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Claudette: Make Claude stop talking like a BuzzFeed article

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Re: Claudette: Make Claude stop talking like a BuzzFeed article

#21

Post by vrosas »

mmastrac wrote: post #14

I've started giving these instructions and I think I've been much more successful in generating clear output: Comment blocks are Limiting the number of words is the strongest factor in cleaning up the output, IMO. For older code I've instructed it to delete all the comments, and then I re-comment it using a new session and these guidelines, asking it to rejustify the need for every comment to itself.

The problem is, when the context window grows, Claude tends to forget these kinds of rules. It will then do whatever it wants. I had to outright ban comments in the global claude.md, the local claude.md AND write a hook to catch any that still slipped through.

Re: Claudette: Make Claude stop talking like a BuzzFeed article

#22

Post by the_sleaze_ »

datakan wrote: post #9

Has Anthropic said anything about how or why Claude writes the way it does? So many people hate it, seems like they need to do some damage control there. I haven't had the same problems others have but I'm also not a heavy user of it.

They say you aren't interacting with an LLM or a model, but the character that the LLM is playing - the "always be positive and helpful software engineer"

Re: Claudette: Make Claude stop talking like a BuzzFeed article

#23

Post by collingreen »

zengid wrote: post #6

this isn't just necessary, it's mandatory. that's the difference.

This is the load bearing comment, and it cuts more deeply than you thought.

Let me ground my answer so I'm not just guessing. The blast radius of this change is significant and requires careful surgery to get right.

It's clear now and there's two options going forward: A. Use this tool OP suggested B. Rewrite the Internet from the ground up without this clear contradiction in place - 3-5 days

I recommend B and started 3 subagents to read all the code before I get started. I'll wait for them to finish.

Re: Claudette: Make Claude stop talking like a BuzzFeed article

#26

Post by jayers »

walthamstow wrote: post #4

It's such a sad indictment of Anthropic's product that so many people hate interacting with it. Claude is on its way to the Microsoft Teams zone of hatred.

I think it would happen with any persona that Anthropic chose. I enjoyed the bouncy, optimistic style at first. I've since grown to hate it.

Re: Claudette: Make Claude stop talking like a BuzzFeed article

#27

Post by sscaryterry »

walthamstow wrote: post #20
fowkswe wrote: post #15

https://x.com/ClaudeDevs/status/2090245922685063634 Haven't tried, because I have just been using 4.6 since 5 was released.

Concise mode is likely the same buzzword salad but with fewer connecting words and terser sentences. Same with Caveman. The way it writes is fundamental to how it was trained.

Yep, they're putting lipstick on the pig.

Re: Claudette: Make Claude stop talking like a BuzzFeed article

#28

Post by lunchbucket »

matheusmoreira wrote: post #17
pkulak wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You… get angry?

Claude will end the conversation if you berate it when it screws something up.

That's interesting but raised the same question, why berate a machine? Either the agent is not a person, in which case, anything it does wrong is your fault. Or it is a person, it can be blamed for mistakes, but then we can't in good conscious use it as a tool.

Re: Claudette: Make Claude stop talking like a BuzzFeed article

#29

Post by Razengan »

matheusmoreira wrote: post #17
pkulak wrote: post #12

Earlier quoted context omitted.

You… get angry?

Claude will end the conversation if you berate it when it screws something up.

wow

I've been saying this since probably a year, that the entire Claude product: from the sign-up, the payment, the UX, the UI, the harness, the intelligence itself, the output, the "flavor" ..is just so mid that all the hype posted on HN about Claude must have been paid PR or a case of the emperor with no clothes.

Re: Claudette: Make Claude stop talking like a BuzzFeed article

#30

Post by mandeepj »

vrosas wrote: post #21
mmastrac wrote: post #14

I've started giving these instructions and I think I've been much more successful in generating clear output: Comment blocks are Limiting the number of words is the strongest factor in cleaning up the output, IMO. For older code I've instructed it to delete all the comments, and then I re-comment it using a new session and these guidelines, asking it to rejustify the need for every comment to itself.

The problem is, when the context window grows, Claude tends to forget these kinds of rules. It will then do whatever it wants. I had to outright ban comments in the global claude.md, the local claude.md AND write a hook to catch any that still slipped through.

> The problem is, when the context window grows,

You know the problem; then why not address it? Does Compacting the context not help?

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