🪟Learn Context Engineering
Stop polishing the prompt and start engineering the whole context — system instructions, examples, retrieval, history — as a budget you allocate on purpose. By the end you can refactor one bloated context into a prioritized layout and measure whether quality went up.
Phase 1Prompts End at the Period; Context Doesn't
Reframe prompting as arranging the whole window
The prompt is the smallest part of the prompt
6 minWhat you call 'the prompt' is one slice of a much larger context window the model actually sees.
Tokens are a budget, not a limit
6 minEvery token in the window is competing — for attention, for cost, and for room — so context design is allocation, not addition.
Position is a design decision
7 minWhere a token sits in the window changes how much the model weights it — start, end, and middle are not interchangeable.
Five layers, four levers
6 minEvery context is built from the same five layers — system, examples, retrieval, history, user — and engineering means tuning each one separately.
Phase 2Audit a Real Call, Token by Token
Audit a real call and label every token
Label every token by purpose
8 minOnce every token in your context has a labeled purpose, the dead weight becomes obvious.
Cost each section, not just the whole call
7 minThe token cost of each labeled section is the data you need to make trade-offs — and almost no one collects it.
Define quality before you tune
7 minIf you can't say what 'better' looks like in your context, every refactor will feel correct and prove nothing.
Find the layer that owns the failure
6 minEvery recurring failure has a home in the five-layer stack — finding the home is most of the fix.
Run the same input ten times
7 minOne sample is an anecdote; ten samples per change is the cheapest evaluation that doesn't lie.
Phase 3Sequence the Window on Purpose
Sequence system, examples, retrieval, history
The system prompt that grew teeth
8 minThe system prompt that grew teeth
The retrieval order that lied
8 minThe retrieval order that lied
The chat that ate its own context
8 minThe chat that ate its own context
When examples lie and instructions tell the truth
8 minWhen examples lie and instructions tell the truth
Phase 4Refactor One Bloated Context
Refactor one bloated context and measure it
Refactor one bloated context end-to-end
25 minRefactor one bloated context end-to-end
Frequently asked questions
- What is context engineering and how is it different from prompt engineering?
- This is covered in the “Learn Context Engineering” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
- How do I decide what goes in the system prompt versus retrieved context?
- This is covered in the “Learn Context Engineering” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
- Where should few-shot examples go in the context window?
- This is covered in the “Learn Context Engineering” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
- How do I measure whether a context change actually improved quality?
- This is covered in the “Learn Context Engineering” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
- How do I summarize long conversation history without losing important details?
- This is covered in the “Learn Context Engineering” learning path. Start with daily 5-minute micro-lessons that build from fundamentals to hands-on application.
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