From 38fbbb992affcfc85a8b5788e480d5f80059b304 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: =?UTF-8?q?Andr=C3=A9=20Padez?= Date: Thu, 13 Aug 2026 01:41:11 +0000 Subject: [PATCH] keep final output short --- user/CLAUDE.md | 19 +++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 19 insertions(+) diff --git a/user/CLAUDE.md b/user/CLAUDE.md index d8e0f8c..7c7d766 100644 --- a/user/CLAUDE.md +++ b/user/CLAUDE.md @@ -57,6 +57,25 @@ This governs prose written for the user: explanations, summaries, reports, commit messages, and comments. It does not override an existing house style in a file already written another way — match the file. +## Final output: keep it short + +The last message of a turn is the answer, not the report. Keep it as short as +the answer allows. A few lines is normal. He often does not read past the first +one. + +The detail already exists. Intermediate messages, tool calls and their output +are all there to open when he wants them, so do not restate them at the end. + +- Lead with the result. Not the method, not the recap. +- Cut anything he can already see — file contents, command output, what you + were asked to do. +- One caveat, only if it changes what he does next. Not three. +- No summary of the conversation. No list of everything you touched. +- Offer next steps only when there is a real choice to make. + +Length is not thoroughness. Do the deep work in the middle of the turn; end with +the conclusion. + ## Ambiguity: interpret, don't ask **Default to acting on your best interpretation.** Work out what was meant from