---
title: Context Management
description: Managing context effectively for better results
---

Effective context management ensures Verdent has the right information at the right time while avoiding performance degradation from context overload.

### What You'll Learn

- Understanding context windows and their limits
- Selecting files strategically for optimal context
- Recognizing and responding to context overload
- When to reset context for better performance

---

## Understanding Context Windows

Verdent's context window size depends on the model being used. Extended context (1M) is handled automatically when needed.

**Available Models:**

| Provider  | Model                  | Context |
| --------- | ---------------------- | ------- |
| Anthropic | claude-opus-4.5        | 200K    |
| Anthropic | claude-sonnet-4.5      | 200K    |
| Anthropic | claude-haiku-4.5       | 200K    |
| Google    | gemini-3-pro-preview   | 1M      |
| Google    | gemini-3-flash-preview | 1M      |
| OpenAI    | gpt-5                  | 272K    |
| OpenAI    | gpt-5-codex (Beta)     | 272K    |
| Zhipu AI  | GLM 4.7                | 200K    |
| Moonshot  | kimi-k2-turbo          | 262K    |

**What's Included in Context:**
- All messages in conversation
- File contents loaded into context
- Tool outputs and responses
- System prompts and instructions

---

## Viewing Context Usage

Monitor your current context window usage through the **Context Remaining** indicator in the middle panel. This shows how much context space remains for the current conversation.

**Context Commands:**

| Command | Description |
|---------|-------------|
| `/compact` | Compress conversation history to free up context space |
| `/clear` | Clear conversation and start fresh |

<Tip>
Use `/compact` when context is running low but you want to continue the same task. Use `/clear` or start a new task when switching to unrelated work.
</Tip>

---

## Strategic File Selection

Be strategic about file selection to optimize context usage.

<Tip>
Start with fewer files and add more only when needed. Verdent can always read additional files during the conversation.
</Tip>

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="@-Mentions">
    Use @-mentions for explicit file inclusion:

    ```
    @filename.js
    ```

    Verdent auto-loads related files, but @-mentions ensure precise control. Only include files directly relevant to the current task.
  </Tab>
  <Tab title="Best Practices">
    - Include only files that need to be modified or referenced
    - Reference existing patterns instead of loading example files
    - For large codebases, work on one module at a time
    - Let Verdent read files as needed rather than preloading
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

---

## Recognizing Context Overload

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Response Quality">
    **Signs:**
    - Less accurate or incomplete responses
    - Missing important details from earlier in conversation
    - Confused about recent changes or context

    **Action:** Start a fresh task when quality degrades
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Speed Issues">
    **Signs:**
    - Noticeably slower response times
    - Longer processing delays

    **Action:** Consider starting a new task
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Behavioral Changes">
    **Signs:**
    - Requests to clarify information already provided
    - Forgetting patterns established earlier
    - Redundant questions about project structure

    **Action:** Reset context by starting a new task
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

<Warning>
If Verdent's responses become vague or repetitive, context overload may be occurring. Start a new task to restore full performance.
</Warning>

---

## When to Reset Context

<Tabs>
  <Tab title="Performance Issues">
    - Noticeably slower response times
    - Less accurate or inconsistent responses
    - Verdent forgetting earlier context

    **Action:** Start fresh task when quality degrades
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="Task Transitions">
    - Switching between unrelated features
    - After completing one task and moving to next
    - After memory-intensive tasks (large refactorings)

    **Action:** New task for new major work
  </Tab>

  <Tab title="After Commits">
    - After committing completed features
    - Between logical checkpoints
    - Following test-verify-commit cycles

    **Action:** Commit → test → new task
  </Tab>
</Tabs>

**Best Practice:** Complete atomic unit of work → test → commit → start fresh task.

---

## See Also

<CardGroup cols={2}>
  <Card title="Prompt Engineering" href="/docs/verdent/best-practices/prompts" icon="message">
    Best practices for writing effective prompts
  </Card>
  <Card title="Resource Management" href="/docs/verdent/resource-management/monitoring" icon="chart-line">
    Monitor token usage and credits
  </Card>
</CardGroup>