The prompt is the whole context stack
Context engineering is the craft of arranging the working set so the model can use the right facts at the right time. It includes what you include, what you exclude, where you place critical constraints, and how you label sources.
More context can make answers worse if important facts are buried in the middle or mixed with low-value filler. Readers should practice source maps before summaries so the evidence has structure before the prose begins.
The AHA is that ignored context is often a design failure, not a mysterious model mood.
Aha moment
The model may ignore a fact because the context design buried, diluted, or mislabeled it.
Try this
Build a source map before one summary and move the highest-risk constraint to the opening and closing of the context.
Watch for
- More context used as a substitute for better context
- Critical facts placed in the soft middle
- Retrieved chunks pasted without ranking what they prove