Designing Agent Context by Scope and Time: A Practical Guide for Agent Builders
bibryam · x · 2026-09-06
A practical guide using Claude Code to map agent context mechanisms by when they enter and how far they reach. Stable prefix (tool definitions, system prompt, root instructions) is presented and cached on every call; conversation, scoped instructions, Skills, and tool results append to growing history that may be compacted; Steering modifies active runs and Delegation moves work into separate contexts. The core advice: put information and control at the narrowest useful point, only for as long as needed — instead of bloating system prompts or stacking agents.
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