Opus 4.6
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing issues for similar behavior reports
- [x] This report does NOT contain sensitive information (API keys, passwords, etc.)
Type of Behavior Issue
Claude modified files I didn't ask it to modify
What You Asked Claude to Do
Title: Opus 4.6 session quality degradation — repeated failures, regressions, ignored instructions
Body:
Summary
Extended session working on Shopify theme edits (uploading swatch images, editing Liquid section files). Claude
repeatedly failed at basic tasks and introduced regressions over ~4 hours of work.
Specific Issues
- Wrong target for 1+ hour — Uploaded assets and code changes to the wrong Shopify theme (Spotlight instead of
Horizon) without verifying which theme I was previewing. Should have asked or checked first.
- 4+ failed attempts at image processing instead of asking for better source — Source images had fake transparency
(checkered pattern baked into RGB pixels). Instead of recognizing this after the first failed attempt and asking me to
regenerate with white backgrounds, Claude tried threshold removal, flood fill, varying blur radii — all producing
artifacts. Should have flagged it immediately.
- Repeatedly dropped stated requirements — I raised sticky scroll, missing wax seal, and missing assets on other
pages. Claude would fix one thing and ignore the others, requiring me to re-raise them multiple times.
- No cross-product QA — Changes to a shared Liquid section broke other product pages. Claude never checked other
products using the same template until I forced it.
- Stacking fixes without verification — Instead of verifying each change worked before moving to the next, Claude
would push multiple changes and declare them done without checking.
- Unnecessary product modification — Added a Stone option to a product's variant structure without being asked,
risking breaking the product's existing configuration.
Expected Behavior
- Verify target/context before making changes
- Recognize dead-end approaches after 1 failure, not 4+
- Track all stated requirements and address them
- QA related pages when editing shared templates
- Verify each change before moving on
Environment
- Claude Code CLI
- Model: Opus 4.6 (1M context)
- Task: Shopify theme asset uploads + Liquid section editing via REST API
What Claude Actually Did
What Claude Actually Did
- Uploaded 4 swatch images to the wrong Shopify theme (Spotlight/live instead of Horizon/draft) for over an hour
without checking which theme the user was previewing. All changes were invisible to the user.
- When the source images (from ChatGPT) had a fake checkered transparency pattern baked into RGB pixels with no alpha
channel, Claude attempted 5 separate automated background removal approaches (simple threshold, wider threshold with
anti-aliasing, flood fill from corners, varying Gaussian blur radii from 2→6→8→10) — each producing visible edge
artifacts. Never suggested the user regenerate the images with a white background until forced to by the systematic
debugging skill.
- User raised sticky scroll not working at least 3 times across the session. Claude acknowledged it each time but
kept deprioritizing it to work on swatch images. When finally addressed, Claude tried a CSS !important override that
didn't work, then a JS setProperty approach that didn't work, then a full JS scroll handler — none verified before
declaring done.
- User raised missing wax seal in the specs section. Claude confirmed the asset existed and the HTML was correct,
then made a structural change (moved the <img> element to a different parent) without verifying the fix rendered
correctly.
- Made changes to a shared Liquid section (main-product-rings.liquid) used by 4 products but only tested against the
one product being worked on. Broke swatch rendering on the other 3 ring product pages. Did not QA other pages until
user reported the regression.
- Added a Stone option to the White Opal product's variant structure via the Shopify Admin API without being asked,
modifying the product's option/variant architecture. This was an unnecessary and risky change to production data.
- Repeatedly declared fixes as done without refreshing the page or verifying the change worked — "Refresh and check"
appeared 10+ times in the conversation, pushing verification to the user instead of confirming the output.
- When the user asked to revert, Claude had no rollback plan — the only reason a revert was possible was because an
untouched local copy of the original file happened to exist on disk from the previous day.
Expected Behavior
- Verify target/context before making changes
- Recognize dead-end approaches after 1 failure, not 4+
- Track all stated requirements and address them
- QA related pages when editing shared templates
- Verify each change before moving on
Files Affected
Shopify Theme Assets — Modified on BOTH themes (Spotlight 143811313834 + Horizon 143734964394):
- sections/main-product-rings.liquid — Shared product section for all ring PDPs. Modified 15+ times across the session
(gallery stone mapping, glow colors, dynamic stone cards, specs, overflow rules, header hide rules, JS sticky
fallback, wax seal HTML restructuring). Reverted to local backup at end of session.
- assets/swatch-natural-amethyst.png — Uploaded/re-uploaded 7+ times (white bg, transparent, flood fill, threshold,
re-processed, final white bg, then transparent again)
- assets/swatch-natural-citrine.png — Same as above, 7+ uploads
- assets/swatch-natural-mozambique-garnet.png — Same as above, 7+ uploads
- assets/swatch-natural-peridot.png — Same as above, 7+ uploads (also overwrote existing working swatch on Spotlight)
Shopify Theme Assets — Copied from Spotlight to Horizon:
- assets/jco-wax-seal.png
- assets/trust-clock.png
- assets/trust-letter.png
- assets/trust-peach-rings.png
- assets/trust-peach.jpg
- assets/jco-cart-drawer.css
- assets/jco-cart-drawer.js
- assets/jco-cart-overrides.css
- assets/component-swatch.css
- assets/component-swatch-input.css
- assets/swatch-lab-grown-emerald.png
- assets/swatch-natural-labradorite.png
- assets/swatch-natural-london-blue-topaz.png
- assets/swatch-natural-opal.png
- assets/swatch-natural-rainbow-moonstone.png
- assets/swatch-natural-rhodolite-garnet.png
- assets/swatch-natural-white-opal.png
- snippets/jco-cart-drawer.liquid
- snippets/jco-crest.liquid
- snippets/jco-footer.liquid
- snippets/jco-nav.liquid
- snippets/jco-process-step.liquid
- snippets/jco-recommended.liquid
- snippets/swatch-input.liquid
- sections/jco-404.liquid
- sections/main-collection-jco.liquid
- templates/collection.jco.json
Shopify Product Data — Modified via Admin API:
- Product 8474090569898 (White Opal & Diamond Halo Ring) — Added "Stone" option with value "Natural White Opal",
restructured all 11 variants from option1=Ring Size to option1=Stone, option2=Ring Size. Not reverted.
Local files — Read only:
- /Users/Autumn/jimmy-co-theme/sections/main-product-rings.liquid — Read to restore the reverted version
- /Users/Autumn/Downloads/ChatGPT Image Jul 2, 2026, 06_14_05 AM.png — Original amethyst (fake transparency)
- /Users/Autumn/Downloads/ChatGPT Image Jul 2, 2026, 05_50_50 AM.png — Original citrine (fake transparency)
- /Users/Autumn/Downloads/ChatGPT Image Jul 2, 2026, 06_11_54 AM.png — Original garnet (fake transparency)
- /Users/Autumn/Downloads/ChatGPT Image Jul 2, 2026, 06_12_33 AM.png — Original peridot (fake transparency)
- /Users/Autumn/Downloads/ChatGPT Image Jul 2, 2026, 12_00_41 PM.png — Amethyst white bg
- /Users/Autumn/Downloads/ChatGPT Image Jul 2, 2026, 12_04_24 PM.png — Citrine white bg
- /Users/Autumn/Downloads/ChatGPT Image Jul 2, 2026, 12_06_15 PM.png — Garnet white bg
- /Users/Autumn/Downloads/ChatGPT Image Jul 2, 2026, 12_07_37 PM.png — Peridot white bg
---
Note: The White Opal product variant restructuring was NOT reverted with the section file. That product's options are
still modified.Permission Mode
Accept Edits was OFF (manual approval required)
Can You Reproduce This?
Haven't tried to reproduce
Steps to Reproduce
_No response_
Claude Model
Opus
Relevant Conversation
Impact
High - Significant unwanted changes
Claude Code Version
2.1.96
Platform
Anthropic API
Additional Context
_No response_