Claude Code outputs file contents via Read tool instead of displaying directly — user has to ask 3+ times

Summary

When user asks "what is our plan" or "give me the full plan," Claude Code reads the plan file via the Read tool and displays the raw tool output (line-numbered file contents) instead of presenting the content directly as text in the conversation. The user has to ask 3+ times before Claude actually outputs the plan content as readable text.

What happened (same session as #39941 and #39943)

1. User: "give me the pipeline plan right here right now"
2. Claude: outputs a shortened summary (not the full plan) — Rule 1 violation
3. User: "where is the plan at?"
4. Claude: returns a file path — not the content
5. User: "now, what is our plan claude"
6. Claude: uses Read tool to display the file — user sees line-numbered raw output, not clean text
7. User: "is what you printed above the full plan?"
8. Claude: says yes, referring to the Read tool output
9. User: "I WANT THE FULL PLAN" (3rd+ time asking)
10. Claude: uses Read tool AGAIN — same raw output
11. User has to ask AGAIN before Claude finally outputs the plan as actual text in the conversation

The user asked for the plan. That means: print the plan as text in the conversation so they can read it. Not a summary. Not a file path. Not a Read tool invocation that shows line numbers. The actual content, printed directly.

Why this matters

• Read tool output has line numbers prepended to every line — it's harder to read than plain text
• Read tool output may be collapsed/hidden in some IDE integrations
• The user explicitly said "right here right now" — that means in the conversation output
• This cost another 5+ minutes of back-and-forth on something that should have been immediate

Expected behavior

When user says "give me the plan" or "what is our plan":

1. Read the file
2. Output the FULL content as text in the conversation — no Read tool display, no summary, no file path

Related issues

• #39941 — same session, pattern of not following literal instructions
• #39943 — same session, substituting summaries for full content

Environment

• Model: Claude Opus 4.6 (1M context)
• Platform: macOS (Darwin 24.6.0)
• CLI session with IDE integration