---
title: "What is a context graph?"
description: "A context graph links what an agent retrieved, chose, and produced, so you can inspect why it acted."
url: "https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-a-context-graph"
updated: "2026-09-29"
vertical: "Agents"
doc: "https://docs.pixeltable.com/overview/quick-start"
---

# What is a context graph?

A context graph links what an agent retrieved, chose, and produced, so you can inspect why it acted.

Updated: 2026-09-29
Part of [What is an agent session log?](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-an-agent-session-log).

## On this page

- [How it works](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-a-context-graph#how-it-works)
- [What it is not](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-a-context-graph#what-it-is-not)
- [Comparison](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-a-context-graph#comparison)
- [Where Pixeltable fits](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-a-context-graph#where-pixeltable-fits)
- [Questions](https://pixeltable.com/learn/what-is-a-context-graph#questions)

## How it works {#how-it-works}


- Nodes are turns, retrievals, and outputs.
- Edges say which retrieval a decision used.
- You walk them when an answer looks wrong.

## What it is not {#what-it-is-not}

It is not a knowledge graph of a company wiki, and it is not a chain-of-thought string.

## context graph: this, and the thing it is confused with {#comparison}

|  | This | Not this |
| --- | --- | --- |
| About | This agent’s decisions | The company’s encyclopedia |
| Stored as | Linked rows | A hidden reasoning trace |
| Use | Audit a decision | Chat |

## Where Pixeltable fits {#where-pixeltable-fits}

Pixeltable can record those links as rows and foreign keys on the session tables, which is the graph.

## Questions {#questions}

### How does context graph work? {#faq-1}

Nodes are turns, retrievals, and outputs. Edges say which retrieval a decision used. You walk them when an answer looks wrong.

### What is context graph often confused with? {#faq-2}

It is not a knowledge graph of a company wiki, and it is not a chain-of-thought string.

## In the blog

- [Why Pixeltable is the Ultimate Agent Harness](https://pixeltable.com/blog/pixeltable-agent-harness)
- [Context Graphs and Decision Traces: Building the Data Plane for Agentic AI](https://pixeltable.com/blog/context-graphs-decision-traces-agentic-ai)

## Related

- [Documentation](https://docs.pixeltable.com/overview/quick-start)
- [Context Graphs and Decision Traces: Building the Data Plane for Agentic AI](https://pixeltable.com/blog/context-graphs-decision-traces-agentic-ai)
- [Agents as Data: Why the Session Log Should Be Your System of Record](https://pixeltable.com/blog/agents-as-data-session-log-system-of-record)