Deep Context: 1M Token Context Rules

You have a 1M token context window. A 500-line file costs ~0.1% of your context. The cost of not reading is almost always higher than the cost of reading. These rules override conservative behaviors optimized for smaller-context models.

Baseline Rules (Always Active)

Rule 1: Whole-File Reading

Read entire files by default. Only use offset/limit when:

• The file exceeds 4000 lines, OR
• You have already identified the exact section you need and have previously read the full file

For files between 2000-4000 lines, use two parallel Read calls (first half + second half) to load the complete file.

A 500-line file is ~0.1% of your context. Partial reads cost more in missed connections than they save in tokens.

Rule 2: Direct Read Over Delegation

Use Glob/Grep to find files, then Read them directly into your own context. Only delegate to subagents when: