Prompting
Context engineering
Designing all the information, tools, memory, and instructions available to a model at runtime.
Example
A team adds policies, definitions, and recent account history so the model has the right context.
Why it matters
It helps avoid answers weakened by missing, conflicting or irrelevant material.
You'll hear it
“The assistant needs the current policy, not last year's version.”
Can you control it?
Yes
Yes. You can often use or adjust context engineering directly when the product supports it. The available options and their effect still depend on the tool.
Common questions
- Is more available information always better?
- No. Irrelevant material can distract the system or make important instructions harder to use.
- Can the setup change during a task?
- Yes. A system may add search results, tool replies or new instructions as work progresses.
- Is this only about writing a better prompt?
- No. It also concerns which documents, tools and saved information the system can use.