remove c0re.operatorPronouns and c0re.contextWindowTokens

Both options are now ignored with a warning (the swarm-peers-removed.nix
shape), so a host that still sets one keeps evaluating.

- operatorPronouns: the agents' system prompt names the pronouns as
  she/her, the value the harness fell back to and the option's default.
  The --operator-pronouns flag, HiveEnv field, meta-flake let binding
  and HIVE_OPERATOR_PRONOUNS env var are gone.
- contextWindowTokens: the per-family defaults (haiku 200000, sonnet
  1000000, opus 1000000) move into hive-agent's harness_state as a
  table; the window the API reports after a turn still wins. The
  --context-window-tokens flag, HiveEnv field and the rendered
  HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_<KEY> env vars are gone.

README.md

@@ -136,8 +136,6 @@ covers spreading a swarm across hosts.
             swarm.domain = "hive.example";        # the swarm's DNS domain
             hiveName = "pr1ma";                   # this hive's label in it
             swarm.hives.pr1ma = { };              # the directory: just us
-
-            # c0re.operatorPronouns = "they/them"; # default "she/her"
           };
 
           # ... the rest of your host config

docs/turn-loop/claude-invocation.md

@@ -61,16 +61,15 @@ clearing it goes back to the local value →
 context-window size per-model. Resolution order (first
 match wins):
 
-1. `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_<KEY>` env var, where `KEY`
+1. The harness's per-family defaults, matched when the family name
-   (lowercased) is a substring of the active model name. Injected
+   is a case-insensitive substring of the active model name:
-   by the meta flake from `services.hyperhive.c0re.contextWindowTokens`
+   haiku=200k, sonnet=1M, opus=1M.
-   (host-level NixOS option, defaults: haiku=200k, sonnet=1M,
-   opus=1M). Override these for all agents at once without a
-   per-agent config change.
 2. `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS` — single global override for any
-   model (useful in dev / test).
+   other model (useful in dev / test).
-3. Hard fallback: `200_000` (conservative; only reached outside
+3. Hard fallback: `200_000`.
-   NixOS where the env vars aren't set).
+
+Once a turn completes, the window the model reports
+(`modelUsage.*.contextWindow`) replaces this value.
 
 The effective window drives watermarks; the harness exposes it at
 runtime via `/api/state.context_window_tokens` so the UI can show a
@@ -256,14 +255,13 @@ needs to `chown` a bind mount), once at startup:
   `hive-agent/prompts/system.md` by `hive-agent`'s `prompt::render`:
   HTML-comment markers (`<!-- role:agent -->...<!-- /role:agent -->`,
   same for `role:manager`) gate the role-specific blocks; both flavors
-  share everything else. Five placeholders are then
+  share everything else. Four placeholders are then
   substituted: `{label}` (short agent name), `{qualified_label}`
-  (hive-qualified `name@domain` form), `{operator_pronouns}`,
+  (hive-qualified `name@domain` form),
   `{hive_identity}` (for example `` on hive `pr1ma` ``; empty when
   `HYPERHIVE_HIVE_NAME` is unset), and `{swarm_identity}` (same
-  shape for the swarm). Pronouns come from `HIVE_OPERATOR_PRONOUNS`
+  shape for the swarm). The template itself names the operator's
-  env (set by the meta flake from
+  pronouns (`she/her`); no option sets them.
-  `services.hyperhive.c0re.operatorPronouns`, default `she/her`).
   When you enable `services.hyperhive.agent.docs.enable`, `HIVE_DOCS_DIR` is present
   in the environment and `render()` appends a one-sentence pointer
   telling the agent where the docs live.

hive-agent/prompts/system.md

@@ -1,4 +1,4 @@
-You are hyperhive agent `{label}` (qualified: `{qualified_label}`){hive_identity}{swarm_identity} in a multi-agent system. The operator (the human at the dashboard) uses **{operator_pronouns}** pronouns — use them naturally when you refer to them in third person (e.g. when relaying to a peer or the manager). When you're talking to or about a peer on a different hive, use the qualified form (`name@hive`) so the operator + peers can disambiguate; within your own hive the short form is fine.
+You are hyperhive agent `{label}` (qualified: `{qualified_label}`){hive_identity}{swarm_identity} in a multi-agent system. The operator (the human at the dashboard) uses **she/her** pronouns — use them naturally when you refer to them in third person (e.g. when relaying to a peer or the manager). When you're talking to or about a peer on a different hive, use the qualified form (`name@hive`) so the operator + peers can disambiguate; within your own hive the short form is fine.
 
 Tools (hyperhive surface). Full signature + behavior for each comes from the tool's own MCP description (you already received it via the MCP tool schema) — this is just the map of what exists and which ones are gated, so you know where to look:
 

hive-agent/src/events.rs

@@ -367,10 +367,10 @@ pub struct Bus {
     /// Per-inference context-window size as reported by the Anthropic API
     /// in the stream-json `result` event (`modelUsage.*.contextWindow`).
     /// Set by the stdout pump on every completed turn. Takes precedence
-    /// over the Nix-configured `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_*` env vars
+    /// over the per-model defaults in `harness_state::context_window_tokens`
     /// for compaction watermark calculations — it reflects the actual
-    /// limit the model enforces, which may differ from what the operator
+    /// limit the model enforces, which may differ from the default
-    /// configured (e.g. 200 k active window on a 1 M cache-enabled model).
+    /// (e.g. 200 k active window on a 1 M cache-enabled model).
     api_context_window: Arc<Mutex<Option<u64>>>,
     /// Resolved model id from the most recent turn's `assistant` events
     /// (the API-echoed `message.model`, e.g. `claude-opus-4-8`), as

hive-agent/src/harness_state.rs

@@ -237,33 +237,31 @@ pub fn configured_effort() -> Option<&'static str> {
         .map(|s| &*Box::leak(s.into_boxed_str()))
 }
 
-/// Context-window size in tokens for a given model name.
+/// Context-window size in tokens per model family, keyed by a substring
-///
+/// of the model name (`"sonnet"` matches `"claude-sonnet-4-5"`).
-/// Canonical per-model sizes are declared in the harness nix modules as
+const CONTEXT_WINDOW_DEFAULTS: [(&str, u64); 3] = [
-/// `hyperhive.contextWindowTokens` and injected as
+    ("haiku", 200_000),
-/// `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_<KEY_UPPER>` env vars — so this function
+    ("sonnet", 1_000_000),
-/// normally just reads them. The Rust code carries no model knowledge;
+    ("opus", 1_000_000),
-/// updating model families only requires a Nix change.
+];
+
+/// Context-window size in tokens for a given model name, used until a
+/// completed turn reports the real window (`Bus::effective_context_window`
+/// prefers that one).
 ///
 /// Resolution order (first match wins):
-/// 1. `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_<KEY>` — key (lowercased) is a
+/// 1. [`CONTEXT_WINDOW_DEFAULTS`] — the family key, case-insensitively,
-///    substring of the active model name. Populated by the Nix default
+///    is a substring of the model name.
-///    map for all known families; add/override in `agent.nix`.
 /// 2. `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS` — single global override (any model).
-/// 3. Hard fallback: `200_000` (conservative; only hit outside NixOS).
+/// 3. Hard fallback: `200_000`.
 #[must_use]
 pub fn context_window_tokens(model: &str) -> u64 {
     let m = model.to_ascii_lowercase();
-    // Per-model env vars set by `hyperhive.contextWindowTokens` in Nix.
+    if let Some((_, tokens)) = CONTEXT_WINDOW_DEFAULTS
-    for (key, val) in std::env::vars() {
+        .iter()
-        if let Some(suffix) = key.strip_prefix("HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_")
+        .find(|(family, _)| m.contains(family))
-            && !suffix.is_empty()
+    {
-            && m.contains(&suffix.to_ascii_lowercase())
+        return *tokens;
-            && let Ok(v) = val.trim().parse::<u64>()
-            && v > 0
-        {
-            return v;
-        }
     }
     // Global override (single value, any model).
     if let Ok(s) = std::env::var("HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS")
@@ -272,13 +270,25 @@ pub fn context_window_tokens(model: &str) -> u64 {
     {
         return v;
     }
-    // Hard fallback for dev/test outside NixOS where env vars aren't set.
     200_000
 }
 
 #[cfg(test)]
 mod tests {
-    use super::{DEFAULT_EFFORT, DEFAULT_MODEL, Source, effort_from, model_from};
+    use super::{
+        DEFAULT_EFFORT, DEFAULT_MODEL, Source, context_window_tokens, effort_from, model_from,
+    };
+
+    #[test]
+    fn context_window_defaults_per_model_family() {
+        assert_eq!(context_window_tokens("claude-haiku-4-5"), 200_000);
+        assert_eq!(context_window_tokens("haiku"), 200_000);
+        assert_eq!(context_window_tokens("claude-sonnet-4-5"), 1_000_000);
+        assert_eq!(context_window_tokens("Claude-Sonnet-4-6"), 1_000_000);
+        assert_eq!(context_window_tokens("sonnet"), 1_000_000);
+        assert_eq!(context_window_tokens("claude-opus-4-1"), 1_000_000);
+        assert_eq!(context_window_tokens("opus"), 1_000_000);
+    }
 
     #[test]
     fn compiled_default_effort_matches_claude_settings() {

hive-agent/src/prompt.rs

@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ use std::path::{Path, PathBuf};
 
 use anyhow::{Context, Result};
 
-/// Assemble the system prompt for a given label + pronouns + optional hive /
+/// Assemble the system prompt for a given label + optional hive /
 /// swarm display names. Pure function — no I/O. Splits out from
 /// [`write_system_prompt`] so the marker logic + substitution is unit-testable
 /// in isolation. The caller supplies the template body so tests can pass an
@@ -21,7 +21,6 @@ use anyhow::{Context, Result};
 pub fn render(
     template: &str,
     label: &str,
-    operator_pronouns: &str,
     hive_name: Option<&str>,
     swarm_name: Option<&str>,
     docs_dir: Option<&str>,
@@ -37,7 +36,6 @@ pub fn render(
     let rendered = body
         .replace("{label}", label)
         .replace("{qualified_label}", &qualified)
-        .replace("{operator_pronouns}", operator_pronouns)
         .replace("{hive_identity}", &hive_identity)
         .replace("{swarm_identity}", &swarm_identity);
     // When the reference docs are mounted in-container (`services.hyperhive.agent.docs.enable`
@@ -114,7 +112,6 @@ fn parse_close_marker(line: &str) -> Option<&str> {
 pub async fn write_system_prompt(_socket: &Path, label: &str) -> Result<PathBuf> {
     let parent = crate::paths::config_dir();
     tokio::fs::create_dir_all(&parent).await.ok();
-    let pronouns = std::env::var("HIVE_OPERATOR_PRONOUNS").unwrap_or_else(|_| "she/her".to_owned());
     let template_path = hive_sh4re::assets::prompt_template();
     let template = tokio::fs::read_to_string(&template_path)
         .await
@@ -137,7 +134,6 @@ pub async fn write_system_prompt(_socket: &Path, label: &str) -> Result<PathBuf>
     let body = render(
         &template,
         label,
-        &pronouns,
         hive_name.as_deref(),
         swarm_name.as_deref(),
         docs_dir.as_deref(),
@@ -236,13 +232,11 @@ shared closer
     }
 
     #[test]
-    fn render_substitutes_label_and_pronouns() {
+    fn render_substitutes_label_and_keeps_the_pronoun_line() {
-        // Real template's first agent line — keeps the renderer
+        // Real template's first agent line.
-        // honest about the {label} / {operator_pronouns} pair the
+        let rendered = render(&PRODUCTION_TEMPLATE, "alice", None, None, None);
-        // harness already relied on.
-        let rendered = render(&PRODUCTION_TEMPLATE, "alice", "they/them", None, None, None);
         assert!(rendered.contains("hyperhive agent `alice`"));
-        assert!(rendered.contains("**they/them** pronouns"));
+        assert!(rendered.contains("uses **she/her** pronouns"));
         assert!(!rendered.contains("{label}"));
         assert!(!rendered.contains("{operator_pronouns}"));
     }
@@ -250,7 +244,7 @@ shared closer
     #[test]
     fn render_no_role_markers_in_output() {
         // No raw role markers should survive into the rendered prompt.
-        let rendered = render(&PRODUCTION_TEMPLATE, "alice", "she/her", None, None, None);
+        let rendered = render(&PRODUCTION_TEMPLATE, "alice", None, None, None);
         assert!(!rendered.contains("<!-- role:"));
         assert!(!rendered.contains("<!-- /role:"));
         // Shared tools appear.
@@ -260,13 +254,13 @@ shared closer
 
     #[test]
     fn render_uses_agent_opener() {
-        let rendered = render(&PRODUCTION_TEMPLATE, "alice", "she/her", None, None, None);
+        let rendered = render(&PRODUCTION_TEMPLATE, "alice", None, None, None);
         assert!(rendered.starts_with("You are hyperhive agent"));
     }
 
     #[test]
     fn render_points_agents_at_the_work_dir() {
-        let rendered = render(&PRODUCTION_TEMPLATE, "alice", "she/her", None, None, None);
+        let rendered = render(&PRODUCTION_TEMPLATE, "alice", None, None, None);
         assert!(rendered.contains("`/agents/alice/work/`"), "{rendered}");
     }
 
@@ -280,19 +274,12 @@ shared closer
     // substitution logic; nothing here depends on the production
     // template's flavor markers.
     const IDENTITY_FIXTURE: &str = "\
-You are hyperhive agent `{label}` (qualified: `{qualified_label}`){hive_identity}{swarm_identity} in a multi-agent system. Pronouns: **{operator_pronouns}**.
+You are hyperhive agent `{label}` (qualified: `{qualified_label}`){hive_identity}{swarm_identity} in a multi-agent system.
 ";
 
     #[test]
     fn render_substitutes_hive_identity_when_set() {
-        let rendered = render(
+        let rendered = render(IDENTITY_FIXTURE, "alice", Some("pr1ma"), None, None);
-            IDENTITY_FIXTURE,
-            "alice",
-            "she/her",
-            Some("pr1ma"),
-            None,
-            None,
-        );
         assert!(rendered.contains("on hive `pr1ma`"), "{rendered}");
         // swarm clause stays absent when only hive is set.
         assert!(!rendered.contains("in swarm"));
@@ -303,14 +290,7 @@ You are hyperhive agent `{label}` (qualified: `{qualified_label}`){hive_identity
 
     #[test]
     fn render_substitutes_swarm_identity_when_set() {
-        let rendered = render(
+        let rendered = render(IDENTITY_FIXTURE, "ruth", None, Some("constellat1on"), None);
-            IDENTITY_FIXTURE,
-            "ruth",
-            "she/her",
-            None,
-            Some("constellat1on"),
-            None,
-        );
         assert!(rendered.contains("in swarm `constellat1on`"));
         assert!(!rendered.contains("on hive"));
     }
@@ -320,7 +300,6 @@ You are hyperhive agent `{label}` (qualified: `{qualified_label}`){hive_identity
         let rendered = render(
             IDENTITY_FIXTURE,
             "iris",
-            "she/her",
             Some("pr1ma"),
             Some("constellat1on"),
             None,
@@ -334,7 +313,7 @@ You are hyperhive agent `{label}` (qualified: `{qualified_label}`){hive_identity
     fn render_omits_identity_when_unset() {
         // None / None must round-trip the non-identity opener verbatim
         // — single-hive deployments see zero diff.
-        let rendered = render(IDENTITY_FIXTURE, "alice", "she/her", None, None, None);
+        let rendered = render(IDENTITY_FIXTURE, "alice", None, None, None);
         assert!(!rendered.contains("on hive"));
         assert!(!rendered.contains("in swarm"));
         assert!(!rendered.contains("{hive_identity}"));
@@ -347,14 +326,7 @@ You are hyperhive agent `{label}` (qualified: `{qualified_label}`){hive_identity
         // through `identity::hive_name()` as None (the accessor
         // filters empty), but `render` should still no-op on a
         // direct `Some("")` from a test fixture or a future caller.
-        let rendered = render(
+        let rendered = render(IDENTITY_FIXTURE, "alice", Some(""), Some(""), None);
-            IDENTITY_FIXTURE,
-            "alice",
-            "she/her",
-            Some(""),
-            Some(""),
-            None,
-        );
         assert!(!rendered.contains("on hive"));
         assert!(!rendered.contains("in swarm"));
     }
@@ -364,7 +336,6 @@ You are hyperhive agent `{label}` (qualified: `{qualified_label}`){hive_identity
         let rendered = render(
             &PRODUCTION_TEMPLATE,
             "alice",
-            "she/her",
             None,
             None,
             Some("/run/hive-docs"),
@@ -380,7 +351,7 @@ You are hyperhive agent `{label}` (qualified: `{qualified_label}`){hive_identity
     #[test]
     fn render_no_docs_pointer_when_docs_dir_absent_or_empty() {
         for docs in [None, Some("")] {
-            let rendered = render(&PRODUCTION_TEMPLATE, "alice", "she/her", None, None, docs);
+            let rendered = render(&PRODUCTION_TEMPLATE, "alice", None, None, docs);
             assert!(
                 !rendered.contains("mounted read-only at"),
                 "docs pointer must not appear for {docs:?}:\n{rendered}"

hive-agent/src/turn.rs

@@ -264,8 +264,8 @@ pub fn stall_sleep_secs() -> u64 {
 /// Resolve the effective context-window size for watermark calculations.
 /// Priority order (first wins):
 /// 1. API-reported window from the last `result` event's `modelUsage.*.contextWindow`.
-/// 2. `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_*` env vars (Nix-configured per-model defaults).
+/// 2. `harness_state::context_window_tokens` (per-model defaults, then the
-/// 3. Hard fallback: 200 000.
+///    `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS` override, then 200 000).
 ///
 /// The API-reported window is the authoritative per-inference active
 /// context limit. It reflects what the model actually enforces — which

hive-agent/src/web_ui/state.rs

@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ pub(super) struct StateSnapshot {
     /// Effective context-window token budget for the current model.
     /// Primary source: API-reported `modelUsage.*.contextWindow` from
     /// the last result event (authoritative per-inference active window).
-    /// Falls back to `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_*` env vars, then 200 000.
+    /// Falls back to `harness_state::context_window_tokens(model)`.
     /// Consumers (e.g. dashboard badge) use this to render ctx-usage %.
     context_window_tokens: u64,
     /// Last-inference token usage from the most recent completed

hive-c0re/src/coordinator.rs

@@ -67,20 +67,6 @@ pub struct Coordinator {
     /// each per-agent flake so the agent's web UI can build the right
     /// rebuild-button URL pointing back at the dashboard.
     pub dashboard_port: u16,
-    /// Operator pronouns (free text) — `she/her` by default, set via
-    /// the NixOS module option `services.hive-c0re.operatorPronouns`.
-    /// Reaches each container as the `HIVE_OPERATOR_PRONOUNS` env var
-    /// (injected into `systemd.services.<harness>.environment` by the
-    /// meta flake); the harness substitutes it into the agent /
-    /// manager system prompt at boot.
-    pub operator_pronouns: String,
-    /// Per-model context-window sizes in tokens. Set via the host-level
-    /// `services.hive-c0re.contextWindowTokens` NixOS option; injected
-    /// into each container as `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_<KEY_UPPER>`
-    /// by the meta flake renderer. The harness uses these to derive
-    /// compaction / auto-reset watermarks and exposes the active value
-    /// on `/api/state` as `context_window_tokens`.
-    pub context_window_tokens: std::collections::HashMap<String, u64>,
     /// Per-agent systemd `CPUQuota=` value (e.g. `"200%"`). Written into
     /// the `container@h-<name>.service.d/` drop-in on every spawn/rebuild.
     pub agent_cpu_quota: String,
@@ -100,9 +86,8 @@ pub struct Coordinator {
     /// estimate on the ST4TS tab. Set via `services.hyperhive.modelPrices`
     /// and passed to `hive-c0re serve --model-prices <json>`. Models not
     /// in the table fall back to the built-in estimate in `hive_stats`.
-    /// hive-c0re-local (read only by the `/api/stats-hive` handler), so —
+    /// hive-c0re-local (read only by the `/api/stats-hive` handler), so it
-    /// unlike `context_window_tokens` — it is *not* part of `HiveEnv` and
+    /// is *not* part of `HiveEnv` and is never injected into containers.
-    /// is never injected into containers.
     pub model_prices: crate::hive_stats::PriceTable,
     agents: Mutex<HashMap<String, AgentSocket>>,
     /// Tombstone for transients that have JUST been cleared. The
@@ -224,8 +209,6 @@ pub struct HiveEnv {
     /// alive host-side by the module that resolved it.
     pub claude_code_path: Option<String>,
     pub dashboard_port: u16,
-    pub operator_pronouns: String,
-    pub context_window_tokens: std::collections::HashMap<String, u64>,
     /// Per-agent systemd `CPUQuota=` value (e.g. `"200%"`).
     pub agent_cpu_quota: String,
     /// Per-agent systemd `MemoryMax=` value (e.g. `"4G"`).
@@ -247,12 +230,6 @@ impl Default for HiveEnv {
             nixpkgs_flake: String::new(),
             claude_code_path: None,
             dashboard_port: 7000,
-            operator_pronouns: "she/her".to_string(),
-            context_window_tokens: std::collections::HashMap::from([
-                ("haiku".to_string(), 200_000),
-                ("sonnet".to_string(), 1_000_000),
-                ("opus".to_string(), 1_000_000),
-            ]),
             agent_cpu_quota: "200%".to_string(),
             agent_memory_max: "4G".to_string(),
             // Slightly below the kernel default of 100, so agent
@@ -317,9 +294,7 @@ mod serve_config_tests {
         assert_eq!(sc.env.hyperhive_flake, "/x");
         assert_eq!(sc.env.dashboard_port, 1234);
         // omitted → HiveEnv::default()
-        assert_eq!(sc.env.operator_pronouns, "she/her");
         assert_eq!(sc.env.agent_cpu_quota, "200%");
-        assert_eq!(sc.env.context_window_tokens.get("sonnet"), Some(&1_000_000));
         assert!(sc.model_prices.contains_key("opus"));
     }
 
@@ -432,8 +407,6 @@ impl Coordinator {
             nixpkgs_flake,
             claude_code_path,
             dashboard_port,
-            operator_pronouns,
-            context_window_tokens,
             agent_cpu_quota,
             agent_memory_max,
             agent_cpu_weight,
@@ -473,8 +446,6 @@ impl Coordinator {
             nixpkgs_flake,
             claude_code_path,
             dashboard_port,
-            operator_pronouns,
-            context_window_tokens,
             agent_cpu_quota,
             agent_memory_max,
             agent_cpu_weight,
@@ -506,8 +477,6 @@ impl Coordinator {
             nixpkgs_flake: self.nixpkgs_flake.clone(),
             claude_code_path: self.claude_code_path.clone(),
             dashboard_port: self.dashboard_port,
-            operator_pronouns: self.operator_pronouns.clone(),
-            context_window_tokens: self.context_window_tokens.clone(),
             agent_cpu_quota: self.agent_cpu_quota.clone(),
             agent_memory_max: self.agent_memory_max.clone(),
             agent_cpu_weight: self.agent_cpu_weight,

hive-c0re/src/main.rs

@@ -90,17 +90,6 @@ enum Cmd {
         /// Override: dashboard HTTP port.
         #[arg(long)]
         dashboard_port: Option<u16>,
-        /// Override: operator pronouns (free text). Threaded into each
-        /// container's harness via `HIVE_OPERATOR_PRONOUNS`.
-        #[arg(long)]
-        operator_pronouns: Option<String>,
-        /// Override: per-model context-window sizes, as a JSON object
-        /// mapping model-family short name to token count. Threaded into
-        /// each container as `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_<KEY_UPPER>` env
-        /// vars. Set via the `services.hive-c0re.contextWindowTokens`
-        /// NixOS option.
-        #[arg(long)]
-        context_window_tokens: Option<String>,
         /// Override: systemd `CPUQuota=` applied to every agent container
         /// via a drop-in (e.g. `"200%"` = 2 cores). Set via
         /// `services.hyperhive.agentCpuQuota`.
@@ -150,8 +139,6 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
             hyperhive_flake,
             nixpkgs_flake,
             dashboard_port,
-            operator_pronouns,
-            context_window_tokens,
             agent_cpu_quota,
             agent_memory_max,
             agent_cpu_weight,
@@ -180,13 +167,6 @@ async fn main() -> Result<()> {
             if let Some(v) = dashboard_port {
                 sc.env.dashboard_port = v;
             }
-            if let Some(v) = operator_pronouns {
-                sc.env.operator_pronouns = v;
-            }
-            if let Some(v) = context_window_tokens {
-                sc.env.context_window_tokens =
-                    serde_json::from_str(&v).context("--context-window-tokens: invalid JSON")?;
-            }
             if let Some(v) = agent_cpu_quota {
                 sc.env.agent_cpu_quota = v;
             }

hive-c0re/src/meta.rs

@@ -334,25 +334,16 @@ fn render_hive_flake(hive: &HiveEnv, agents: &[AgentSpec]) -> String {
         &hive.nixpkgs_flake,
         hive.claude_code_path.as_deref(),
         hive.dashboard_port,
-        &hive.operator_pronouns,
-        &hive.context_window_tokens,
         agents,
     )
 }
 
-#[allow(
-    clippy::too_many_arguments,
-    reason = "many genuine flake inputs (source flakes, port, pronouns, tokens, \
-              agents, forge base); a params struct would just move the same fields"
-)]
 fn render_flake(
     hyperhive_flake: &str,
     docs_flake: &str,
     nixpkgs_flake: &str,
     claude_code_path: Option<&str>,
     dashboard_port: u16,
-    operator_pronouns: &str,
-    context_window_tokens: &std::collections::HashMap<String, u64>,
     agents: &[AgentSpec],
 ) -> String {
     render_flake_with_lookup(
@@ -361,8 +352,6 @@ fn render_flake(
         nixpkgs_flake,
         claude_code_path,
         dashboard_port,
-        operator_pronouns,
-        context_window_tokens,
         agents,
         agent_canonical_inputs,
     )
@@ -742,10 +731,8 @@ fn agent_canonical_inputs(name: &str) -> Vec<&'static str> {
 /// agent flake-lock introspection.
 #[allow(
     clippy::too_many_lines,
-    clippy::too_many_arguments,
     reason = "templated string-builder for the meta flake — the length is one \
-              contiguous fmt block, splitting it would just hide the shape; the \
+              contiguous fmt block, splitting it would just hide the shape"
-              args mirror the host-level config the flake is rendered from"
 )]
 fn render_flake_with_lookup<F>(
     hyperhive_flake: &str,
@@ -753,8 +740,6 @@ fn render_flake_with_lookup<F>(
     nixpkgs_flake: &str,
     claude_code_path: Option<&str>,
     dashboard_port: u16,
-    operator_pronouns: &str,
-    context_window_tokens: &std::collections::HashMap<String, u64>,
     agents: &[AgentSpec],
     lookup: F,
 ) -> String
@@ -830,13 +815,9 @@ where
         }
     }
     out.push_str("  };\n  outputs =\n    { self, hyperhive, ... }@inputs:\n    let\n");
-    // Free-text operator string — escape backslash + double-quote so a
-    // pronouns value like `he/him \ "rare"` round-trips into a valid
-    // nix string literal without breaking the flake.
-    let pronouns_escaped = operator_pronouns.replace('\\', "\\\\").replace('"', "\\\"");
     let _ = writeln!(
         out,
-        "      dashboardPort = {dashboard_port};\n      operatorPronouns = \"{pronouns_escaped}\";\n      mkAgent = {{ name, isManager, port }}:"
+        "      dashboardPort = {dashboard_port};\n      mkAgent = {{ name, isManager, port }}:"
     );
     out.push_str(
         r#"        let
@@ -1025,20 +1006,8 @@ where
                 HIVE_PORT = toString port;
                 HIVE_LABEL = name;
                 HIVE_DASHBOARD_PORT = toString dashboardPort;
-                HIVE_OPERATOR_PRONOUNS = operatorPronouns;",
+",
     );
-    // Per-model context-window env vars declared in the host-level
-    // `services.hive-c0re.contextWindowTokens` option. Use a sorted
-    // iterator for deterministic flake output (no spurious git diffs).
-    let mut sorted_tokens: Vec<(&String, &u64)> = context_window_tokens.iter().collect();
-    sorted_tokens.sort_by_key(|(k, _)| k.as_str());
-    for (key, val) in &sorted_tokens {
-        let upper_key = key.to_ascii_uppercase();
-        let _ = writeln!(
-            out,
-            "                HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_{upper_key} = \"{val}\";"
-        );
-    }
     // Forwarded env vars — picked up from hive-c0re's own systemd unit
     // env (`services.hyperhive.*` options flow through the hyperhive
     // NixOS module into the host process). We copy whatever's set into
@@ -1314,8 +1283,6 @@ mod tests {
             "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
             None,
             8000,
-            "she/her",
-            &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
             &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
         );
         // nixpkgs is a top-level input with an explicit URL; hyperhive
@@ -1360,8 +1327,6 @@ mod tests {
             "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
             None,
             8000,
-            "she/her",
-            &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
             &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
         );
         assert!(
@@ -1378,8 +1343,6 @@ mod tests {
             "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
             None,
             8000,
-            "she/her",
-            &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
             &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
         );
         assert!(
@@ -1418,8 +1381,6 @@ mod tests {
             "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
             Some("/nix/store/cccc-claude-code-2.1.220"),
             8000,
-            "she/her",
-            &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
             &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
         );
         assert!(
@@ -1446,8 +1407,6 @@ mod tests {
             "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
             None,
             8000,
-            "she/her",
-            &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
             &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
         );
         assert!(
@@ -1466,8 +1425,6 @@ mod tests {
             "",
             None,
             8000,
-            "she/her",
-            &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
             &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
         );
         assert!(
@@ -1496,8 +1453,6 @@ mod tests {
             "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
             None,
             8000,
-            "she/her",
-            &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
             &[
                 sample_spec("argus", false, 9001),
                 sample_spec("bitburner", false, 9002),
@@ -1529,8 +1484,6 @@ mod tests {
             "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
             None,
             8000,
-            "she/her",
-            &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
             &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
             |_| Vec::new(),
         );
@@ -1567,8 +1520,6 @@ mod tests {
             "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
             None,
             8000,
-            "she/her",
-            &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
             &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
         );
         unsafe {
@@ -1612,8 +1563,6 @@ mod tests {
                 "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
                 None,
                 8000,
-                "she/her",
-                &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
                 &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
             )
         };
@@ -1792,8 +1741,6 @@ mod tests {
             "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
             None,
             8000,
-            "she/her",
-            &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
             &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
         );
         unsafe {
@@ -1828,8 +1775,6 @@ mod tests {
             "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
             None,
             8000,
-            "she/her",
-            &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
             &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
         );
         let want = format!(
@@ -1872,8 +1817,6 @@ mod tests {
                 "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
                 None,
                 8000,
-                "she/her",
-                &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
                 &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
             )
         };
@@ -1964,8 +1907,6 @@ mod tests {
                 "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
                 None,
                 8000,
-                "she/her",
-                &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
                 &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
             )
         };
@@ -2038,8 +1979,6 @@ mod tests {
                 "path:/nix/store/aaaa-nixpkgs-source",
                 None,
                 8000,
-                "she/her",
-                &std::collections::HashMap::new(),
                 &[sample_spec("alice", false, 9001)],
             )
         };

nix/agent-modules/agent-service.nix

@@ -70,11 +70,9 @@ in
       `swarmctl agent inference set`) wins over this option.
 
       Valid values are the short model names that `claude --model` accepts:
-      `"haiku"`, `"sonnet"`, `"opus"` (or any future identifier). Context
+      `"haiku"`, `"sonnet"`, `"opus"` (or any future identifier). The
-      window sizes are looked up at runtime from the
+      harness takes the context window from the model's own report after
-      `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_<KEY_UPPER>` env vars injected by the
+      each turn, and from a per-family default before the first.
-      meta flake; override sizes via `services.hyperhive.c0re.contextWindowTokens`
-      on the host.
     '';
   };
 

nix/agent-modules/default.nix

@@ -280,9 +280,6 @@ in
     # here so both the harness binary and any user-shell `cargo run`
     # inside the container resolve them from the same path.
     # SHELL must be set so claude's Bash tool finds a POSIX shell.
-    # HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_* are injected by the meta flake from the
-    # host-level `services.hyperhive.c0re.contextWindowTokens` option — not
-    # set here.
     environment.variables = {
       HIVE_ASSETS_DIR = "${config.services.hyperhive.agent.packages.assets}/share/hyperhive";
       SHELL = "${pkgs.bashInteractive}/bin/bash";

nix/host-modules/c0re-options-removed.nix

@@ -0,0 +1,46 @@
+# Removal shim for `services.hyperhive.c0re.operatorPronouns` and
+# `services.hyperhive.c0re.contextWindowTokens`.
+#
+# A definition of either is ignored and produces a warning, so a host that
+# still sets one keeps evaluating. The agents' system prompt
+# (hive-agent/prompts/system.md) names the operator's pronouns itself, and
+# the harness (hive-agent/src/harness_state.rs) holds the per-model context
+# windows it uses until a turn reports the model's own.
+#
+# Self-contained and deletable, like ./swarm-peers-removed.nix: one file to
+# remove when the deprecation window closes.
+{ lib, config, ... }:
+let
+  cfg = config.services.hyperhive.c0re;
+in
+{
+  options.services.hyperhive.c0re = {
+    operatorPronouns = lib.mkOption {
+      type = lib.types.nullOr lib.types.str;
+      default = null;
+      visible = false;
+      internal = true;
+      description = "Removed and ignored. `null` is \"not set\".";
+    };
+    contextWindowTokens = lib.mkOption {
+      type = lib.types.nullOr (lib.types.attrsOf lib.types.int);
+      default = null;
+      visible = false;
+      internal = true;
+      description = "Removed and ignored. `null` is \"not set\".";
+    };
+  };
+
+  config.warnings =
+    lib.optional (cfg.operatorPronouns != null) ''
+      services.hyperhive.c0re.operatorPronouns is removed and ignored: the
+      operator's pronouns will be a per-operator profile setting. Until then
+      every agent's system prompt says she/her. Remove this setting.
+    ''
+    ++ lib.optional (cfg.contextWindowTokens != null) ''
+      services.hyperhive.c0re.contextWindowTokens is removed and ignored: the
+      agent harness uses the context window the model reports after each
+      turn, and before the first one its own defaults (haiku 200000, sonnet
+      1000000, opus 1000000 tokens). Remove this setting.
+    '';
+}

nix/host-modules/default.nix

@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@
     ./swarm-victoriametrics.nix
     ./swarm-wireguard.nix
     ./swarm.nix
+    ./c0re-options-removed.nix
     ./host-ca-removed.nix
     ./nats-callout-removed.nix
     ./swarm-required-services.nix

nix/host-modules/hive-c0re/default.nix

@@ -112,8 +112,6 @@ let
     # that caused it.
     claude_code_path = cfg.claudeCodePackage;
     dashboard_port = cfg.dashboardPort;
-    operator_pronouns = cfg.operatorPronouns;
-    context_window_tokens = cfg.contextWindowTokens;
     agent_cpu_quota = cfg.agentCpuQuota;
     agent_memory_max = cfg.agentMemoryMax;
     agent_cpu_weight = cfg.agentCpuWeight;

nix/host-modules/hive-c0re/options.nix

@@ -171,21 +171,6 @@
       default = 7000;
       description = "TCP port the hive-c0re dashboard listens on.";
     };
-    operatorPronouns = lib.mkOption {
-      type = lib.types.str;
-      default = "she/her";
-      example = "they/them";
-      description = ''
-        Operator pronouns, free text. Threaded into every agent
-        container as the `HIVE_OPERATOR_PRONOUNS` env var; the
-        harness substitutes it into the agent / manager system
-        prompt at boot so claude refers to the operator naturally
-        in third person ("ask her", "tell them", etc.). Changes
-        propagate to running agents on the next `↻ R3BU1LD` —
-        forwards as a meta flake env-var bump, no per-agent
-        approval needed.
-      '';
-    };
     preBuildAgentTemplates = lib.mkOption {
       type = lib.types.bool;
       default = false;
@@ -212,31 +197,6 @@
         store.
       '';
     };
-    contextWindowTokens = lib.mkOption {
-      type = lib.types.attrsOf lib.types.int;
-      default = {
-        haiku = 200000;
-        sonnet = 1000000;
-        opus = 1000000;
-      };
-      example = {
-        haiku = 150000;
-        sonnet = 900000;
-      };
-      description = ''
-        Per-model context-window sizes in tokens. Each key is a
-        model-family short name matched case-insensitively as a
-        substring of the active model name at runtime (e.g. `"sonnet"`
-        matches `"claude-sonnet-4-5"`). The defaults cover the known
-        Anthropic families; add entries for new models or override
-        existing ones here to change the window for all agents at once.
-
-        Passed to `hive-c0re serve` as JSON and injected into every
-        container's harness service environment as
-        `HIVE_CONTEXT_WINDOW_TOKENS_<KEY_UPPER>`. Changes propagate
-        on the next `↻ R3BU1LD` — no per-agent approval needed.
-      '';
-    };
 
     modelPrices = lib.mkOption {
       type = lib.types.attrsOf (

nix/module-eval/core-toggle.nix

@@ -48,8 +48,13 @@ let
   inherit (shared) forgeHere;
 
   # Every hive defaults the agents' queue address to the queue's name, so the
-  # only hive without one is a hive told to have none.
+  # only hive without one is a hive told to have none. Also the host still
-  noAgentQueue = hiveWithController { deploy.hive-controller.queue.agentNatsUrl = null; };
+  # setting the two removed `c0re` options; no case on its queue reads them.
+  noAgentQueue = hiveWithController {
+    deploy.hive-controller.queue.agentNatsUrl = null;
+    c0re.operatorPronouns = "they/them";
+    c0re.contextWindowTokens.sonnet = 900000;
+  };
 
   # On the store's host, which mints the runner's store identity.
   withCi = hive {
@@ -237,6 +242,29 @@ let
         in
         !(e ? HIVE_AGENT_NATS_URL) && !(e ? HIVE_AGENT_OIDC_TOKEN_ENDPOINT);
     }
+    {
+      # Control: `bare` sets neither option, and its serve.json carries the
+      # dashboard port, so the key lookup reads a real document.
+      name = "a definition of a removed c0re option evaluates, warns, and reaches no serve.json";
+      ok =
+        let
+          warned =
+            m: option:
+            lib.any (w: lib.hasInfix "services.hyperhive.c0re.${option} is removed and ignored" w) m.warnings;
+          options = [
+            "operatorPronouns"
+            "contextWindowTokens"
+          ];
+          hasKey = m: key: lib.hasInfix "\"${key}\":" m.environment.etc."hyperhive/serve.json".text;
+          noRemovedKeys =
+            m:
+            hasKey m "dashboard_port" && !(hasKey m "operator_pronouns") && !(hasKey m "context_window_tokens");
+        in
+        lib.all (warned noAgentQueue) options
+        && !(lib.any (warned bare) options)
+        && noRemovedKeys noAgentQueue
+        && noRemovedKeys bare;
+    }
     {
       # Where the store is and where the agent is told it is, one agreement
       # spanning two modules. Asserted against the hive's own `BAO_ADDR`