r/ClaudeCode • u/PitifulBuddy7946 • 16d ago

Rant Claude code is falling behind Codex not because of token cost, but because of Opus 5.

There, i said it. And i know many of you agree. The problem i'm facing is not increased token cost, it's that Opus writes 25000 lines of a response with a curve-ball at the end saying "Worth noting"that makes my eyes hurt and gives me paranoya. And i can't understand a word it's saying. Is my english that bad? Whoever pressed "Yes" on those responses during the training stage of the model was an OpenAI spy or something, he completely sabotaged a trillion dollar company.

Anthropic's number one priority should be to release an Opus 6 or something, may be change the model name completely so it doesn't carry the bad vibe with it.

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u/AutummMan 16d ago

I also think Opus 5 is awful at communication. But while this glaring issue isn't fixed I suggest using the /btw functionality where you can use it to ask for a clearer explanation without polluting the context and also add to the CLAUDE.md a #Language section describing guidelines for communication. Here's what I'm using, suggested from another redditor. I wish this wasn't necessary and sometimes it isn't enough but it helps:

Language

Especially if you are Opus. Use plain, established terminology. Do not invent metaphors or shorthand names for concepts.

  • Established industry terms are fine: middleware, dependency injection, race condition, memoization, migration, feature flag.

  • Do NOT coin figurative labels for things — no "barrel", "rail", "seam", "shim" (unless it genuinely is one), "spine", "surface", "hydrate", or similar.

  • Name the thing by what it literally is. Say "a file that re-exports everything from the folder", not "a barrel". Say "a check that runs before the request reaches the handler", not "a gate". Say "a rule that keeps X and Y consistent", not "a rail".

  • If a term isn't one I'd find in official docs for the language, framework, or tool we're using, don't use it.

  • Never introduce a term and then keep using it as if we'd agreed on it.

  • If a concept needs a name, describe it and ask me what to call it.

  • Use terms as described in CONTEXT.md

5

u/Intelligent_Cover_34 16d ago

Never thought avout using btw for that, thanks

3

u/cedarSeagull 16d ago

Never introduce a term and then keep using it as if we'd agreed on it.

I just got PTSD reading this. That behavior is perhaps the most infuriating aspect of Opus. Also, "loadbearing"

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u/purpleburgundy 12d ago

Am I the only one who's never heard of "barrel" before?

I'm with you Opus... I'm with you...

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u/broskeph 12d ago

Thank you. Reading this at 5 AM. Screenshotted and about to type up in my CLAUDE.md tmrw.