at(25) << 8) | (at(26) << 16)), height: 1 + (at(27) | (at(28) << 8) | (at(29) << 16)) }
+    if (chunk === "VP8 ") return { width: le16(26) & 0x3fff, height: le16(28) & 0x3fff }
+    if (chunk === "VP8L") {
+      const b = (at(21) | (at(22) << 8) | (at(23) << 16) | (at(24) << 24)) >>> 0
+      return { width: (b & 0x3fff) + 1, height: ((b >> 14) & 0x3fff) + 1 }
+    }
+    return undefined
+  }
+  if (at(0) === 0xff && at(1) === 0xd8) {
+    // Walk the segments to a start-of-frame marker (C0–CF, except C4, C8, CC).
+    let i = 2
+    while (i + 9 < bytes.length) {
+      if (at(i) !== 0xff) return undefined
+      const marker = at(i + 1)
+      if (marker >= 0xc0 && marker <= 0xcf && marker !== 0xc4 && marker !== 0xc8 && marker !== 0xcc) {
+        return { width: be16(i + 7), height: be16(i + 5) }
+      }
+      i += 2 + be16(i + 2)
+    }
+  }
+  return undefined
+}
+
+/**
+ * What an image costs a model, from its dimensions -- never from its encoding. Counting the
+ * base64 as text made a 1.5 MB screenshot "512k tokens": the CLI then compacted after every
+ * view_image, at "context 215%", while the provider charged a few thousand. Only the head is
+ * decoded (enough for the header, and a JPEG's frame marker in all but odd files).
+ */
+export function imageTokens(base64: string): number {
+  const head = base64.replace(/^data:[^,]*,/, "").slice(0, 87_384) // 64 KB of bytes
+  let size: { width: number; height: number } | undefined
+  try {
+    size = imageSize(Buffer.from(head.slice(0, head.length - (head.length % 4)), "base64"))
+  } catch {
+    size = undefined
+  }
+  if (!size || !size.width || !size.height) return IMAGE_FALLBACK_TOKENS
+  return Math.min(IMAGE_MAX_TOKENS, Math.ceil(size.width / PATCH) * Math.ceil(size.height / PATCH))
+}
+
+function isImageData(text: string): boolean {
+  if (text.startsWith("data:image/")) return true
+  return text.length >= BASE64_MIN && BASE64.test(text.slice(0, 4096))
+}
+
+/**
+ * Tokens for any value about to be sent or kept in history -- a message, a request body in any
+ * dialect: its JSON measured as text, except that an image is counted by `imageTokens`. Images
+ * are found by shape, so the one rule covers every wire format (an `image_url` data URL, an
+ * Anthropic or Gemini base64 `data`, Ollama's `images` list, the history's own `ImagePart`).
+ */
+export function estimateValue(value: unknown): number {
+  let images = 0
+  const text = JSON.stringify(value, (_key, v) => {
+    if (typeof v === "string" && isImageData(v)) {
+      images += imageTokens(v)
+      return ""
+    }
+    return v
+  })
+  return estimateTokens(text ?? "") + images
+}
@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 // up to what the server last reported when it reported anything.
 import type { Engine } from "./engine.ts"
 import { contextWindow } from "../provider/discover.ts"
-import { estimateTokens } from "../provider/tokens.ts"
+import { estimateTokens, imageTokens } from "../provider/tokens.ts"
 import { toSpec, type Tool } from "../tool/tool.ts"

 export interface ContextRow {
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ export function contextBreakdown(engine: Engine, system: string, instructions: {
        else if (p.type === "tool_call") by.calls += estimateTokens(p.name + p.args)
        else {
          imageCount++
-          by.images += 800 // providers bill an image at roughly this for a typical screenshot
+          by.images += imageTokens(p.data) // by its dimensions, as contextUsed counts it
        }
      }
  }
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import { fill, promptText } from "../prompt/assemble.ts"
 import { resolveCall } from "../tool/names.ts"
 import { contextWindow } from "../provider/discover.ts"
 import { summaryTurns, type Store } from "./store.ts"
-import { estimateTokens } from "../provider/tokens.ts"
+import { estimateTokens, estimateValue } from "../provider/tokens.ts"
 import { duration } from "../duration.ts"

 export interface EngineOptions {
@@ -244,7 +244,7 @@ export class Engine {
   *  last reply's output but will not be in the next request. */
  contextUsed(): number | undefined {
    if (!this.usage) return undefined
-    return this.usage.input + this.usage.output - this.droppedThinking() + estimateTokens(JSON.stringify(this.messages.slice(this.usageAt)))
+    return this.usage.input + this.usage.output - this.droppedThinking() + estimateValue(this.messages.slice(this.usageAt))
  }

  private droppedThinking(): number {
@@ -262,7 +262,7 @@ export class Engine {
    let saved = 0
    for (let i = this.messages.length - 1; i >= 0; i--) {
      const m = this.messages[i]!
-      const size = estimateTokens(JSON.stringify(m))
+      const size = estimateValue(m)
      if (recent < protect) {
        recent += size
        continue
@@ -425,3 +425,26 @@ test("the link says protocol 1 to an instance that lists only 1, and stops on 44
  expect(three.detail).toBe("the instance and this CLI speak different link protocols — update one of them")
  expect(dials).toBe(5)
 })
+
+test("a link that cannot dial says why: a CA file gone since the login, and what discovery met", async () => {
+  mkdirSync(paths.config, { recursive: true })
+  const closed = Bun.serve({ port: 0, fetch: () => new Response("no") })
+  const port = closed.port
+  closed.stop(true)
+  writeFileSync(join(paths.config, "lembas.json"), JSON.stringify({ instances: { fake: { base_url: `http://127.0.0.1:${port}`, connection: "fake", ca: "gone/ca.crt", logged_in_at: "" } } }))
+  mkdirSync(join(paths.config, "lembas"), { recursive: true })
+  writeFileSync(join(paths.config, "lembas", "fake.key"), "lmb_device\n", { mode: 0o600 })
+  const stop = new AbortController()
+  const waits: string[] = []
+  await runLink({
+    backoffMs: [10, 20],
+    signal: stop.signal,
+    onStatus: (s) => {
+      if (s.state !== "waiting") return
+      waits.push(s.detail ?? "")
+      stop.abort()
+    },
+  })
+  expect(waits[0]).toContain(`the CA file given at login, ${join(process.cwd(), "gone/ca.crt")}, is not there`)
+  expect(waits[0]).not.toContain("could not reach the instance;")
+})
@@ -0,0 +1,67 @@
+import { afterEach, describe, expect, test } from "bun:test"
+import { mkdirSync, mkdtempSync, writeFileSync } from "node:fs"
+import { tmpdir } from "node:os"
+import { join } from "node:path"
+import { createApp } from "../src/app.ts"
+import type { AskReply, Event } from "../src/bus/index.ts"
+import { paths } from "../src/config/paths.ts"
+import { estimateValue, IMAGE_FALLBACK_TOKENS, imageSize, imageTokens } from "../src/provider/tokens.ts"
+import { delta, fakeProvider, toolCall, usage, type Fake } from "./fake-provider.ts"
+
+/** A PNG-shaped file of `bytes` bytes that says it is `w`×`h` (header only; the rest is filler). */
+function png(w: number, h: number, bytes: number): Buffer {
+  const out = Buffer.alloc(bytes, 0x41)
+  Buffer.from([0x89, 0x50, 0x4e, 0x47, 0x0d, 0x0a, 0x1a, 0x0a, 0, 0, 0, 13, 0x49, 0x48, 0x44, 0x52]).copy(out, 0)
+  out.writeUInt32BE(w, 16)
+  out.writeUInt32BE(h, 20)
+  return out
+}
+
+let fake: Fake | undefined
+afterEach(() => fake?.stop())
+
+describe("an image counts by its dimensions, never its encoding", () => {
+  test("sizes are read from PNG, GIF and JPEG headers", () => {
+    expect(imageSize(png(2560, 1440, 64))).toEqual({ width: 2560, height: 1440 })
+    const gif = Buffer.from([0x47, 0x49, 0x46, 0x38, 0x39, 0x61, 0x40, 0x01, 0xf0, 0x00])
+    expect(imageSize(gif)).toEqual({ width: 320, height: 240 })
+    // SOI, an APP0 segment of 16 bytes, then SOF0 with height 600 and width 800.
+    const jpeg = Buffer.from([0xff, 0xd8, 0xff, 0xe0, 0x00, 0x10, ...Array(14).fill(0), 0xff, 0xc0, 0x00, 0x11, 0x08, 0x02, 0x58, 0x03, 0x20, 0x03])
+    expect(imageSize(jpeg)).toEqual({ width: 800, height: 600 })
+  })
+
+  test("a 1.5 MB 2560×1440 screenshot is thousands of tokens, not half a million", () => {
+    const data = png(2560, 1440, 1_500_000).toString("base64")
+    expect(imageTokens(data)).toBe(Math.ceil(2560 / 28) * Math.ceil(1440 / 28))
+    const message = { role: "user", parts: [{ type: "text", text: "look" }, { type: "image", mime: "image/png", data }] }
+    expect(estimateValue(message)).toBeLessThan(5_000)
+    // The same image in each dialect's wire shape.
+    expect(estimateValue([{ content: [{ type: "image_url", image_url: { url: `data:image/png;base64,${data}` } }] }])).toBeLessThan(5_000)
+    expect(estimateValue([{ content: [{ type: "image", source: { type: "base64", media_type: "image/png", data } }] }])).toBeLessThan(5_000)
+    expect(estimateValue([{ role: "user", content: "look", images: [data] }])).toBeLessThan(5_000)
+  })
+
+  test("an image whose size cannot be read has a flat cost", () => {
+    expect(imageTokens(Buffer.alloc(300_000, 7).toString("base64"))).toBe(IMAGE_FALLBACK_TOKENS)
+  })
+
+  test("view_image of a 1.5 MB screenshot at 20% of the window does not compact", async () => {
+    fake = fakeProvider([
+      { chunks: [toolCall(0, "c1", "view_image", '{"path":"shot.png"}'), usage(52_000, 50)] },
+      { chunks: [delta({ content: "a screenshot" }), usage(56_000, 5)] },
+    ])
+    mkdirSync(paths.config, { recursive: true })
+    writeFileSync(join(paths.config, "connections.yaml"), `connections:\n  f:\n    dialect: openai-chat\n    base_url: ${fake.url}\n    models:\n      m: { vision: true, context: 262144 }\n`, { mode: 0o600 })
+    writeFileSync(join(paths.config, "config.yaml"), "model: f/m\n")
+    const root = mkdtempSync(join(tmpdir(), "ph-img-"))
+    writeFileSync(join(root, "shot.png"), png(2560, 1440, 1_500_000))
+    const app = createApp({ cwd: root, mode: "edit", store: false, asker: { ask: async (): Promise<AskReply> => ({ kind: "once" }) } })
+    const notices: string[] = []
+    app.bus.on((e: Event) => {
+      if (e.type === "notice") notices.push(e.message)
+    })
+    await app.engine.prompt("look at shot.png")
+    expect(notices.filter((n) => n.includes("compacting") || n.includes("pruned"))).toEqual([])
+    expect(fake.requests.length).toBe(2)
+  })
+})
@@ -22,6 +22,8 @@ interface Fake {
  stop(): void
  polls: number
  revoked: string[]
+  /** What each DELETE /api/v1/token said it was replaced by. */
+  replacedBy: (string | undefined)[]
  models: unknown[]
  approveAfter: number
  deny?: boolean
@@ -52,6 +54,7 @@ function lembas(o: Partial<Pick<Fake, "approveAfter" | "deny" | "protocol" | "mo
    stop: () => {},
    polls: 0,
    revoked: [],
+    replacedBy: [],
    approveAfter: o.approveAfter ?? 1,
    deny: o.deny,
    protocol: o.protocol ?? PROTOCOL,
@@ -98,6 +101,8 @@ function lembas(o: Partial<Pick<Fake, "approveAfter" | "deny" | "protocol" | "mo
      }
      if (u.pathname === "/api/v1/token" && req.method === "DELETE") {
        state.revoked.push(auth ?? "")
+        const text = await req.text()
+        state.replacedBy.push(text ? (JSON.parse(text) as { replaced_by?: string }).replaced_by : undefined)
        return new Response(null, { status: 204 })
      }
      if (!ours) return new Response("no", { status: 401 })
@@ -340,6 +345,33 @@ test("login again reads the models now", async () => {
  expect(JSON.parse(readFileSync(cacheFile("example"), "utf8")).models[0].id).toBe("llama")
 })

+test("login again signs the old token out, naming the new one, so its chats follow", async () => {
+  fake = lembas()
+  await login(fake.url, { ...quick, onCode: () => {} })
+  fake.token = "lmb_newer"
+  fake.polls = 0
+  const r = await login(fake.url, { ...quick, onCode: () => {} })
+  expect(fake.revoked).toEqual(["Bearer lmb_secret"])
+  expect(fake.replacedBy).toEqual(["lmb_newer"])
+  expect(readFileSync(keyFile(r.connection), "utf8").trim()).toBe("lmb_newer")
+  expect(r.changes.join("\n")).not.toContain("could not be signed out")
+})
+
+test("a CA given as a relative path is kept as a full one", async () => {
+  fake = lembas()
+  const dir = join(paths.config, "certs")
+  mkdirSync(dir, { recursive: true })
+  writeFileSync(join(dir, "ca.crt"), "-----BEGIN CERTIFICATE-----\n-----END CERTIFICATE-----\n")
+  const cwd = process.cwd()
+  process.chdir(paths.config)
+  try {
+    const r = await login(fake.url, { ...quick, ca: "certs/ca.crt", onCode: () => {} })
+    expect(instances()[r.connection]!.ca).toBe(join(dir, "ca.crt"))
+  } finally {
+    process.chdir(cwd)
+  }
+})
+
 test("logout revokes the token and removes exactly what login wrote", async () => {
  writeFileSync(join(paths.config, "connections.yaml"), "connections:\n  local:\n    dialect: openai-chat\n    base_url: http://x/v1\n    models: { m: {} }\n", { mode: 0o600 })
  writeFileSync(join(paths.config, "config.yaml"), "voice:\n  stt:\n    provider: openai\n    base_url: http://stt.local/v1\n")