context-fundamentals

Optimize token usage in agent systems by applying token budgeting and progressive disclosure patterns to keep context lean. This approach ensures that system prompts, tool definitions, and retrieved documents only load information when needed.

Progressive disclosure is a context management technique that loads context into agent systems only as needed. It keeps system prompts and message history lean while ensuring critical retrieved documents and tool outputs remain available.

Agent systems experience unpredictable behavior when context management is error-prone and resource-intensive. Debugging context-related failures requires enforcing strict token budgets across system prompts, tool definitions, and message history.

Integrate filesystem resources and document chunking by applying modular context patterns to retrieved documents. This approach provides practical guidance for scalable context handling across tool outputs and message history.

Yes, this context management approach defines how core components like system prompts, tool definitions, retrieved documents, message history, and tool outputs interact. It enforces token budgets across all these elements to prevent degraded performance.

You should not use progressive disclosure patterns when your agent systems require full context availability at all times. Enforcing strict token budgets might limit access to retrieved documents and tool outputs if immediate processing is needed.