Context Compression
Windows are finite. Uncompressed traces push out the actual question.
Highlighting a textbook vs photocopying every page.
Visual Workflows
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Overview
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This turn
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Highlighting a textbook vs photocopying every page.
Key Takeaways
- 1.Compression shrinks text to fit the budget while keeping ids, constraints, and decisions.
- 2.Lossy is fine for dumps; lossless for policy and identifiers.
- 3.Tool dumps are the first thing to compress.
- 4.Measure tokens before and after.
- 5.Windows are finite.
Real Example
Scenario
Compression: pack only what this turn needs.
What you would do
In Context Engineering, apply Context Compression to this scenario: Compression: pack only what this turn needs. Identify the inputs, run the technique, validate the output, and note one thing you would monitor in production.
Commands
Commands to Remember
Compression shrinks text to fit the budget while keeping ids, constraints, and decisionsLossy is fine for dumps; lossless for policy and identifiersTool dumps are the first thing to compressMeasure tokens before and after
Cheat Sheet
Quick recap
quick ref- •Compression
- •Budget
- •Don't dump
Common Mistakes
- ✕Skipping evaluation for Context Compression before production
- ✕No logging or tracing around context compression steps
- ✕Ignoring cost and latency implications