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A large context window only defines how much a model can see. Context engineering decides what enters that window, how to compress and order it, what to isolate, and what to discard as a task grows.
LLMs, prompts, context, RAG, tools, workflows, loops, ReAct, memory, and agents belong to different layers. This guide explains what each one does and how they fit into a working system.
My whole-book review feature used to send the setting, chapter plan, facts, and memories in one giant prompt. Two model calls took more than eight minutes. I replaced that request with a small, bounded agent loop that retrieves context only when it needs it.