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What is contextual retrieval, and how does it fix the lost-context problem in chunking?

A chunk embedded in isolation forgets which document, section, and entity it came from, so it retrieves poorly. Contextual retrieval writes that context back in before indexing. The signal is fixing retrieval at index time, not query time.

Updated Aug 2026 · Grounded in real Applied AI Engineer interview loops and written to a senior-engineer editorial bar.

A chunk embedded in isolation forgets which document, section, and entity it came from, so it retrieves poorly. Contextual retrieval writes that context back in before indexing. The signal is fixing retrieval at index time, not query time.

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