AI GlossaryㅋWords you meet while using AI
Context Engineering
The practice of designing everything an AI sees—not just a single instruction—to guide its output. The next step beyond prompt engineering.
In plain words
If prompt engineering is about writing a single good instruction, context engineering is about designing everything the AI gets to see. Which documents to include, which past conversation to keep, which tools to hand it, and what to leave out to save space in its context window.
The term has gained traction as AI agents take on longer-running work. In tasks that stretch over hours rather than a single question, what you place in front of the AI at any given moment can make or break the outcome.
See also
Stories using this term
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