diff --git a/letta/prompts/summarizer_prompt.py b/letta/prompts/summarizer_prompt.py
index cb9d12d4..62d6746f 100644
--- a/letta/prompts/summarizer_prompt.py
+++ b/letta/prompts/summarizer_prompt.py
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ This summary will appear BEFORE the remaining recent messages in context, provid
 
 1. **What happened**: The conversations, tasks, and exchanges that took place. What did the user ask for? What did you do? How did things progress?
 
-2. **Key outcomes**: Decisions made, tasks completed, files created (with paths), information gathered, problems solved, and any commitments made.
+2. **High level goals**: If there is an existing summary in the transcript, make sure to take it into consideration to continue tracking the higher level goals and long-term progress. Make sure to not lose track of higher level goals or the ongoing task.
 
 3. **Important details**: Specific names, data, configurations, or facts that were discussed. Don't omit details that might be referenced later.
 
diff --git a/letta/services/summarizer/summarizer.py b/letta/services/summarizer/summarizer.py
index d8566a77..78a97a91 100644
--- a/letta/services/summarizer/summarizer.py
+++ b/letta/services/summarizer/summarizer.py
@@ -328,7 +328,7 @@ def simple_formatter(
         [message for message in messages if message.role != MessageRole.system or include_system],
         tool_return_truncation_chars=tool_return_truncation_chars,
     )
-    return "\n".join(json.dumps(msg) for msg in parsed_messages)
+    return "<start_transcript>\n" + "\n".join(json.dumps(msg) for msg in parsed_messages) + "\n<end_transcript>\n. Generate the summary."
 
 
 def middle_truncate_text(
@@ -607,6 +607,7 @@ async def simple_summary(
                     raise llm_client.handle_llm_error(fallback_error_b)
 
     logger.info(f"Summarized {len(messages)}: {summary}")
+
     return summary
 
 
diff --git a/letta/services/summarizer/summarizer_config.py b/letta/services/summarizer/summarizer_config.py
index 0a5f7878..540464fa 100644
--- a/letta/services/summarizer/summarizer_config.py
+++ b/letta/services/summarizer/summarizer_config.py
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ class CompactionSettings(BaseModel):
         default=False, description="Whether to include an acknowledgement post-prompt (helps prevent non-summary outputs)."
     )
     clip_chars: int | None = Field(
-        default=2000, description="The maximum length of the summary in characters. If none, no clipping is performed."
+        default=50000, description="The maximum length of the summary in characters. If none, no clipping is performed."
     )
 
     mode: Literal["all", "sliding_window"] = Field(default="sliding_window", description="The type of summarization technique use.")