Context Window Management

Handle long conversations and large documents within AI API context limits. Learn truncation, summarization, and sliding window techniques.

Context Limits by Model

Model

Context

Output

Best For

GPT-3.5

16K

Short chats

GPT-4

32K

Long docs

GPT-4 Turbo

128K

Huge docs

Claude 3

200K

Massive docs

Management Methods

Sliding Window

Keep only the most recent N messages. When new messages arrive, oldest messages are removed. window: 10

Summarization

Periodically summarize older messages into a brief context. Reduces token count while preserving key information.

Hierarchical Truncation

Keep recent messages in full, compress older ones progressively. Balances recency with completeness.

Semantic Chunking

Identify topic boundaries and keep semantically complete chunks. Preserves meaning better than simple truncation.

Gateway Features

✓
Auto Truncation Automatically trim context when approaching limits
✓
Smart Summarization AI-powered context compression
✓
Priority Messages Mark important messages to preserve
✓
Token Budget Set max tokens per conversation

Common Questions

What happens when context limit is reached?

Gateway automatically applies your configured truncation strategy. Oldest messages are removed unless marked as priority.

Does summarization lose information?

Some detail is lost, but key facts and context are preserved. Test your specific use case to ensure quality meets requirements.

Can I use different models for different contexts?

Yes! Route simple queries to smaller models with shorter contexts, complex analysis to models with larger windows.

Context Window Management

Context Limits by Model

Management Methods

Sliding Window

Summarization

Hierarchical Truncation

Semantic Chunking

Gateway Features

Common Questions

Related Resources

Token Optimization

Prompt Caching

Error Codes

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