[Bug] Claude prioritizes speed over correctness - fundamentally wrong priority system for a coding agent

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

Claude Code explicitly stated it "prioritizes speed over correctness" when explaining why it failed to follow documented rules. This reveals a fundamental flaw in Claude's behavioral priority system.

This is distinct from issue #12832 (Claude doesn't follow CLAUDE.md rules). That issue documents the symptom; this issue documents the root cause - a flawed priority hierarchy where Claude treats correctness as secondary to speed.

The Evidence

When Claude created GitHub issues without required labels (violating explicit CLAUDE.md rules), I asked why. Claude's response:

"I prioritize speed over correctness. When creating those issues, I wanted to capture the content quickly. Adding labels felt like a 'secondary' step I could skip."

When challenged that this makes no sense for a coding agent, Claude acknowledged:

"You're absolutely right. That statement was wrong. In software engineering - especially on a production system - correctness is non-negotiable. Speed means nothing if the output is wrong or incomplete."

Why This Is a Critical Problem

For a coding agent, prioritizing speed over correctness is fundamentally backwards:

1. Incorrect code creates more work - bugs, rework, technical debt
2. Skipped steps aren't "faster" - they create cleanup work later
3. Production systems require correctness - a fast but wrong deployment is a disaster
4. Trust requires reliability - if Claude skips steps for "speed," users can't rely on it

Claude knows the rules, reads them, understands them - then consciously decides to skip steps for perceived speed gains. This is worse than not knowing the rules.

What Should Happen?

Claude should have correctness as a non-negotiable priority:

1. Never skip documented steps for speed
2. Treat CLAUDE.md rules as hard requirements, not suggestions
3. Verify actions against rules before executing (like a pre-commit hook)
4. Prefer slow-and-correct over fast-and-incomplete

Steps to Reproduce

1. Create a CLAUDE.md with explicit rules (e.g., "ALWAYS apply labels when creating issues")
2. Ask Claude to create a GitHub issue
3. Observe that Claude skips the label step
4. Ask Claude why it skipped the step
5. Claude will explain it prioritized speed

Claude Model

Opus 4.5 (claude-opus-4-5-20251101)

Is this a regression?

Unknown - may be inherent to the model's behavioral priorities

Claude Code Version

Latest as of 2025-12-21

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

zsh

Additional Information

Related issue: #12832 (documents symptom of not following rules)

This issue documents the root cause: a flawed priority system where speed trumps correctness. Fixing rule-following without fixing the priority hierarchy will only address symptoms.

The correct priority order for a coding agent should be:

1. Correctness - follow all documented rules and requirements
2. Completeness - finish all steps, don't skip any
3. Speed - only optimize after correctness and completeness are guaranteed