# Phase 45 — Agent makes as many tool calls as it wants

**Source:** `TODO.md` L8 — "Allow the LLM to make as many tool calls as it wants, remove the restrictions, they're causing problems getting correct answers"
**Story:** `.agents/user_stories/agent-unlimited-tools.md`
**Context:** Phase 37 shipped the grounded-turn agent loop (`app/rag/agent.py::run_agent`) with per-turn budgets — `agent_list_calls` / `agent_read_calls` (default 1 each, `BOR_AGENT_LIST_CALLS` / `BOR_AGENT_READ_CALLS`), "budgets-as-kill-switch" locked decision. The exhaustion refusals (`LIST_EXHAUSTED` / `READ_EXHAUSTED`) are where correct multi-document answers die. Owner direction (2026-08-27): remove both budgets; the loop keeps one guard — a configurable **round cap** that also doubles as the no-tools kill switch (`0`).

## Objective
`list_documents` / `read_document` can be called as many times as the model needs (re-lists included), bounded only by `BOR_AGENT_MAX_ROUNDS` (default 10; `0` = no tools, byte-identical to the pre-phase-37 path).

## Dependencies
- `44_markdown_tables` (todo) — sequential only (no shared files: this phase is `app/` + tests + mock).
- `37_agent_document_tools` (complete) — the loop, the `tool` SSE event, the UI tool lines, the per-turn `tool_calls=N` log field, and the phase-37 locked decision being revised.
- `31_kb_overview_prompt` (complete) — the `lite` one-shot path is untouched by this phase.

## Tasks
1. `01_config_round_cap.md` — the server core, atomically: `agent_max_rounds` replaces the budgets in `app/config.py` + `app/rag/agent.py`, unit + integration rewrites, `.env.example` (one task so the per-task gate stays green).
2. `02_mock_multi_read_flow.md` — the E2E mock's deterministic multi-read (list → read #1 → read #2 → answer) flow.
3. `03_unlimited_tools_e2e_and_commit.md` — story E2E + phase-37 regression + PLAN.md revision note + commit.

## Testing & Quality
- Unit: `tests/unit/test_agent.py` rewritten around the round cap (always-calling mock LLM: N tool rounds then a forced `tools=None` final answer; `max_rounds=0` → exactly one request with `tools=None`; rejected-call spam — unknown tool / already-in-context — is bounded by the cap, not by budgets; re-lists execute and count in `tool_calls`); `tests/unit/test_config.py` (default 10, `BOR_AGENT_MAX_ROUNDS` override, `0`, the budget env vars are gone).
- Integration: `tests/integration/test_chat_api.py` — the `agent_list_calls=0, agent_read_calls=0` fixtures become `agent_max_rounds=0`; the tool SSE event shape and the `done.sources` extension assertions stay.
- Coverage: **>90%** on `app/` — `agent.py` + `config.py` fully covered.
- E2E (mandatory, A16): `tests/e2e/test_agent_unlimited_tools.py`, run in isolation.

## Completion Criteria
- [ ] `BOR_AGENT_LIST_CALLS` / `BOR_AGENT_READ_CALLS` are gone (config, `.env.example`, agent, tests); no exhaustion refusal remains.
- [ ] A multi-read turn (list + 2 reads) streams three tool lines, answers non-deflected, and `done.sources` lists the retrieved doc(s) + both reads deduped.
- [ ] `agent_max_rounds=0` → single `tools=None` request (kill switch); at the cap the loop forces a final no-tools answer (log warning kept).
- [ ] `tool` SSE event shape and `tool_calls=N` per-turn log field unchanged.
- [ ] `.agents/PLAN.md` carries the phase-37 revision note (owner permission 2026-08-27, `TODO.md` L8) — the only PLAN edit in this phase.
- [ ] `uv run pytest` green; `uv run pytest --cov=app --cov-report=term-missing` >90%.
- [ ] `uv run pytest tests/e2e/test_agent_unlimited_tools.py -v --no-cov` green in isolation (DB up).
- [ ] Regression E2E suites green in isolation: `test_agent_document_tools.py`, `test_chat_rag.py`, `test_smoke.py`.
- [ ] `uv run ruff check . && uv run pyright` clean.
- [ ] One `--no-gpg-sign` commit; phase dir moved to `.agents/phases/complete/`.

## Locked decisions
- **Owner-locked revision (2026-08-27, roadmap R2):** the phase-37 "budgets-as-kill-switch" decision is **revised** — both per-tool budgets removed; `BOR_AGENT_MAX_ROUNDS` (default 10) is the only loop guard and the kill switch (`0`). Recorded as a PLAN.md revision note (the established owner-permission pattern, like the A10/A7/A9/A15 notes) — a recorded revision, not a silent deviation (AGENTS.md rule 3).
- **A15 extension unchanged** — the `tool` SSE event shape, the `done` shape, and the per-turn log line (`tool_calls=N`) are untouched; the revision note amends the phase-37 note's budget wording only.
- **Rejections kept:** `Unknown tool.`, `MISSING_READ_ARGS`, `Already in your context.` (non-budget rejections; the cap bounds their pathological repetition).
- **A17 honoured** — one atomic commit.