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What is context engineering, and why is it considered more important than prompt engineering for agents?

Context engineering is the discipline that replaced 'prompt engineering' for serious agent work. The signal is understanding that what you put in the context window (and what you leave out) drives behavior more than clever wording. Here is the answer.

Updated Aug 2026 · Grounded in real Applied AI Engineer interview loops and written to a senior-engineer editorial bar.

Context engineering is the discipline that replaced 'prompt engineering' for serious agent work. The signal is understanding that what you put in the context window (and what you leave out) drives behavior more than clever wording. Here is the answer.

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