Context Drift in RAG

March 6, 2026 · View on GitHub

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When answers alternate or degrade as dialogs get longer, even though the retriever continues to surface the right snippets.
This page stabilizes λ (semantic convergence) and prevents entropy creep in retrieval-augmented pipelines.


Open these first


Core acceptance

  • ΔS(question, retrieved) ≤ 0.45 across full chain
  • λ stays convergent across 3 paraphrases and 2 seeds
  • Coverage ≥ 0.70 for target section, even after N steps
  • E_resonance stable on long dialog windows

Typical symptoms → exact fix

SymptomLikely causeOpen this
Same question asked twice, different answersλ drift with long chainEntropy Collapse, Logic Collapse
Correct snippets retrieved, answer drops citationpayload contract erosionData Contracts, Retrieval Traceability
Paraphrase of query yields different groundingunstable λ_observeRetrieval Playbook
Long dialog overwrites memorybuffer collapseMemory Long Context

Fix in 60 seconds

  1. Three-paraphrase probe

    • Ask the same question three ways.
    • If λ flips between paraphrases, lock snippet schema and apply BBAM variance clamp.
  2. ΔS check over chain

    • Log ΔS(question,retrieved) across 5–10 dialog turns.
    • If ΔS rises over time, re-segment and enforce citation-first prompting.
  3. Apply module


Copy-paste probe prompt

I uploaded TXT OS and the WFGY Problem Map.

My issue:
- same query gives different answers in long dialog
- traces: ΔS(question,retrieved)=..., λ states across 3 paraphrases

Tell me:
1) where context drift occurs,
2) the exact WFGY page to open,
3) the minimal fix to enforce convergence,
4) a reproducible test over 5 turns.

🔗 Quick-Start Downloads (60 sec)

ToolLink3-Step Setup
WFGY 1.0 PDFEngine Paper1️⃣ Download · 2️⃣ Upload to your LLM · 3️⃣ Ask “Answer using WFGY +
TXT OS (plain-text OS)TXTOS.txt1️⃣ Download · 2️⃣ Paste into any LLM chat · 3️⃣ Type “hello world” — OS boots instantly

Explore More

LayerPageWhat it’s for
⭐ ProofWFGY Recognition MapExternal citations, integrations, and ecosystem proof
⚙️ EngineWFGY 1.0Original PDF tension engine and early logic sketch (legacy reference)
⚙️ EngineWFGY 2.0Production tension kernel for RAG and agent systems
⚙️ EngineWFGY 3.0TXT based Singularity tension engine (131 S class set)
🗺️ MapProblem Map 1.0Flagship 16 problem RAG failure taxonomy and fix map
🗺️ MapProblem Map 2.0Global Debug Card for RAG and agent pipeline diagnosis
🗺️ MapProblem Map 3.0Global AI troubleshooting atlas and failure pattern map
🧰 AppTXT OS.txt semantic OS with fast bootstrap
🧰 AppBlah Blah BlahAbstract and paradox Q&A built on TXT OS
🧰 AppBlur Blur BlurText to image generation with semantic control
🏡 OnboardingStarter VillageGuided entry point for new users

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