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# Context Engineering: My Two Cents
- URL: https://pulpconversations.com/context-engineering-my-two-cents/
- Published: 2025-08-21T19:54:33.000Z
- Updated: 2026-08-25T20:54:19.000Z
- Description: In plain language ...
- Author: Vinay Gupta
- Tags: Podcast, #Migrated-1787171093388, #Import 2026-08-19 16:25

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#### Definitions

**R.A.G.** stands for Retrieval-Augmented Generation. It’s a way to make AI models (like ChatGPT) smarter by programming them to“look up” extra information before answering your question.

<*Imagine you’re taking a test, but you get to flip through your notes before you answer*\>

**Context Engineering** refers to designing and structuring the information, prompts, and surrounding details that an AI system uses to understand and respond accurately**.**

<*Imagine you’re in theatre production and your actors are AIs - you want to get the best out of their performances so you tweak the set, lighting, and background to guide the story in the right direction*\>

---

**Why is RAG useful?**

- It helps AI models answer questions about stuff they weren’t directly trained on.
- It’s particularly good at things like customer support and document search.
- RAG systems usually work by searching for chunks of info, then feeding those chunks into the AI’s “context window” (basically, RAG is RAM for that answer).

**So what’s the deal with context engineering? -** `a new buzzword`

If you just dump a ton of stuff in RAG, the model can get confused, miss important details, or even ignore what matters most.

Have you ever written a one-page (font size: minuscule) “cheat-sheet” for an exam only to be left unable to read it during the test?

The more you cram in, the less useful the ~~cheat sheet~~ AI’s answers get.

So the real secret sauce isn’t just about *retrieving* info (via RAG), but about *engineering* exactly what goes into that context window.

In other words, if you want to encourage maximum success it is more helpful to pick out and hand-over carefully curated information to your friend rather than a random pile of notes.

## Context Engineering basics

**(I am severely unqualified to proffer more)**

1. Be picky about what info you feed the AI.  
![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/67/42/67423e8e-d1c5-4288-976a-2d7a9b94e567/content/images/2026/08/f1b5699c-74eb-4b6a-adf4-eb7e11b5fc1e_480x270.gif)
2. Use smart search, re-rank and filter data to facilitate only “the best” makes it through  
![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/67/42/67423e8e-d1c5-4288-976a-2d7a9b94e567/content/images/2026/08/2a6e141d-c802-4e34-b2d9-c5ca5bc70693_499x281.gif)
3. Regularly test and tweak data you put in, so the AI’s answers stay sharp  
![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/67/42/67423e8e-d1c5-4288-976a-2d7a9b94e567/content/images/2026/08/33cfdb9a-b108-4a04-89bc-6b1c16015085_291x267.gif)

## In Summary

  
**RAG** moved the field forward. and the next level is **context engineering**.

Text within this block will maintain its original spacing when publishedCurating ...  
  
 structuring ...  
  
 ... optimizing what the AI sees ...  
  
... so it can actually use it well.

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/67/42/67423e8e-d1c5-4288-976a-2d7a9b94e567/content/images/2026/08/ab4115dd-a08f-42e5-b64a-c60e3c228e2e_480x364.gif)

---

RAG = giving the AI access to more info.

Context engineering = *right* info, in the *right* format, at the *right* time.

[Buy this jumper](https://forms.fillout.com/t/gSiWbyMUbUus?ref=pulpconversations.com) 👇🏽

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/67/42/67423e8e-d1c5-4288-976a-2d7a9b94e567/content/images/2026/08/9dfbc19c-8f71-4035-a901-01d2a7b69591_2000x2000.png)

![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/67/42/67423e8e-d1c5-4288-976a-2d7a9b94e567/content/images/2026/08/39818274-a0f5-42d2-810c-a607eb7446ea_2000x2000.png)