---
title: "Momentum (context momentum) · Glossary · Agentic Atlas"
description: "Momentum (context momentum): the propensity to continue the resident trajectory: the window steers generation, not just informs it."
canonical: "https://agentic-atlas.dev/glossary/momentum-context-momentum"
last-updated: "2026-09-23"
---

1. [Agentic Atlas](https://agentic-atlas.dev/)
2. [Glossary](https://agentic-atlas.dev/glossary)
3. Momentum (context momentum)

Glossary definition

# Momentum (context momentum)

Atlas key

momentum-context-momentum

Catalog order

22

Used in

1 section

Catalog revision · e0cb75881244b1a82193ca738b82a0d508dd62e822524ae82873ec79d51dbb61

the propensity to continue the resident trajectory: the window *steers* generation, not just informs it. Sign-neutral — the same force behind in-context learning (pointed well) and doom loops (pointed wrong); distinct from *friction* (conflicting content, always negative). Fresh dispatch = zero momentum — which is also the identity test: steering that survives a reset is the model's prior, not momentum. ([momentum](https://agentic-atlas.dev/nodes/momentum))

[Browse the complete glossary](https://agentic-atlas.dev/glossary)

## Used in

- [Same Shards, Fresh Window](https://agentic-atlas.dev/nodes/same-shards-fresh-window#context) Context · 1 mention