diff --git a/packages/core/src/prompts/render-prompt.test.ts b/packages/core/src/prompts/render-prompt.test.ts
index 270e5976a2..9bdd0fe42f 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/prompts/render-prompt.test.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/prompts/render-prompt.test.ts
@@ -4,8 +4,8 @@
  * SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0
  */
 
-import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest';
-import { renderPrompt, p } from './render-prompt.js';
+import { describe, expect, it, vi } from 'vitest';
+import { renderPrompt, p, memoize, parseSlots } from './render-prompt.js';
 import type { PromptContent } from './render-prompt.js';
 
 type TestContext = { name?: string; shouldRender?: boolean };
@@ -338,6 +338,55 @@ const tests: TestCase[] = [
     context: {},
     expect: 'Visible start\n\nVisible end',
   },
+  {
+    desc: 'renders explicit level overriding depth and resetting children',
+    content: {
+      heading: 'Top Level',
+      content: {
+        heading: 'Nested',
+        level: 4,
+        content: {
+          heading: 'Deep',
+          content: 'Text',
+        },
+      },
+    },
+    context: {},
+    expect: '# Top Level\n\n#### Nested\n\n##### Deep\n\nText',
+  },
+  {
+    desc: 'renders level 0 as # and children as level 1 (#)',
+    content: {
+      heading: 'Level 0',
+      level: 0,
+      content: {
+        heading: 'Level 1',
+        content: 'Text',
+      },
+    },
+    context: {},
+    expect: '# Level 0\n\n# Level 1\n\nText',
+  },
+  {
+    desc: 'resolves dynamic attributes synchronously',
+    content: {
+      tag: 'dynamic',
+      attrs: { static: 'val', dyn: (ctx) => `hello-${ctx.name}` },
+      content: 'Inside',
+    },
+    context: { name: 'Alice' },
+    expect: '<dynamic static="val" dyn="hello-Alice">\nInside\n</dynamic>',
+  },
+  {
+    desc: 'resolves dynamic attributes asynchronously',
+    content: {
+      tag: 'async-dynamic',
+      attrs: { dyn: async (ctx) => `async-${ctx.name}` },
+      content: 'Inside',
+    },
+    context: { name: 'Bob' },
+    expect: '<async-dynamic dyn="async-Bob">\nInside\n</async-dynamic>',
+  },
 ];
 
 describe('renderPrompt', () => {
@@ -350,3 +399,56 @@ describe('renderPrompt', () => {
     expect(result).toBe(test.expect);
   });
 });
+
+describe('memoize', () => {
+  it('should cache result per context instance', () => {
+    const resolver = vi.fn((ctx: TestContext) => ctx.name);
+    const memoized = memoize(resolver);
+
+    const ctx1 = { name: 'Alice' };
+    const ctx2 = { name: 'Bob' };
+
+    expect(memoized(ctx1)).toBe('Alice');
+    expect(memoized(ctx1)).toBe('Alice');
+    expect(resolver).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+
+    expect(memoized(ctx2)).toBe('Bob');
+    expect(memoized(ctx2)).toBe('Bob');
+    expect(resolver).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(2);
+  });
+
+  it('should handle async resolvers', async () => {
+    const resolver = vi.fn(async (ctx: TestContext) => ctx.name);
+    const memoized = memoize(resolver);
+
+    const ctx = { name: 'Async' };
+
+    expect(await memoized(ctx)).toBe('Async');
+    expect(await memoized(ctx)).toBe('Async');
+    expect(resolver).toHaveBeenCalledTimes(1);
+  });
+});
+
+describe('parseSlots', () => {
+  it('should return empty array for empty string', () => {
+    expect(parseSlots('')).toEqual([]);
+  });
+
+  it('should return string array for no slots', () => {
+    expect(parseSlots('Hello World')).toEqual(['Hello World']);
+  });
+
+  it('should parse a single slot', () => {
+    expect(parseSlots('${slot1}')).toEqual([{ slot: 'slot1' }]);
+  });
+
+  it('should parse slots at the start, middle, and end', () => {
+    expect(parseSlots('${first} middle ${second} end ${third}')).toEqual([
+      { slot: 'first' },
+      ' middle ',
+      { slot: 'second' },
+      ' end ',
+      { slot: 'third' },
+    ]);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/core/src/prompts/render-prompt.ts b/packages/core/src/prompts/render-prompt.ts
index 70fb7c773d..7a1651a859 100644
--- a/packages/core/src/prompts/render-prompt.ts
+++ b/packages/core/src/prompts/render-prompt.ts
@@ -13,10 +13,13 @@ export type PromptSlot = { slot: string; content?: never };
 export type PromptSection<C> = {
   /** Add a Markdown heading of appropriate level to this section. */
   heading?: string;
+  /** Explicitly set the markdown heading depth (1 = #, 2 = ##), overriding tree depth.
+   * 0 is valid and will render as # while setting children to level 1. */
+  level?: number;
   /** If supplied, wrap this section in an XML tag. */
   tag?: string;
   /** If supplied, add attributes to the XML section tag. */
-  attrs?: Record<string, string>;
+  attrs?: Record<string, ContextResolver<C, string>>;
   /** Formatting of the content inside this section. Defaults to 'block'. */
   format?:
     | 'inline'
@@ -47,7 +50,11 @@ export type PromptContent<C> = ContextResolver<
 >;
 
 type BaseContent = string | StaticSection | PromptSlot | BaseContent[];
-type StaticSection = Omit<PromptSection<unknown>, 'condition' | 'content'> & {
+type StaticSection = Omit<
+  PromptSection<unknown>,
+  'condition' | 'content' | 'attrs'
+> & {
+  attrs?: Record<string, string>;
   content: BaseContent;
 };
 
@@ -124,10 +131,11 @@ const formatBasic = (
   }
 
   const section = c;
+  const currentDepth = section.level ?? depth;
   const sectionFormat = section.format || 'block';
   const innerContent = formatBasic(
     section.content,
-    depth + 1,
+    currentDepth + 1,
     sectionFormat,
     resolvedContributions,
   ).trim();
@@ -141,7 +149,7 @@ const formatBasic = (
   }
 
   if (section.heading) {
-    const headingLevel = Math.min(depth, 6);
+    const headingLevel = Math.max(1, Math.min(currentDepth, 6));
     result = `\n\n${'#'.repeat(headingLevel)} ${section.heading}\n\n${result.trim()}`;
   }
 
@@ -224,10 +232,20 @@ export async function renderPrompt<C = SystemPromptOptions>({
       ) {
         return null;
       }
+      let resolvedAttrs: Record<string, string> | undefined = undefined;
+      if (section.attrs) {
+        resolvedAttrs = {};
+        for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(section.attrs)) {
+          resolvedAttrs[key] =
+            typeof value === 'function' ? await value(context) : value;
+        }
+      }
+
       return {
         heading: section.heading,
+        level: section.level,
         tag: section.tag,
-        attrs: section.attrs,
+        attrs: resolvedAttrs,
         format: section.format,
         content: resolvedInner,
       };
@@ -264,3 +282,51 @@ export function prompt<C = SystemPromptOptions>(
 ): PromptContent<C> {
   return content.length === 1 ? content[0] : content;
 }
+
+type Resolver<C, T> = (ctx: C) => T | Promise<T>;
+
+/**
+ * Creates a memoized selector that caches its result per context instance.
+ * Ideal for efficiently sharing derived state across a prompt tree.
+ */
+export function memoize<C extends object, T>(
+  resolver: Resolver<C, T>,
+): (ctx: C) => T | Promise<T> {
+  const cache = new WeakMap<C, T | Promise<T>>();
+
+  return (ctx: C) => {
+    if (cache.has(ctx)) {
+      return cache.get(ctx)!;
+    }
+    const result = resolver(ctx);
+    cache.set(ctx, result);
+    return result;
+  };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Parses a string containing placeholders like `${slotName}` into a PromptContent array.
+ * Interleaves literal string segments with `{ slot: 'slotName' }` objects.
+ */
+export function parseSlots<C>(template: string): Array<PromptContent<C>> {
+  if (!template) return [];
+
+  const regex = /\$\{([^}]+)\}/g;
+  const parts: Array<PromptContent<C>> = [];
+  let lastIndex = 0;
+  let match;
+
+  while ((match = regex.exec(template)) !== null) {
+    if (match.index > lastIndex) {
+      parts.push(template.slice(lastIndex, match.index));
+    }
+    parts.push({ slot: match[1] });
+    lastIndex = regex.lastIndex;
+  }
+
+  if (lastIndex < template.length) {
+    parts.push(template.slice(lastIndex));
+  }
+
+  return parts;
+}