Martin Keen distinguishes a large context window from a reliable working context. An agent can retain many tokens yet still focus on the wrong information or carry an incorrect assumption forward. A database-driver migration example shows how an inaccurate self-written note can turn an existing capability into a mistaken repair target.
Martin Keen organizes the problem into four failure modes: poisoning introduces bad information, distraction crowds out the relevant signal, confusion blurs instructions or concepts, and clash leaves incompatible information competing for attention. The categories help explain why simply increasing token capacity does not solve every long-running workflow failure.
Martin Keen describes validation, compaction, curation and pruning as complementary context-management techniques. Compaction can be lossy, so durable project facts and detailed evidence need a deliberate home rather than depending entirely on a compressed conversation. The talk's examples concern agent design, not permission to discard retained project or recovery records.
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