Yes, I do want to continue this. As I explained in msg270522, I shelved (but not abandoned) the autocomplete patch because it caused a test failure I did not (and do not) understand, and because I found another fix for that issue. The reductions I noted above were for the patch I did apply, not this one.
Update: I just created pr_2011 and test_idle passes. I'm puzzled. I don't remember patching autocomplete since last July. Anyway, if the patch works, I can now decide if I really want to go this route. It makes sense to keep related functions together. It also makes sense to keep functions that run in the same process together. I should see if this patch has any noticeable benefit (time and import reduction) and if a similar patch for call tips works and has benefit.