Context Engineering: Mastery

Context Engineering Mastery

Context Engineering: Mastery

CLAUDE.md hierarchy, retrieval patterns, memory tiers, and prompts that compound: the full system for sessions that get smarter every time.

Prompt Engineering Is Dead

The difference: a prompt is what you say. Context is everything Claude knows before you say anything. Master context = master results.

Context Pyramid

Bottom layers are fixed. Top layers are what you control. The further down you build, the more leverage you get.

CLAUDE.md Architecture

The most underused and most powerful weapon. Not just “be helpful” but a full operating system for your Claude.

Each level inherits from the one above and can override. Like CSS specificity for AI context.

Skills Architecture

Skills are reusable, named workflows. Structure: SKILL.md (instructions) + any supporting files. Trigger by name or keywords.

Hooks as Context Injectors

Hooks do not just protect; they inject context. They run at specific points in the Claude Code lifecycle and can transform what Claude sees.

Memory as Persistent Context

Auto-memory system: ~/.claude/projects/[project]/memory/. Every session adds to memory. Next session starts smarter.

All 4 Weapons Working Together

This is what happens in every Claude Code session. Each weapon activates at the right moment.

Context Debt

What happens when you skip context engineering. The tax compounds daily.

The Interview Pattern

Instead of manually writing context, let Claude interview you and generate it. Fastest way to bootstrap a new project.

Retrieval Patterns That Compound

Once you have memory and skills, the next level is structured retrieval: making context findable and compounding.

Context Engineering Quiz

5 questions. How deep is your understanding?

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Day 37: Agent Teams: Roles & Handoffs

Day 39: Hooks From Zero to Production