AI Systems Atlas

X-04What Should Enter Context?

/context/context-budget

Every candidate item has a cost; toggle what goes in and watch the budget respond.

Key insight

Almost every “too big for the window” problem is really a selection problem: the compact alternative usually carries 90% of the signal at 15% of the cost.

Failure mode

Additive thinking — everything helpful goes in. Helpful-but-diluting content crowds out the few tokens that were essential.

Further reading
RelatedAnatomyRetrievalCompaction

Elsewhere in the atlas

Harnesses →Security →Evals →Coding Agents →