[BUG] `claude -p` / `claude --print` exposes a different tool/default-prompt contract than TUI

Parent tracking issue: https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/issues/59105

Context note: This is a frontend/product-boundary parity issue, not a criticism
of any individual implementation. Since -p / --print behavior is already a
known pain point, and upcoming mid-June frontend-facing changes may depend on
predictable CLI/TUI parity, this should be evaluated as a user-facing parity
risk. The goal is to reduce verification time and avoid customer-facing
regressions with potential business impact.

Summary

claude -p and the TUI expose different tool contracts and different default
system prompt instructions to the model. These are not harmless name changes.
They change the model's action space and guidance.

Observed tool delta

For the same prompt/model/config:

claude -p only:

• Glob
• Grep
• TodoWrite

TUI only:

• TaskCreate
• TaskGet
• TaskList
• TaskUpdate

Common tools: 20.

Rediscovery track

Capture a claude -p / claude --print request and the matching TUI
source=repl_main_thread request in the same state. Extract:

• tools[].name, sorted by name
• system[].text block count and first-line identity
• user message block count, because tool filtering can add or remove reminder

blocks

For source inspection, search stable tool and entrypoint literals:
TaskCreate, TaskGet, TaskList, TaskUpdate, TodoWrite, Glob, Grep,
CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT, sdk-cli, sdk-ts, and sdk-py.

These tools are not shape-compatible aliases

Glob and Grep are dedicated file discovery/search tools. The TUI does not
expose equivalent renamed tools in the captured request; its default prompt
instead tells the model to use Bash find/grep.

TodoWrite and TaskCreate/TaskGet/TaskList/TaskUpdate are related in
purpose, but they are different schemas:

• TodoWrite: one bulk update tool accepting a full todos array with

content, status, and activeForm

• TaskCreate: creates one task with subject, description, optional

activeForm, and metadata

• TaskUpdate: updates a task by taskId, including status, dependencies,

owner, and metadata

• TaskGet / TaskList: read task state

The request includes input schemas, not an explicit output schema, but the input
schemas alone prove these are different action contracts.

Observed default-prompt delta

The third/default system block is also tool-aware.

-p prompt text instructs the model to prefer:

• Read, Edit, Write, Glob, Grep
• TodoWrite

TUI prompt text instructs the model to prefer:

• Read, Edit, Write
• TaskCreate
• Bash find/grep for broad exploration when not using an Agent

So even if a caller tried to patch tool names externally, the model would still
receive stale guidance unless the default prompt also converged.

Why this matters

Tool schemas are part of the model's control plane. Different tool contracts can
change:

• whether the model plans with a task database or a todo-list rewrite
• whether it searches through dedicated tools or Bash commands
• whether evals and CI jobs reproduce TUI behavior
• whether downstream failures are blamed on model behavior instead of scaffold

drift

This is a production parity issue, not just an implementation detail.

Expected

If claude -p is intended as non-interactive Claude Code, it should expose the
same tool/default-prompt contract as the TUI main-thread request unless a
difference is explicitly documented and intentionally selected.

Suggested fix

After fixing entrypoint classification:

1. recapture -p and TUI tool lists
2. confirm whether the tool/default-prompt deltas disappear
3. if they remain, audit command/agent/tool loading for print-mode special cases
4. ensure default prompt text is generated from the same tool profile that is

actually sent in the request

Related issues

• #18131 - print-mode-specific tool-use concurrency errors
• #20508 - duplicate tool_use IDs in -p
• #33343 - --allowedTools not enforced in headless -p
• #36570 / #44756 / #32184 - skill behavior diverges in print/headless mode
• #52917 / #56540 - Task/subagent behavior differs in print/headless mode