Fresh chat per task: 7 context engineering tips to avoid context rot
every · x · 2026-10-27
Every shares @hammermt's context engineering playbook: he starts a fresh chat for every task, even within the same project, to avoid context rot—degraded responses caused by accumulated history.
The 7 tips:
- Start a new thread whenever the tone or task type changes
- Keep memory off so irrelevant context can't leak in
- Upload only the documents the task needs
- Keep standing preferences (spelling, tone, length) in a saved doc and paste at the top of each new chat
- Write the full brief up front; put everything in the first message instead of drip-feeding
- When the AI errs, edit your previous message so it has no memory of the mistake
- Before leaving a long thread, ask a handoff question to carry context forward
More from coding & agent
- The 17-skill AI engineer checklist for 2026 — obsolete half by the time you finish — JafarNajafov · 2026-10-27
- The AI engineer job in 2023 vs 2026: one viral blank line — JafarNajafov · 2026-10-27
- DeepSeek Flash impresses dev: let it build its own tools, cheap enough to experiment — victormustar · 2026-10-27
- Solo dev builds a remote MCP server that runs a small business's website and socials — Ok_Cucumber_131 · 2026-10-27
- Agent loop on OpenClaw stays stable for over a week straight — vincent_koc · 2026-10-27
- Teaching Grok Bot to take your work: five ways to hand off tasks, from drafting to cross-app workflows — Scobleizer · 2026-10-27