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Context Window

Reviewed 19 July 2026Canonical definitionPart of: MCP & Agent Protocol Terms →

A context window is the maximum amount of input a model can process in one request, measured in tokens. It limits how much conversation history, retrieved data, and tool output can be considered at once.

§01 / QUESTIONSterm: Context Window
Questions

Common questions.

What is Context Window?

A context window is the maximum amount of input a model can process in one request, measured in tokens.

How does Context Window work?

It limits how much conversation history, retrieved data, and tool output can be considered at once.

Which terms are related to Context Window?

Closely related concepts include Context Window Poisoning, MCP (Model Context Protocol), MCP Sampling, MCP Tool Schema. Each is defined in the Prefactor glossary.

§02 / RELATEDnext: where this fits
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Where this fits.

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