perf(agent): append runtime context after user content for cache stability

Runtime context (time, channel, sender) changes every turn, so placing
it before user content invalidated the prompt-cache prefix. Appending it
after user content keeps the prefix stable and improves KV cache hit
rates. The stripping logic in _save_turn was simplified from 16 lines
to 6 as a side benefit.

nanobot/agent/context.py

@@ -93,7 +93,7 @@ class ContextBuilder:
         channel: str | None, chat_id: str | None, timezone: str | None = None,
         sender_id: str | None = None,
     ) -> str:
-        """Build untrusted runtime metadata block for injection before the user message."""
+        """Build untrusted runtime metadata block appended after user content."""
         lines = [f"Current Time: {current_time_str(timezone)}"]
         if channel and chat_id:
             lines += [f"Channel: {channel}", f"Chat ID: {chat_id}"]
@@ -154,10 +154,12 @@ class ContextBuilder:
 
         # Merge runtime context and user content into a single user message
         # to avoid consecutive same-role messages that some providers reject.
+        # Runtime context is appended to keep the user-content prefix stable
+        # for prompt-cache hits (the context changes every turn due to time).
         if isinstance(user_content, str):
-            merged = f"{runtime_ctx}\n\n{user_content}"
+            merged = f"{user_content}\n\n{runtime_ctx}"
         else:
-            merged = [{"type": "text", "text": runtime_ctx}] + user_content
+            merged = user_content + [{"type": "text", "text": runtime_ctx}]
         messages = [
             {"role": "system", "content": self.build_system_prompt(skill_names, channel=channel, session_summary=session_summary)},
             *history,

nanobot/agent/loop.py

@@ -720,9 +720,9 @@ class AgentLoop:
                     self.context.timezone,
                 )
                 if isinstance(user_content, str):
-                    merged: str | list[dict[str, Any]] = f"{runtime_ctx}\n\n{user_content}"
+                    merged: str | list[dict[str, Any]] = f"{user_content}\n\n{runtime_ctx}"
                 else:
-                    merged = [{"type": "text", "text": runtime_ctx}] + user_content
+                    merged = user_content + [{"type": "text", "text": runtime_ctx}]
                 return {"role": "user", "content": merged}
 
             items: list[dict[str, Any]] = []
@@ -1443,24 +1443,14 @@ class AgentLoop:
                         continue
                     entry["content"] = filtered
             elif role == "user":
-                if isinstance(content, str) and content.startswith(ContextBuilder._RUNTIME_CONTEXT_TAG):
+                if isinstance(content, str) and ContextBuilder._RUNTIME_CONTEXT_TAG in content:
-                    # Strip the entire runtime-context block (including any session summary).
+                    # Strip the runtime-context block appended at the end.
-                    # The block is bounded by _RUNTIME_CONTEXT_TAG and _RUNTIME_CONTEXT_END.
+                    tag_pos = content.find(ContextBuilder._RUNTIME_CONTEXT_TAG)
-                    end_marker = ContextBuilder._RUNTIME_CONTEXT_END
+                    before = content[:tag_pos].rstrip("\n ")
-                    end_pos = content.find(end_marker)
+                    if before:
-                    if end_pos >= 0:
+                        entry["content"] = before
-                        after = content[end_pos + len(end_marker):].lstrip("\n")
-                        if after:
-                            entry["content"] = after
-                        else:
-                            continue
                     else:
-                        # Fallback: no end marker found, strip the tag prefix
+                        continue
-                        after_tag = content[len(ContextBuilder._RUNTIME_CONTEXT_TAG):].lstrip("\n")
-                        if after_tag.strip():
-                            entry["content"] = after_tag
-                        else:
-                            continue
                 if isinstance(content, list):
                     filtered = self._sanitize_persisted_blocks(content, drop_runtime=True)
                     if not filtered:

tests/agent/test_context_prompt_cache.py

@@ -87,6 +87,24 @@ def test_runtime_context_is_separate_untrusted_user_message(tmp_path) -> None:
     assert "Return exactly: OK" in user_content
 
 
+def test_runtime_context_appended_after_user_content(tmp_path) -> None:
+    """User content must precede runtime context for prompt-cache prefix stability."""
+    workspace = _make_workspace(tmp_path)
+    builder = ContextBuilder(workspace)
+
+    messages = builder.build_messages(
+        history=[],
+        current_message="hello world",
+        channel="cli",
+        chat_id="direct",
+    )
+
+    content = messages[-1]["content"]
+    user_pos = content.find("hello world")
+    tag_pos = content.find(ContextBuilder._RUNTIME_CONTEXT_TAG)
+    assert user_pos < tag_pos, "user content must precede runtime context for prefix stability"
+
+
 def test_runtime_context_includes_sender_id_when_provided(tmp_path) -> None:
     """Sender ID should be included in runtime context when provided."""
     workspace = _make_workspace(tmp_path)

tests/agent/test_loop_save_turn.py

@@ -101,8 +101,8 @@ def test_save_turn_keeps_image_placeholder_with_path_after_runtime_strip() -> No
         [{
             "role": "user",
             "content": [
-                {"type": "text", "text": runtime},
                 {"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "data:image/png;base64,abc"}, "_meta": {"path": "/media/feishu/photo.jpg"}},
+                {"type": "text", "text": runtime},
             ],
         }],
         skip=0,
@@ -120,8 +120,8 @@ def test_save_turn_keeps_image_placeholder_without_meta() -> None:
         [{
             "role": "user",
             "content": [
-                {"type": "text", "text": runtime},
                 {"type": "image_url", "image_url": {"url": "data:image/png;base64,abc"}},
+                {"type": "text", "text": runtime},
             ],
         }],
         skip=0,
@@ -129,6 +129,40 @@ def test_save_turn_keeps_image_placeholder_without_meta() -> None:
     assert session.messages[0]["content"] == [{"type": "text", "text": "[image]"}]
 
 
+def test_save_turn_strips_runtime_context_suffix_from_string() -> None:
+    loop = _mk_loop()
+    session = Session(key="test:suffix-strip")
+    runtime = (
+        ContextBuilder._RUNTIME_CONTEXT_TAG
+        + "\nCurrent Time: now\n"
+        + ContextBuilder._RUNTIME_CONTEXT_END
+    )
+
+    loop._save_turn(
+        session,
+        [{"role": "user", "content": f"hello world\n\n{runtime}"}],
+        skip=0,
+    )
+    assert session.messages[0]["content"] == "hello world"
+
+
+def test_save_turn_skips_string_user_when_only_runtime_context_suffix() -> None:
+    loop = _mk_loop()
+    session = Session(key="test:suffix-only")
+    runtime = (
+        ContextBuilder._RUNTIME_CONTEXT_TAG
+        + "\nCurrent Time: now\n"
+        + ContextBuilder._RUNTIME_CONTEXT_END
+    )
+
+    loop._save_turn(
+        session,
+        [{"role": "user", "content": runtime}],
+        skip=0,
+    )
+    assert session.messages == []
+
+
 def test_save_turn_keeps_tool_results_under_16k() -> None:
     loop = _mk_loop()
     session = Session(key="test:tool-result")