Prompt Engineering Is Becoming Context Engineering

Prompts matter, but the prompt is only one part of the environment a model sees. In production, quality depends on the context assembled around it.

The context stack

Useful context includes the user’s goal, relevant data, available tools, policies, examples, and the current state of the task. Each layer should earn its place. More text can mean less signal.

Design for attention

Put the most important instructions where they are easy to find. Separate facts from actions. Compress repetitive history. When possible, let the system fetch information at the moment it is needed rather than preloading everything.

Prompt craft will remain useful, but context engineering is the larger discipline: shaping the world in which the model makes a decision.