Chapter 15: Effective Context Engineering with General Agents
You've learned how to use Claude Code and Cowork. You know the tools,CLAUDE.md, Skills, Subagents, Hooks, MCP. Now comes a harder question: Why do some agents work brilliantly while others fail?
Two engineers build contract review agents. Same model. Same basic architecture. One sells for $2,000/month. The other can't give it away. What's different?
The answer: context quality.
This chapter introduces Context Engineering: the quality control discipline for Digital FTE manufacturing. Just as Toyota has systematic practices ensuring every car meets specification, context engineering ensures your Digital FTEs deliver consistent, sellable value.
📚 Teaching Aid
What You'll Learn
See the lesson breakdown below for the complete learning path through context engineering fundamentals.
Chapter Structure
| Lesson | Title | What You'll Learn |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | What Is Context Engineering? | Definition, context rot types, why context beats prompts |
| 2 | Signal vs Noise | The 4-question audit, Three-Zone Strategy for CLAUDE.md |
| 3 | Context Architecture | When to use CLAUDE.md vs Skills vs Subagents vs Hooks |
| 4 | The Tasks System | Persistent state that enables aggressive context management |
| 5 | Tacit Knowledge | Getting domain expertise out of your head and into files |
| 6 | Context Lifecycle | When to /clear vs /compact, the Zone System |
| 7 | Progress Files | Session architecture for multi-day projects |
| 8 | Memory Injection | PreToolUse hooks for long workflows |
| 9 | Context Isolation | Why subagents use clean slates and how to coordinate them |
| 10 | The Playbook | Decision frameworks for production-quality agents |
Remember the thesis: General Agents BUILD Custom Agents. Context engineering is HOW you ensure those Custom Agents are worth buying.