Context Pattern — Failures

Pattern: Context
Component: failures.md
Version: 1.2 | Updated: 2026-07-29

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Purpose

Recover when the Context pattern is misapplied — without abandoning the gate.

Failure → detection → recovery

Failure	Detection	Recovery
Unranked dump	Model cites noise	Rebuild pack with ranking + budget
Trust mix	Retrieval in system channel	Move to data channel; add trust labels
Stale ADR	Implementation follows retired topology	Pin ADR versions; drop superseded docs
Budget denial	Truncation deletes the only relevant file	Re-prioritize; split packs by phase

Escalation from Context failures

• Security-class impact during Context → Security skill + human security owner
• Production SEV while misusing Context → Hotfix containment first
• Learning after Context containment → Root Cause

Do not

• Skip the Context human gate “just this once” after a failure
• Delete Context evidence to hide a bad run
• Replace Context with unstructured chat under pressure

Related

• Checklist
• Enterprise notes
• Example

Changelog

• 1.2 (2026-07-29): Context failure recovery table and escalation paths expanded.