How do you transform a general-purpose AI into a specialist capable of managing complex software projects? You can’t just drop it into a codebase and expect success—it needs a brain. This video unveils the concept of “engineering context” through standardized onboarding manuals (agents.md) and modular skill packages that turn AI into a true digital collaborator.

What is “Engineering Context”?

“Engineering context” is the practice of supplying AI agents with structured, project-specific knowledge through machine-readable onboarding manuals and modular skill packages. It’s like giving your AI a comprehensive orientation, just like you would for a new developer.

The agents.md Onboarding Manual

This standardized file in each project repository contains everything the AI needs to know about the project, including its architecture, design patterns, build and test procedures, coding styles, and contribution guidelines.

Modular Skill Packages

These are self-contained directories that bundle detailed instructions, reference guides, helper scripts, and templates for a specific capability. For example, instead of reinventing PDF parsing logic, an agent can load a pre-built PDF-processing skill package.

Progressive Disclosure: The Secret Sauce

To optimize token usage, we use a three-level loading strategy called “progressive disclosure.” This dramatically reduces context window consumption while maintaining full capability access:

Level 1 (Startup): Load only skill metadata.
Level 2 (On Demand): Load detailed instructions when the agent needs the skill.
Level 3 (Just-in-Time): Load scripts and templates only if required.

Automated Context Engineering

The game-changer is using AI to generate complete skill packages automatically. By providing a high-level goal and source documentation, you can generate main instruction files, Standard Operating Procedures, reference guides, and code templates and scripts.

The Shift to AI-First Architecture

The industry is shifting from API-centric to AI-agent-centric system design. The Prompt Optimizer platform is at the forefront of this shift, helping you engineer context and create the modular skills that make AI agents reliable collaborators. By automating context engineering, we enable you to scale to thousands of skills, transforming your development process.