Lost in the Middle Effect
Context ManagementDefinition
The observed phenomenon where Claude (and other LLMs) give less attention to content in the middle of a long context window compared to content at the beginning and end. Critical information should be placed at the start (system prompt) or end (most recent user turn) of the context.
Example Usage
Place the most important instructions in the system prompt and repeat key constraints in the final user message rather than burying them in the middle of a long document.