diff --git a/poc-memory/src/agents/defs.rs b/poc-memory/src/agents/defs.rs
index 875c6c5..069bd89 100644
--- a/poc-memory/src/agents/defs.rs
+++ b/poc-memory/src/agents/defs.rs
@@ -321,7 +321,7 @@ fn resolve(
 
                     // Budget: stop adding full content when prompt gets large.
                     // Remaining neighbors get header-only (key + first line).
-                    const NEIGHBORHOOD_BUDGET: usize = 600_000; // ~150K tokens
+                    const NEIGHBORHOOD_BUDGET: usize = 400_000; // ~100K tokens, leaves room for core-personality + instructions
                     let mut budget_exceeded = false;
 
                     for (nbr, strength, _score) in &included {