Smarter AI comes from engineered context structure, not more words—fewer degrees of freedom, more reliable decisions.
Previous · Part 3
How to Design Summaries That Actually Make AI Smarter
Next · Part 5
The Rolling Context System: Update Without Bloat
This builds on Part 3: How to Design Summaries That Actually Make AI Smarter
Continue with Part 5: The Rolling Context System: Update Without Bloat
You don’t need a masterpiece.
You need a working context file—tight enough to guide useful answers, specific enough to stop the model improvising your life.
This is Context File v1: a single document you refine through use, not theory.
What this actually is (and what it isn’t)
Most people treat context like storage.
A context file is not storage.
It’s a control layer.
- It tells the model what matters
- It blocks what doesn’t
- It prevents re-decisions
- It reduces drift
Context File v1 (copy this exactly)
Use this structure. Don’t optimise it yet. Use it.
- Project
- What I’m building/doing:
- Who it’s for:
- What success looks like (in one sentence):
- Goals
- Primary goal:
- Secondary goals (optional):
- Time horizon (when “done” means something):
- Constraints
- Hard constraints (non-negotiable):
- Soft constraints (preferences, can bend if needed):
- Resources/limits (time, budget, tools, access):
- Preferences
- Writing/communication style (tone, length, format):
- Decision style (how you want tradeoffs handled):
- Output format preferences (bullets, tables, checklists, etc.):
- Decisions Made
- Decisions I’ve already committed to:
- Why I chose them (1–2 lines each):
- Avoid
- What to never do:
- Common failure modes to prevent:
- Next Steps
- What I’m working on right now:
- What I want from the AI next:
- What “good output” looks like for this request:
Fill it fast (don’t overthink this)
Continue reading with a subscription
Explorer and Immersion subscribers get full access to all premium dispatches, series, and long-form guides.
If this resonates, see how to apply it to your own work with the interactive Dispatch agent.
Be first to like this dispatch
