CONTEXT ROT AND CONTEXT BLOAT

CHECK YOUR UNDERSTANDING • What is the difference between context bloat and context rot? ◦ Answer: Bloat describes the window being stuffed with low-value content, while rot describes the model becoming less accurate as the window grows large. • In a needle-in-a-haystack test, what two things do you vary? ◦ Answer: The length of the surrounding text and the position of the hidden fact. • Why is passing a simple needle test not enough to trust a model on real work? ◦ Answer: The test uses one easy, obvious fact, while real tasks involve many related facts, distractors, and subtle questions. • Name three symptoms of degraded context. ◦ Answer: Any three of forgotten instructions, contradictions, repetition, missed details, invented details, goal drift, or rising cost without better quality. • Why should critical safety rules not rely only on the model remembering them? ◦ Answer: Rules far back in a long context can fade in influence, so they should be restated near the end and enforced in code.