Context management

Managing context

Context files contain information you want Amazon Q to consider during your conversations. These can include project requirements, coding standards, development rules, or any other information that helps Amazon Q provide more relevant responses.

Adding context

You can add files or directories to your context using the /context add command:

q chat
> /context add README.md
Added 1 path(s) to profile context.

To add a file to the global context (available across all profiles), use the --global flag:

q chat
> /context add --global coding-standards.md
Added 1 path(s) to global context.

You can also add multiple files at once using glob patterns:

q chat
> /context add docs/*.md
Added 3 path(s) to profile context.

Viewing context

To view your current context, use the /context show command:

q chat
> /context show
Global context:
  /home/user/coding-standards.md

Profile context (terraform):
  /home/user/terraform-project/README.md
  /home/user/terraform-project/docs/architecture.md
  /home/user/terraform-project/docs/best-practices.md

Removing context

To remove files from your context, use the /context rm command:

q chat
> /context rm docs/architecture.md
Removed 1 path(s) from profile context.

To remove files from the global context, use the --global flag:

q chat
> /context rm --global coding-standards.md
Removed 1 path(s) from global context.

To clear all files from your context, use the /context clear command:

q chat
> /context clear
Cleared all paths from profile context.

To clear the global context, use the --global flag:

q chat
> /context clear --global
Cleared all paths from global context.

Common use cases

Here are some common use cases for context profiles:

Using project rules

Amazon Q supports project-level rules that can define security guidelines and restrictions. These rules are defined in Markdown files in the .amazonq/rules directory of your project.

For example, you can create rules that specify:

Project rules can be added to your context using the /context add command:

q chat
> /context add .amazonq/rules/*.md
Added 3 path(s) to profile context.

You can also add project rules to your global context to apply them across all profiles:

q chat
> /context add --global .amazonq/rules/security-standards.md
Added 1 path(s) to global context.

For more information about creating and using project rules, see Creating project rules for use with Amazon Q Developer chat in the IDE documentation.