Context Engineering: From Vibe Coder to Software Engineer
Vibe coding lowers the barrier to entry. This book raises the ceiling.
By Craig Trulove
AI tools have created a new path into software development. People who never studied computer science can now build working applications by “vibe coding” — iterating with AI until something works.
And it works. They ship real things.
But there’s a ceiling. Their software breaks in production. They can’t collaborate with other developers. They can’t maintain what they’ve built.
This book is the path from “it works” to “I’m an engineer.”
What You’ll Learn
15 chapters across 4 parts, each teaching context engineering AND software engineering:
- Part I: Foundations — What context engineering is and how to think about it
- Part II: Core Techniques — System prompts, conversation history, RAG, retrieval, tool use
- Part III: Building Real Systems — Memory, multi-agent systems, production deployment
- Part IV: Quality & Operations — Testing, debugging, security, and the path forward
- 5 Appendices — Tool references, pattern library, debugging cheat sheet, cost guide, glossary
The Recurring Example: CodebaseAI
Throughout the book, we build and evolve a single project — an AI assistant that answers questions about a codebase. It starts simple and grows to production-ready, demonstrating every technique.
Two Curricula in One
Every chapter teaches both context engineering (the AI-specific skill) and software engineering (the timeless discipline). You’ll learn system prompt design alongside API design, RAG alongside data architecture, and AI testing alongside testing methodology.
Download the PDF | Code Examples on GitHub
Want help implementing context engineering in your organization? Talk to an expert at Augmented Advisors →