GoKawiilO'Reilly to publish 'The Context Engineering Handbook' as field evolves from RAG debates
A talk at AGNTCon titled 'Context Fails & Fixes' traced the evolution of context engineering, the practice of structuring inputs and instructions for AI models. The speaker, who is writing an upcoming O'Reilly book on the topic, recounted publisher concerns about the book becoming outdated quickly given fast-moving AI trends, including the late-2024 'RAG is dead' debate.
GoKawiil's interpretation of the reporting above, not reported fact.
The talk frames context engineering as a persistent discipline rather than a passing trend, arguing that giving clear, consistent instructions to AI systems will remain difficult even as models improve. This suggests practitioners should expect ongoing shifts in best practices rather than a settled methodology, since new model capabilities tend to introduce new failure modes that engineers must address.
- A talk titled 'Context Fails & Fixes' was given at AGNTCon reviewing the history and future of context engineering.
- An upcoming book, 'The Context Engineering Handbook,' is being published by O'Reilly despite concerns about rapid obsolescence in AI content.
- The discussion references the late-2024 'RAG is dead' narrative as a key moment in the field's evolution.
Source: dbreunig.com — Drew Breunig, 2026-10-25
Published there as: “The State of Context Engineering”
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