Phase 2: Context Engineering for Builders · 45 min · Claude Code · Python

Context Failure Modes

The fix depends entirely on which failure mode you're hitting — and 'the agent seems confused' names a symptom, not a diagnosis.

Real-world application: Diagnosing which specific context failure mode is occurring — rather than reaching for a generic 'add more context' or 'try a bigger model' fix — is precisely the debugging judgment this course's struggle principle is built to develop.

What you will learn

Define and distinguish the four context failure modes: poisoning, distraction, confusion, clash
Diagnose which failure mode a given symptom most likely reflects before choosing a fix
Detect a poisoned claim being carried forward through a context log
Detect a clash between two contradictory pieces of context on the same subject

Introduction

Context Failure Modes

Objective

Scan a real context log for signatures of poisoning, clash, confusion, and distraction, and correctly name each failure mode present in a synthetic session containing all four.

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You've read the first 2 sections. The rest of this lesson covers The Problem, The Concept, Build, Check Yourself, Key Terms & Next — plus a hands-on lab, quiz, and project artifact.

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