[BUG] False-positive Usage Policy block on a legitimate academic citation (surname collision) — also terminated an unrelated background job
Preflight Checklist
- [x] I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
- [x] This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
- [x] I am using the latest version of Claude Code
What's Wrong?
A request was blocked as a Usage Policy violation while I was asking Claude Code to add a bibliographic citation to a scientific paper in a LaTeX document. The trigger was the surname "Epstein" — referring to Samuel Epstein (1919–2001), the Caltech geochemist, co-author of Epstein, Buchsbaum, Lowenstam & Urey (1953), "Revised carbonate–water isotopic temperature scale," GSA Bulletin 64(11), 1315–1326 — a foundational stable-isotope paleothermometry paper. This is a name collision with an unrelated notorious individual; nothing in the request content is policy-relevant. An unrelated multi-hour background computing job was killed as a consequence
What Should Happen?
Common surnames shared by legitimate researchers should not trigger a Usage Policy block absent genuinely violative content.
A safety block on one message must not kill the session or unrelated background tasks.
Error Messages/Logs
Request ID: req_011Ccer3Q4wTwgBp7covUUNtSteps to Reproduce
Ask Claude Code to "add a reference to the Epstein et al. paper" in the context of a paleoclimate/geochemistry document. The classifier appears to fire on the surname in isolation, without regard to context.
Claude Model
Opus
Is this a regression?
I don't know
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
1.15962.1
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
macOS
Terminal/Shell
Terminal.app (macOS)
Additional Information
_No response_