/slm-status

name: slm-status
description: Health and optimization stats for SuperLocalMemory — call slm_optimize_stats() for live compression and cache counters (compress_runs, tokens_saved_compress, cache_proxy_hits, cache_proxy_misses, cache_kv_hits, cache_kv_misses); run slm status [--json] for system state (mode, profile, DB size, fact/entity/edge counts) and slm doctor [--json] for preflight including the "Optimize (Surface B)" health line; use together to confirm optimization is actually saving tokens.
when_to_use: "check slm status, health check, is slm working, optimize stats, tokens saved, cache hits, compress runs, slm doctor, preflight, db size, slm info, diagnose slm"
allowed-tools: slm_optimize_stats, Bash

slm-status — Health and Optimize Stats

Purpose

Use this skill to answer: "Is SLM healthy?", "Is compression/caching actually saving tokens?", and "What does the system look like right now?" It covers three surfaces: the MCP stats tool, the `slm status` CLI, and the `slm doctor` preflight.

Primary MCP Tool: slm_optimize_stats

slm_optimize_stats() -> dict

No arguments. Returns counters from the current daemon and MCP process session.

Return dict (all keys always present)

| Key | Type | Meaning | |-----|------|---------| | `ok` | bool | `True` on success; `False` on internal error | | `compress_runs` | int | Total compress calls recorded by the daemon (persisted across restarts) | | `tokens_saved_compress` | int | Cumulative tokens saved by compression (daemon-persisted) | | `cache_proxy_hits` | int | Proxy-layer cache hits (daemon-persisted) | | `cache_proxy_misses` | int | Proxy-layer cache misses (daemon-persisted) | | `cache_kv_hits` | int | MCP KV cache hits — **this MCP process session only**, resets on restart | | `cache_kv_misses` | int | MCP KV cache misses — **this MCP process session only**, resets on restart | | `ccr_note` | str \| None | Note about CCR entry count (not tracked per-session; see daemon `/api/v1/metrics`) | | `note` | str \| None | Scope clarification or error detail |

Important scope distinction

`compress_runs`, `tokens_saved_compress`, `cache_proxy_hits`, and `cache_proxy_misses` are **daemon-persisted** — they survive MCP restarts and accumulate over the full install lifetime.

`cache_kv_hits` and `cache_kv_misses` are **in-process counters** — they reset to 0 each time the MCP server starts. Use them to gauge cache effectiveness within the current session only.

Reading whether optimization is saving tokens

stats = await slm_optimize_stats()
if stats["ok"]:
    savings = stats["tokens_saved_compress"]
    kv_hit_rate = (
        stats["cache_kv_hits"] / max(stats["cache_kv_hits"] + stats["cache_kv_misses"], 1)
    )
    # savings > 0 and kv_hit_rate > 0.5 means Surface B is actively reducing costs

If `compress_runs` is 0 after several sessions, compression is not being triggered — check daemon config and whether `slm_compress` is being called.

If `cache_kv_hits` is 0 after repeated work, verify key naming consistency (the same key string must be used for set and get).

Secondary CLI: slm status

slm status [--json] [--verbose]

Reports system-level state — not optimization counters. Canonical fields (WP-02):

• **mode** — active operation mode (e.g. `local`)
• **profile** — current memory profile name
• **DB size** — database file size on disk
• **fact count** — number of stored memory facts
• **entity count** — entity graph node count
• **edge count** — entity graph edge count

`--verbose` / `-v` adds: migration log, daemon port, disabled marker, last version.

`--json` outputs a machine-readable dict with the same fields — preferred for agent consumption.

Example agent-native invocation:

slm status --json

Typical JSON shape (exact field names depend on runtime; use `--json` and read what arrives):

{
  "mode": "local",
  "profile": "code",
  "db_size_mb": 12.4,
  "facts": 384,
  "entities": 201,
  "edges": 519
}

Do not rely on the human-readable format for parsing — always use `--json` when the output feeds another tool.

Secondary CLI: slm doctor

slm doctor [--json] [--quick]

Preflight check covering dependencies, embedding worker, daemon connectivity, and Surface B health. The **"Optimize (Surface B)"** line (WP-03) confirms whether the compression and cache subsystem initialised correctly.

`--quick` skips the daemon and embedding probes — runs only dependency and config checks; faster but incomplete.

`--json` outputs structured results per check — use this in automated health pipelines.

A passing doctor output confirms:

• Python deps present
• Embedding worker reachable
• Daemon responding
• Surface B (Optimize) initialised

A failing "Optimize (Surface B)" line means `slm_compress`, `slm_cache_set`, and `slm_cache_get` may not function correctly — investigate daemon config before relying on those tools.

Secondary CLI: slm optimize status

slm optimize status [--json]

Shows whether the Optimize module (cache + compress) is currently enabled or disabled at the daemon level. Available subcommands also include `optimize on`, `optimize off`, and `optimize savings`.

The `optimize savings` subcommand accepts:

slm optimize savings [--since <days>] [--provider anthropic|openai|gemini] [--json]

`--since` defaults to 7 days. `--provider` filters by the target AI provider.

Note: the `slm optimize` subcommands have known pre-existing parse-test failures — if a subcommand errors, use `slm_optimize_stats()` via MCP as the authoritative source.

Recommended Health Workflow

1. Run `slm doctor --json` at session start to confirm all subsystems are up. 2. Call `slm_optimize_stats()` after a batch of work to check token savings. 3. Run `slm status --json` when you need DB size or memory counts. 4. If `ok: false` on any MCP tool — check `note` field, then run `slm doctor` to isolate the failure.

Fail-Open

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