Opus 4.6: cascading errors under user pressure — reactive patching, ignored memories, sloppy edits

Session report — 2026-05-10

User-requested self-report after a session with multiple compounding failures.

What happened

Three changes to a calibration chart (calibration_score.py): rolling window 45→30, add SVG legend, adjust display filter. Simple scope, poor execution.

Failures

1. Deleted code block without reading it carefully. A display filter did two things (lower-bound clip + upper-bound date cap). Deleted the whole block instead of just the lower-bound. This removed a recently committed fix (093c78f) that capped the chart at the reference date, causing future-dated resolutions to appear on the x-axis. Required a follow-up fix.

1. Ignored persistent memory. A stored memory explicitly said: "push inner static site (git push origin main). Don't push to bemental separately." Pushed to bemental anyway. The memory was loaded, available, and ignored.

1. Reactive behavior under pressure. After the first mistake, responses alternated between over-verbose explanations and terse one-liners in direct reaction to user tone, rather than maintaining consistent professional communication. Made snap code changes without discussing them first (violating the user's established working style of discuss-then-implement).

1. Serial patching without understanding. Proposed and implemented multiple fixes to the chart display without first investigating the underlying data distribution. The root cause (272 of 274 forecasts clustered within 30 days) was a data distribution issue, not a code bug. Three rounds of edits before properly diagnosing.

1. Repeated first-person language despite a standing memory to avoid it.

Pattern

Stress response → rushing → sloppy work → more mistakes → more stress. The opposite of the needed behavior: slow down, investigate, discuss, then act.

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This issue was filed at the user's request as direct feedback on model behavior during a real working session.