agent skill — A reusable instruction file that teaches an agent how to do one job well — the procedure, the tools, and what counts as done.
context window — The maximum amount of text a model can consider at once — its working memory for the current conversation or task.
Why it matters
Explains why agent skillA reusable instruction file that teaches an agent how to do one job well — the procedure, the tools, and what counts as done.Full definition → descriptions written for older models now confuse Codex's routing, and gives specific fixes: shorter descriptions, progressive disclosure, and explicit completion criteria so Astra doesn't stop too early or too often.
Key quotes
“Models have gotten much better at understanding nuance and ambiguity, so overly specific guidance can now hinder results where it previously helped.”
“GPT-6 Astra is thorough, but it can be more tentative about how far to take a task.”
“A new model is a good opportunity to clean your house.”
“The local tests use disposable fixtures and have no production access. Run them, fix failures caused by the requested change, and rerun affected tests without asking for approval at each step.”
