Context

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Overview

Context is the information Poolside Assistant uses from your workspace to understand and complete your request. In Agent mode, Poolside Assistant builds context dynamically as it runs. It starts with what you reference and expands as needed to complete your request. Guide what Poolside Assistant considers by explicitly referencing files, folders, symbols, or web content in your prompt.

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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.

Available sources depend on the active mode.

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In Agent mode

• Instructions: Project-level AGENTS.md and user-level .poolside instructions
• Other open files: Open files in addition to the active file

In Agent mode, these options 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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In Chat mode

• Recent files: Files opened recently
• Codebase search: Indexed relevant code
• Problems: IDE errors and warnings
• Git: Branch name and recent commits
• External dependencies: Manifests such as package.json or pom.xml
• Instructions: Project-level and user-level instructions

In Chat mode, context relies more heavily on editor indexing and selected sources. Workspace indexing behavior depends on your editor:

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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
• Poolside Assistant may exclude some context

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How Poolside Assistant uses context

Context influences how Poolside Assistant interprets your request. In Agent mode, referenced context provides initial guidance as the agent runs. In Chat mode, responses rely on the files, symbols, web content, and selected sources available in the editor. For more details about how agents build and retrieve context, see How agents work. For behavior differences between modes, see Modes.