AI agents have limited context windows and "forget" earlier instructions. To solve this, generate PRDs (e.g., master plan, design guidelines) and a task list. Then, instruct the agent to reference these documents before every action, effectively creating a persistent, dynamic source of truth for the project.
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To prevent an AI agent from repeating mistakes across coding sessions, create 'agents.md' files in your codebase. These act as a persistent memory, providing context and instructions specific to a folder or the entire repo. The agent reads these files before working, allowing it to learn from past iterations and improve over time.
People struggle with AI prompts because the model lacks background on their goals and progress. The solution is 'Context Engineering': creating an environment where the AI continuously accumulates user-specific information, materials, and intent, reducing the need for constant prompt tweaking.
Structure AI context into three layers: a short global file for universal preferences, project-specific files for domain rules, and an indexed library of modular context files (e.g., business details) that the AI only loads when relevant, preventing context window bloat.
The 'Claudie' AI project manager reads a core markdown file every time it runs, which acts as a permanent job description. This file defines its role, key principles, and context. This provides the agent with a stable identity, similar to a human employee, ensuring consistent and reliable work.
Most users re-explain their role and situation in every new AI conversation. A more advanced approach is to build a dedicated professional context document and a system for capturing prompts and notes. This turns AI from a stateless tool into a stateful partner that understands your specific needs.
Before ending a complex session or hitting a context window limit, instruct your AI to summarize key themes, decisions, and open questions into a "handoff document." This tactic treats each session like a work shift, ensuring you can seamlessly resume progress later without losing valuable accumulated context.
To get consistent, high-quality results from AI coding assistants, define reusable instructions in dedicated files (e.g., `prd.md`) within your repository. This "agent briefing" file can be referenced in prompts, ensuring all generated assets adhere to a predefined structure and style.
Building a comprehensive context library can be daunting. A simple and effective hack is to end each work session by asking the AI, "What did you learn today that we should document?" The AI can then self-generate the necessary context files, iteratively building its own knowledge base.
AI has no memory between tasks. Effective users create a comprehensive "context library" about their business. Before each task, they "onboard" the AI by feeding it this library, giving it years of business knowledge in seconds to produce superior, context-aware results instead of generic outputs.
To make agents useful over long periods, Tasklet engineers an "illusion" of infinite memory. Instead of feeding a long chat history, they use advanced context engineering: LLM-based compaction, scoping context for sub-agents, and having the LLM manage its own state in a SQL database to recall relevant information efficiently.
