Busk: Created page with "Mostly, but not exactly. Context window means the model’s total working space for one request/conversation turn: context window = input tokens + output tokens So if a mod..."

2026-05-03T16:04:09Z

Created page with "Mostly, but not exactly. Context window means the model’s total working space for one request/conversation turn: context window = input tokens + output tokens So if a mod..."

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Mostly, but not exactly.

Context window means the model’s total working space for one request/conversation turn:

context window = input tokens + output tokens

So if a model has a 128K context window, that does not mean you can always send 128K input and still get a big answer. The output also has to fit.

Example:

Model context window: 128K tokens
Your input: 100K tokens
Room left: 28K tokens for output

But there may also be a separate max output token cap:

Context window: 128K
Input tokens: 100K
Remaining room: 28K
Max output cap: 16K

Actual max output: 16K

So the terms mean:

Term Simple meaning

Input tokens What you send in: prompt, code, files, logs, chat history
Output tokens What the model writes back
Context The total text the model can “see” while answering
Context window The maximum token capacity for input + output
Token limit Usually a general term; could mean context limit or output limit

So: context/window is not synonymous with input size. It is the total capacity that input and output share.

Context window - Revision history

Busk: Created page with "Mostly, but not exactly. Context window means the model’s total working space for one request/conversation turn: context window = input tokens + output tokens So if a mod..."