---
name: principle-guard-the-context-window
description: "Apply when context is filling up: large outputs, long files, repeated reads, fan-out planning. Route bulk to subagents; keep summaries in the main thread, not raw payloads."
disable-model-invocation: true
---
## OpenAI runtime contract

Read [the adapter contract](../../references/runtime-contract.md) before this workflow. It maps provider selection, agent calls, loops, persistent state, history, verification, and authorization. That contract supersedes Cursor-specific execution syntax and unverified model fallbacks below; the engineering steps remain required. Use native tools in the current host by default. Cloud uses its available OpenAI models. No remote laptop connection, server URL or MCP setup is permitted. Optional local CLI adapters require explicit environment-local selection. Do not claim cross-provider diversity for OpenAI-only review.


# Guard the Context Window

The context window is finite and non-renewable within a session. Every token should be worth its cost.

**Why:** Context overflow degrades reasoning quality, creates compression artifacts, and halts progress.

**Pattern:**
- **Isolate large payloads.** Route verbose outputs, screenshots, and large documents to subagents. The main context gets summaries, not raw data.
- **Keep frequently used content inline.** Templates and references used on every invocation belong in the skill file, not in separate files that cost a read each time.
- **Size phases and cap scope.** Limit files per phase, set turn budgets, account for mechanism costs.