principle-guard-the-context-window
Apply when context is filling up: large outputs, long files, repeated reads, fan-out planning. Route bulk to subagents; keep summaries in the main thread, not raw payloads.
Guard the Context Window
Why: Context overflow degrades reasoning quality, creates compression artifacts, and halts progress.
Pattern:
- Size phases and cap scope. Limit files per phase, set turn budgets, account for mechanism costs.