Claude making verbose code comments – ignoring instructions to stop

A GitHub issue filed against Anthropic's Claude Code reports that the AI assistant adds verbose, redundant code comments by default across all languages and models, and that this behavior persists even when users explicitly instruct it to stop via CLAUDE.md rules and memory settings. The issue, #65961, was filed for Claude Code version 2.1.17 using the claude-opus-4-8 model, and the user describes the impact as high due to significant unwanted changes requiring manual cleanup.

- Notifications /login?return to=%2Fanthropics%2Fclaude-code You must be signed in to change notification settings - Fork 22.7k /login?return to=%2Fanthropics%2Fclaude-code MODEL Claude verbose code comments by default — ignores instructions to stop. 65961 Description Preflight Checklist - I have searched existing issues https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues?q=is%3Aissue%20state%3Aopen%20label%3Amodel for similar behavior reports - This report does NOT contain sensitive information API keys, passwords, etc. Type of Behavior Issue Claude modified files I didn't ask it to modify What You Asked Claude to Do Description Claude Code adds far too many code comments by default. The comments are mostly redundant, restating what the adjacent code already makes obvious. It happens on every language, every model. Crucially, this default persists even when explicitly told to stop: - A clear, mandatory rule in CLAUDE.md does not reliably suppress it. - Reinforcing the rule via the memory system does not stop it either. I suppose the core problem is that verbose commenting is the out-of-the-box default , and that default is strong enough to override explicit user instructions. Users shouldn't have to stack a CLAUDE.md rule + memory entries + enforcement hooks just to get clean code. Environment - Claude Code - Model: claude-opus-4-8 What Claude Actually Did Contant verbose code commenting. Expected Behavior Expected behavior Restrained commenting as the default — comment only genuinely non-obvious constraints or "why" decisions, not self-evident "what." And when a project instruction says to minimize comments, that instruction should be reliably respected. Actual behavior Reflexive explanatory comments on most code output, even when instructed otherwise. Requires constant manual cleanup . Files Affected all 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 High - Significant unwanted changes Claude Code Version 2.1.17 Platform Anthropic API Additional Context No response