Context Window

The context window is the maximum amount of text, measured in tokens, a model can consider at once — spanning the prompt, retrieved documents, conversation history, and its own output. A larger window doesn't mean it should be filled: cost scales with tokens processed, and good retrieval still beats brute-force stuffing every relevant document in. Sizing the context window is a cost and latency decision as much as a capability one.

← Back to the full glossary