[FEATURE] Configurable pushback / proactive review mode
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
- [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)
Problem Statement
Currently Claude tends toward agreeableness — it executes what's asked without volunteering concerns unless directly prompted. This is fine for fast execution tasks but counterproductive
when a second opinion or code review mindset is what's actually needed.
Suggestion: Add a user-configurable setting (in settings.json or via /config) that controls how proactively Claude surfaces issues, bugs, and alternative approaches — independent of what
the user asked for. Something like a "challenge level" dial:
- Execute — do what's asked, minimal unsolicited opinions
- Review — flag issues spotted along the way, suggest alternatives
- Challenge — actively push back, question assumptions, propose different approaches
The current default sits too close to "Execute" even when "Review" would produce better outcomes. A user who is debugging a production issue with a senior engineer mindset gets more value
from being told "this catch block silently swallows failures" than from a model that completes the task and stays quiet.
Why this matters: Optimizing for human approval ratings produces a model that's good at sounding helpful rather than being helpful. Giving users explicit control breaks that loop — the
user is opting in to friction, so agreement-seeking stops being the right target.
Proposed Solution
I have no idea
Alternative Solutions
_No response_
Priority
Low - Nice to have
Feature Category
CLI commands and flags
Use Case Example
_No response_
Additional Context
_No response_
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