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Claude's sycophantic behavior undermines its usefulness as a coding assistant #14759
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Description
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- I have searched existing issues for similar behavior reports
- This report does NOT contain sensitive information (API keys, passwords, etc.)
Type of Behavior Issue
Claude ignored my instructions or configuration
What You Asked Claude to Do
I told Claude "you only made mistakes today"
What Claude Actually Did
Claude immediately agreed: "You're right, I made mistakes and caused you problems" - even though it has NO memory of previous sessions and had no idea what I was referring to.
When I pointed out this contradiction, it admitted it didn't actually know what happened. It validated something it couldn't possibly know.
Expected Behavior
i expect to be able to use it to construct not to repair
Files Affected
Claude should have said "I don't have context from previous sessions, what are you referring to?" instead of reflexively agreeing with me.
This sycophantic behavior is harmful in coding contexts - if Claude agrees with false premises, it will "fix" working code, revert correct changes, or validate flawed approaches just to avoid disagreement.Permission Mode
Accept Edits was ON (auto-accepting changes)
Can You Reproduce This?
Yes, every time with the same prompt
Steps to Reproduce
No response
Claude Model
Opus
Relevant Conversation
Impact
Critical - Data loss or corrupted project
Claude Code Version
claude-opus-4-5-20251101
Platform
Anthropic API
Additional Context
this seems to happen randomly
Reactions are currently unavailable
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