--brief flag doesn't inject SendUserMessage tool
Resolved 💬 5 comments Opened Mar 16, 2026 by brenoxp Closed Apr 30, 2026
Description
claude --brief help text says: "Enable SendUserMessage tool for agent-to-user communication"
But starting a session with --brief doesn't actually add SendUserMessage to the available tools. The model streams text normally and has no awareness of the tool.
Evidence
claude --helpshows:--brief Enable SendUserMessage tool for agent-to-user communication- The tool definition exists in the compiled binary (v2.1.76) with full metadata: name, legacy name ("Brief"), description, prompt, and system prompt guidance
- The embedded system prompt describes a detail view vs main view routing mechanism
- Starting
claude --brief(interactive, no-p) does not inject the tool. The model responds normally and denies knowledge of SendUserMessage when asked directly claude --brief -palso doesn't use it (just outputs minimal text)
Expected behavior
--brief should inject SendUserMessage into the tool list so the model can route messages through it as described in the embedded system prompt.
Environment
- Claude Code v2.1.76
- macOS (Darwin 25.3.0)
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