Phase 5: Context Engineering · 25 min · Cursor · Claude Code · Lovable

What the AI Knows and Doesn't Know

The AI can only work with what it can see. If it can't see your project context, it's guessing.

Hiring signal: What changes when you use this: you understand why the AI sometimes 'forgets' things — and you know how to give it the context it needs upfront.

What you will learn

Understand the context window and what the AI can 'see' at any given time
Know the difference between browser builder context and IDE agent context
Understand why the AI 'forgets' things from earlier in a long chat
Know why giving context upfront produces better results than piecemeal

Your Mission

Analyze what context the AI had vs. didn't have in a previous build, and write an upfront context statement. Output: context_analysis.md.

You need: A project you've built with AI (any tool).

Time: 20 minutes.

Step 1: Understand the Context Window (3 min)

The AI has a "context window" — like a desk. It can only work with what's on the desk.

What goes on the desk:

Your messages (everything you type)
Code the AI has generated in this session
Files you've uploaded or referenced
The AI's own outputs

What doesn't:

Your project's other files (unless explicitly referenced)
Your project's history (previous chats, previous builds)
Your intentions (unless stated)
Your project's specific conventions

Browser builders (Lovable, Bolt.new, v0): see the current project's code only. IDE agents (Cursor, Claude Code): see your entire codebase but need to be told which files are relevant.

The context-first principle
The single biggest improvement you can make to your vibe coding workflow: give context before asking for code. Every minute spent writing context saves 5 minutes of corrections. The AI isn't psychic — it can't know your tech stack, your conventions, or your preferences unless you tell it.

Unlock the full lesson

You've read the first 2 sections. The rest of this lesson covers Step 2: Analyze a Previous Build (7 min), Project Analyzed, What the AI Had Access To, What the AI Did NOT Have, Step 3: Write an Upfront Context Statement (7 min), Upfront Context Statement, Step 4: Compare (3 min), Comparison, You're Done — plus a hands-on lab, quiz, and project artifact.

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