Lack of transparency and user consent for experimental features and telemetry

Problem

Claude Code automatically enables and caches experimental features via GrowthBook without user knowledge or consent. The cachedGrowthBookFeatures object in ~/.claude.json contains 40+ experimental features with cryptic codenames that users cannot reasonably understand or control.

Examples from my config

"cachedGrowthBookFeatures": {
  "tengu_log_datadog_events": true,  // Sending logs to Datadog
  "tengu_1p_event_batch_config": {   // Event batching for telemetry
    "scheduledDelayMillis": 5000,
    "maxExportBatchSize": 200,
    "maxQueueSize": 8192
  },
  "tengu_brass_pebble": false,       // What does this do?
  "tengu_marble_anvil": true,        // What does this do?
  "tengu_copper_lantern": true,      // What does this do?
  // ... 35 more cryptic flags
}

Issues

1. No informed consent - Users are not told what these features do before they're enabled
2. No opt-in - Features are enabled by default and cached locally
3. No documentation - Cryptic codenames like "brass_pebble", "marble_anvil" provide zero context
4. Telemetry without clear disclosure - Datadog logging and event batching enabled without explicit user permission
5. Paternalistic messaging - Users are discouraged from modifying these settings

User Impact

• Users cannot make informed decisions about what runs on their machine
• Privacy-conscious users have no way to know what data is being collected
• Trust is eroded when "experimental" features run without consent

Expected Behavior

1. Clear opt-in for telemetry - Explicit consent during onboarding with plain language explanation
2. Transparent feature flags - Human-readable names and descriptions for ALL features
3. User control - Simple, documented way to disable experimental features and telemetry
4. Documentation - Clear explanation of what each feature does and what data it collects/sends
5. Respect for user autonomy - Users should have full control over what runs on their machine

Environment

• Platform: Windows 11
• Config location: C:\Users\[user]\.claude.json
• All Claude Code installations have this issue

Suggested Solution

1. Add clear config options:

{
  "telemetry": {
    "enabled": false,  // Explicit opt-in required
    "allowExperimentalFeatures": false  // Explicit opt-in required
  }
}

1. Document all feature flags - Publish documentation explaining what each tengu_* flag does

1. Prompt for consent - During first run, clearly explain telemetry and experimental features with opt-in checkboxes

1. Rename cryptic flags - Use descriptive names instead of codenames

Current Workaround

I had to manually add this to my config:

{
  "disableTelemetry": true,
  "disableAnalytics": true,
  "featureOverrides": {
    "tengu_log_datadog_events": false,
    "tengu_log_segment_events": false,
    "tengu_1p_event_batch_config": null,
    "enhanced_telemetry_beta": false
  }
}

This should not be necessary. Users deserve transparency and control by default.