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The Context Loop.

Agentic products should not hide their context layer completely. If users can't see what shaped the output, they can't correct the system when it drifts.

Most agentic products keep their memory hidden. You talk to the agent and get a result, but you can't see what it remembered, which instructions shaped its behaviour, or what it pulled in before answering.

That's a problem. When something goes wrong, the user can't tell whether the fault is in the model or in the context. They can't fix what they can't see.

The instinct is to build a settings panel, a page where users can view and edit everything the agent knows. But most people don't configure the tools they already have. A wall of editable context is another black box. The lid is open, but nobody looks inside.

A better approach is to expose context bit by bit, through the experience itself. Small moments where the user sees what shaped a response and can adjust it. A suggestion that explains why it appeared. A correction that visibly changes what the agent will remember next time. Each one is a feedback loop. The user changes the context, the output improves, and the user learns what context does.

A correction makes one response better. It also teaches the user how the system works, and each adjustment makes the next interaction more useful. Over time, the user stops prompting and starts shaping.

Building that access is the design challenge. It takes dozens of small, well-placed moments where the user learns the mechanics by using them, rather than a transparency dashboard. Context shows up where it matters. Edits take effect right away, where the user can see them. The user doesn't have to understand the system first. Understanding builds up through use.

The products that get this right will build an advantage that compounds. Users won't be locked in. The agent will learn how they work, and they'll know why.