Stop Context Rot With Refresh Checkpoints

Context rot is what happens when a run gets longer while its effective focus gets worse. Recent research shows long transcripts can cause models to miss crucial events more often, and Anthropic's context guidance recommends compaction once conversations regularly approach the limit. The engineering point is straightforward: durability does not come from keeping everything. It comes from reasserting what must remain true. Three moves matter. First, refresh critical constraints at checkpoints instead of mentioning them once at the beginning. Second, compact stale history into a state summary that preserves decisions, open questions, and prohibitions. Third, re-retrieve evidence when the task…

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