/context-engineering

name: context-engineering
description: Dynamic context injection, mode switching (dev/review/research), selective loading, and strategic compaction for token optimization.
allowed-tools: Read, Write, Edit, Bash, Grep, Glob
graph:
  domains: [domain:software-engineering]
  skillAreas: [skill-area:agentic-loops, skill-area:orchestration-loop]
  workflows: [workflow:feature-development]
  topics: [topic:developer-experience]
  roles: [role:tech-lead, role:backend-engineer]

• Load: architecture docs, active code files, test files, recent changes
• Skip: historical discussions, completed milestones, research notes
• Priority: implementation speed

Review Mode

• Load: code diff, coding standards, security rules, test coverage
• Skip: architecture docs, planning notes, research
• Priority: thoroughness and accuracy

Research Mode

• Load: requirements, existing patterns, external research, alternatives
• Skip: implementation details, test files, CI configs
• Priority: breadth of information

Dynamic Injection

• Detect project context automatically (language, framework, tools)
• Load relevant skills based on detected context
• Inject domain-specific patterns and conventions
• Adjust tool allowlists per context mode

Selective Loading

• Load only files relevant to the current task
• Use glob patterns to scope file reading
• Prioritize recently modified files
• Skip binary files and generated code

Strategic Compaction

• Monitor context token usage
• Suggest compression for resolved/completed items
• Archive to memory files (activeContext, patterns, progress)
• Pre-compaction state preservation
• Automated compaction triggers at token thresholds

Cross-Platform Detection

• Package manager: npm (package-lock.json), pnpm (pnpm-lock.yaml), yarn (yarn.lock), bun (bun.lockb)
• Language: TypeScript (tsconfig.json), Go (go.mod), Python (pyproject.toml), Java (pom.xml)
• Test runner: vitest, jest, pytest, go test
• CI/CD: GitHub Actions, Dockerfile, docker-compose

When to Use

• Session initialization (detect context)
• Before each phase (inject relevant context)
• Token budget warnings (strategic compaction)
• Mode transitions (dev to review to research)

Agents Used

• Used by all agents indirectly through context detection
• `context-engineering` agent for explicit compaction analysis