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Back to Learn
LearnLayer 3Context Assembly

Context Assembly: The information you gather shapes the answers you get

Context Assembly includes three types: context package assembly for combining multiple context sources into a complete package, history compilation for gathering past interactions and events, and relationship context for mapping connections between entities. The right choice depends on whether you need breadth (package assembly), temporal depth (history), or relational understanding (relationships). Most AI systems need all three working together. Package assembly combines the pieces. History provides continuity. Relationships provide network understanding.

Your AI assistant responds, but something is off. It does not remember the conversation from yesterday. It does not know this customer was referred by your best partner. It treats every interaction like the first.

You have all the information in different systems. CRM has the relationship. Support has the history. Documents have the details. But when the AI responds, it only sees what you explicitly told it in this moment.

The intelligence is there. The information is there. They are just not connected.

The information you gather shapes the answers you get.

3 components
3 guides live
Relevant When You're
Building AI systems that need complete awareness
Connecting scattered information into unified context
Making past interactions inform current responses

Part of Layer 3: Understanding & Analysis

Overview

Three ways to build complete context for AI responses

Context Assembly is about what information your AI has access to when it responds. The wrong approach means AI that forgets, ignores relationships, or responds without crucial information. The right approach means AI that responds with full awareness of everything relevant.

Live

Context Package Assembly

Combines multiple context sources into a unified package for AI processing

Best for: Systems that need to present unified context from multiple sources
Trade-off: Complete awareness vs. context size limits
Read full guide
Live

History Compilation

Gathers past interactions and events into temporal context

Best for: Ongoing relationships where past matters for present
Trade-off: Continuity vs. relevance decay over time
Read full guide
Live

Relationship Context

Maps connections between entities for network understanding

Best for: Complex networks where connections inform responses
Trade-off: Network depth vs. connection noise
Read full guide

Key Insight

Most AI systems need all three types. Context package assembly combines current sources. History compilation adds what happened before. Relationship context adds who connects to whom. The question is not "which one?" but "how do they work together?"

Comparison

How they differ

Each context assembly type gathers different kinds of information. Choosing wrong means missing context that would change responses.

Package Assembly
History
Relationships
What It Gathers
Key Question
Best For
Output
Which to Use

Which Context Assembly Type Do You Need?

The right choice depends on what information matters most for your AI responses. Answer these questions to find your starting point.

“I need to combine information from CRM, support tickets, and documents into one view”

Context package assembly combines multiple sources into a unified package.

Package Assembly

“Past conversations and interactions should inform how we respond now”

History compilation gathers temporal context from past events.

History

“Knowing who referred whom or who worked together matters for our responses”

Relationship context maps the network of connections between entities.

Relationships

“Our AI needs complete awareness including current data, past interactions, and relationships”

Most production systems use all three together for complete context.

Use 2-3 together

Find Your Context Assembly Type

Answer a few questions to get a recommendation.

Universal Patterns

The same pattern, different contexts

Context assembly is not about the technology. It is about ensuring your AI has complete awareness when it responds.

Trigger

AI needs to respond with full awareness

Action

Assemble context from all relevant sources

Outcome

Responses reflect complete understanding

Customer Communication

When a returning customer contacts you and your AI treats them like a stranger...

That's a context assembly problem - history and relationships are not being compiled into the context package.

Customer satisfaction: Frustrated repeat explanations vs. Seamless continuity
Knowledge & Documentation

When someone asks a question and the AI ignores relevant documents in other systems...

That's a context package assembly problem - scattered sources are not being combined.

Response quality: Partial answers vs. Complete awareness
Process & SOPs

When handling a request requires knowing what happened in previous steps...

That's a history compilation problem - the temporal chain is not being assembled.

Process continuity: Starting over vs. Picking up where you left off
Hiring & Onboarding

When a candidate was referred by a current employee but the AI does not know...

That's a relationship context problem - entity connections are not being mapped.

Relationship leverage: Missing warm introductions vs. Acknowledging connections

Which of these sounds most like your current situation?

Common Mistakes

What breaks when context assembly goes wrong

These mistakes seem small at first. They compound into AI that consistently misses the mark.

The common pattern

Move fast. Structure data “good enough.” Scale up. Data becomes messy. Painful migration later. The fix is simple: think about access patterns upfront. It takes an hour now. It saves weeks later.

Frequently Asked Questions

Common Questions

What is Context Assembly?

Context Assembly is the category of components that gather and combine information before an AI processes a request. It includes three types: context package assembly for combining multiple sources, history compilation for past interactions, and relationship context for entity connections. The goal is ensuring AI has complete awareness when generating responses.

Which context assembly type should I use?

The choice depends on what information matters most. Use context package assembly when you need to combine data from multiple systems into one coherent package. Use history compilation when past interactions inform current ones. Use relationship context when connections between people, projects, or entities matter. Most systems combine all three for complete awareness.

What is the difference between context package assembly and history compilation?

Context package assembly combines information from multiple current sources into a single package. History compilation gathers information across time from past interactions and events. Package assembly answers "what do we know right now?" while history answers "what has happened before?" Both are often combined for complete context.

When should I use relationship context?

Use relationship context when connections between entities matter for understanding. If knowing that a customer was referred by your top partner, or that two team members worked together before, would change how you respond, you need relationship context. It maps the network of connections between people, projects, and organizations.

Can I use multiple context assembly types together?

Yes, most production AI systems use all three together. Context package assembly combines current data. History compilation adds temporal depth. Relationship context adds network understanding. The context package assembler typically orchestrates all sources, pulling from history compilation and relationship context as needed.

What mistakes should I avoid with context assembly?

The biggest mistakes are: including too much context that overwhelms or distracts the AI, missing critical context that leads to wrong responses, not prioritizing context by relevance, and treating all context sources equally when some matter more for specific requests. Quality and relevance matter more than quantity.

How does context assembly connect to retrieval systems?

Context assembly consumes what retrieval systems produce. Vector databases and hybrid search find relevant information. Context assembly combines it into a complete package. Retrieval answers "what is relevant?" while context assembly answers "how do we present it together?" They work in sequence.

How do I know if my context assembly is working?

Good context assembly shows in response quality. If your AI references past interactions appropriately, understands relationships between entities, and responds with full awareness of relevant information, your context assembly is working. If responses seem to ignore known context or miss important connections, assembly needs improvement.

Have a different question? Let's talk

Where to Go

Where to go from here

You now understand the three context assembly types and when to use each. The next step depends on what you need to build.

Based on where you are

1

Starting from zero

Your AI has no context assembly - every request is stateless

Start with context package assembly. Pull relevant information from your primary systems into a unified package. This gives immediate improvement.

Start here
2

Have basic context

AI sees current data but forgets past interactions

Add history compilation. Gather past interactions so the AI responds with awareness of what happened before.

Start here
3

Ready for depth

AI has current context and history but misses relationships

Add relationship context. Map connections between entities so the AI understands the network.

Start here

Based on what you need

If you need to combine multiple current sources

Context Package Assembly

If past interactions should inform current responses

History Compilation

If connections between entities matter

Relationship Context

Once context is assembled

Prompt Architecture

Back to Layer 3: Understanding & Analysis|Next Layer
Last updated: January 4, 2026
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