The context window is the amount of text an AI model can process in a single conversation. Think of it as the model’s working memory — it includes your messages, file contents, tool definitions, and the AI’s responses.
Why Context Window Matters
Every interaction with AI consumes context space. When your context window fills up:Performance Slows Down
Larger payloads take longer to process, increasing response times
Fair Use Budget Depletes
More tokens per request consumes your fair use policy budget faster
Context Gets Truncated
Older messages may be dropped, causing the AI to “forget” earlier parts of the conversation
What Consumes Context Space
1. Conversation History
Every message you send and every response you receive stays in context. Long conversations naturally consume more space.2. File Contents
When you attach files or folders, their entire contents are injected into the context:- Text files — Full content is included
- Code files — Entire file contents are sent
- Documents — Parsed text is included
- Images — Descriptions or OCR text is added
3. Tool Definitions
Every enabled tool consumes context space. A tool definition includes:- Tool name and description
- Required and optional parameters
- Parameter descriptions and types
4. System Instructions
Background prompts, grounding documents, and system instructions all consume space.How Tools Consume Context
Here’s a real example of how tools impact your context:| Tools Enabled | Approximate Context Used | Remaining for Your Content |
|---|---|---|
| 0 tools | ~5% | ~95% |
| 5 tools | ~15% | ~85% |
| 10 tools | ~30% | ~70% |
| 20 tools | ~50% | ~50% |
| 30+ tools | ~70%+ | ~30% |
These are approximate values. Actual usage varies based on tool complexity and description length.
Strategies for Managing Context
1. Use Flow for Tool Orchestration (Recommended)
The most effective way to reduce tool-related context consumption is to use Flow — Alter’s built-in tool orchestrator.Flow loads as a single tool
Instead of loading all your enabled tools into every request, Flow acts as one tool that intelligently selects and orchestrates the right tools for each task.Benefits:
- Reduces context usage by 60-80%
- Improves response times
- Automatically handles multi-step tasks
- Saves fair use budget
2. Disable Unused Tools
Only enable tools you actively use:3. Customize Tool Sets for Actions
Every action can be configured with its own specific tools. This is a powerful way to control context usage:Ask Anything Action
The Ask Anything action is the default used when you type in the prompt box without selecting a specific action. It runs everywhere in Alter — minimize your tool selection here for maximum impact.Custom Actions
When creating custom actions, think carefully about which tools are actually needed:Learn from Defaults
Most built-in Alter actions have tools disabled by default. For example, “Correct Grammar” doesn’t need any tools — it’s a pure text transformation.
Be Minimal
Only enable tools your specific workflow requires. If your action just formats text, you probably don’t need any tools.
Flow vs Specific Tools
Use Flow when you want flexibility and don’t know which specific tools you’ll need. It handles tool selection automatically.
Use specific tools when you know exactly which tools your workflow needs. This gives better performance and fewer back-and-forth turns with the AI.
4. Use Workspaces for Large Files
Instead of attaching large files to every conversation:- Create a workspace for projects with large files
- Reference the workspace when needed
- Clear workspace context when switching tasks
Learn about Workspaces
Workspaces help organize files and manage context more efficiently
4. Clear Context Regularly
Use ⌘ K (Command + K) to clear all contexts when:- Starting a new, unrelated task
- Previous context is no longer relevant
- Responses are getting slow
5. Summarize Long Conversations
For very long conversations:- Export the conversation to a file
- Start a new conversation with a summary
- Reference the exported file if needed
6. Be Selective with File Attachments
Instead of attaching entire folders:- Attach only the specific files you need
- Remove files from context when done with them
Monitoring Context Usage
While Alter doesn’t show a real-time context meter, you can monitor usage indirectly:Watch Response Times
Slower responses often indicate high context usage
Check Tool Count
More enabled tools = more context consumed. Review Tool Manager regularly.