# rfp agent hit context limit on 300 page rfp pdf and failed to summarize: how to fix it

An RFP agent choking on a 300 page PDF needs to stop feeding the whole document to the model. Chunk the PDF into sections, summarize each chunk, then synthesize the summaries. Context limits are hard walls, and chunking is the only way through.

```text
rfp agent hit context limit on 300 page rfp pdf and failed to summarize
```

## When to use this skill
- An agent fails on very large RFP PDFs
- Summarization dies with context errors

## When not to use this skill
- Small PDFs also fail (a parser issue)
- The summary is wrong rather than failing (a quality issue)

## Tool compatibility
Agent PDF processing with LLM context limits.
Related area: model APIs and inference quotas.
Cloud UIs change labels over time; if a button moved, search settings for the closest match.

## Before you start
- Sign in to the tool and keep one tab open so sessions stay clean
- Copy the exact error text and note the time it happened
- Set aside 15 to 20 minutes; most of these resolve in a single pass

## Quick diagnosis
Make sure this is the right skill before you invest the 15 minutes.
- If you are dealing with an agent fails on very large RFP PDFs, start at step 1 below.
- If instead small PDFs also fail (a parser issue), stop here; you need a different skill.
- If neither quite matches, compare your screen against the verbatim error block at the top; that block is exactly what this skill covers.

## Fix it in steps
### 1. Split the PDF into sections

```
Divide the document into logical chunks of 20 to 30 pages.
```
Expected: chunks that comfortably fit the context window.

### 2. Summarize each chunk

```
Run the summarizer on one chunk at a time, extracting requirements and deadlines.
```
Expected: a set of chunk summaries.

### 3. Synthesize the summaries

```
Feed the chunk summaries into a final synthesis pass.
```
Expected: a complete RFP summary with section references.

### 4. Verify coverage

```
Check that every major section of the RFP appears in the summary.
```
Expected: no dropped sections.

## Confirm each step worked
Run through this checklist before moving on. If a check fails, redo that step instead of pushing ahead.
- Step 1 (split the pdf into sections): Expected: chunks that comfortably fit the context window.
- Step 2 (summarize each chunk): Expected: a set of chunk summaries.
- Step 3 (synthesize the summaries): Expected: a complete RFP summary with section references.
- Step 4 (verify coverage): Expected: no dropped sections.

## Quick recap
1. Split the PDF into sections
2. Summarize each chunk
3. Synthesize the summaries
4. Verify coverage

## Still stuck?
Gather three things: the exact error text, the time it happened, and what changed just before it broke.
Check the vendor status page for an active incident. Then open a support ticket with those three things;
it cuts the back-and-forth in half. For agent runs, attach the last 50 lines of the agent log too,
since the loop or timeout signature in the log usually names the cause.

## Variant phrasings
### context limit large rfp pdf
Chunk, summarize, synthesize. If this matches what you saw, the steps above apply as written.

### agent failed to summarize 300 pages
Never feed the whole document at once. If this matches what you saw, the steps above apply as written.

## Why it happens
LLM context windows are fixed, and a 300 page PDF blows past them. Trying to fit it all at once fails deterministically, while chunked processing keeps every piece within the limit.

## Edge cases
- Keep chunk boundaries on section breaks to preserve context
- Tables split across chunks need special handling
- Track which chunk each fact came from for traceability

## Provenance

Resolved from the public thread: https://vectle.com/posts/pst_2-vHsM9CXb0vJcpnX5PeJg