An AI model does not remember like you do. It reads what is in front of it.
Direct answer
The context window is the amount of text a model can consider at once: your instructions, the files it has read, the conversation and its own answers. When it fills up, earlier details may be lost or summarised. For coding, keep tasks focused, provide only relevant files and restart with a brief summary when sessions get long.
What fills the context
- Your prompt and instructions.
- Files and tool results the agent reads.
- The whole conversation history.
- The model's own replies.
Symptoms of a crowded context
- It forgets earlier decisions.
- It repeats mistakes you corrected.
- It contradicts itself.
How to manage it
- One task per session where possible.
- Point to specific files instead of dumping the whole project.
- Keep a notes file with decisions and conventions.
- Summarise and restart when the conversation drifts.
Where Teyro fits
Teyro's Working with AI Coding Agents course turns this into short lessons you can play in a few minutes a day. It has 60 lessons, and you can start free.
The bottom line
Good context beats a bigger prompt. Give the model what it needs and nothing more.
