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Overview

Context is the information Poolside uses to understand and complete your request. In agent sessions, Poolside builds context dynamically as it runs. It starts with what you reference and expands as needed to complete your request. Guide what Poolside considers by explicitly referencing files, folders, symbols, or web content in your prompt. For a conceptual overview of how agents work, see How agents work.

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Add workspace context

Reference items from your workspace directly in the prompt.

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Reference files and folders

The active editor file is included automatically. Reference additional files or folders as needed. Use file references when:
  • Asking about a specific file
  • Requesting changes in a defined area
  • Providing constraints or examples
To add additional files or folders:
  1. Type @ followed by the file or folder name in the prompt.
  2. Select a matching result to insert it into the prompt.

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Reference code symbols

Use symbol references to include specific functions, classes, variables, or components from your workspace. Use symbol references when:
  • Asking what a specific function or class does
  • Modifying a specific symbol
  • Investigating how a symbol is used
To add a symbol:
  1. Type # followed by the symbol name in the prompt.
  2. Select a matching result to insert it into the prompt.

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Add web content

Use Web content to include information from a specific web page in your request. Use web content when:
  • Referencing a single API endpoint page
  • Citing a documentation article
  • Reviewing a specification page
  • Incorporating a blog post or example
To add web content:
  1. In the prompt field, click the context control button. When no context is attached, it displays @ Context. Otherwise, it displays the currently attached items.
  2. Select Web content.
  3. Type @ followed by the full URL.
  4. Select the URL from the Add website field to insert it into the prompt.

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Additional context sources

Use additional context when you want to control which workspace-derived sources are included automatically in your request. To add additional context:
  1. In the prompt field, click the context control button. When no context is attached, it displays @ Context. Otherwise, it displays the currently attached items.
  2. Select Additional context.
  3. Enable or clear the checkboxes for the sources you want included.
You can select from these sources:
  • Instructions: Project-level AGENTS.md and user-level .poolside instructions
  • Other open files: Open files in addition to the active file
These selections influence the initial context provided to Poolside Assistant, but they do not strictly limit what the agent considers as it runs.

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Context limits

A maximum context size applies to avoid performance issues. If the selected context exceeds the limit, a warning appears and Poolside may exclude some context.