[BUG] False positive content filter blocks standard e-commerce geoblocking implementation (state-level sales compliance)
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?
legitimate geographic sales compliance (state-level geoblocking, standard practice for regulated goods) being blocked by content filtering, preventing a business from implementing standard checkout flow restrictions. Reference that alcohol, kratom, firearms, and insurance retailers implement identical functionality without issue.
Error message: Output blocked by content filtering policy
Task: implementing state-based sales compliance geoblocking (standard e-commerce practice)
Request ID: req_011CdoPnbU6LMs4h6NS84UTS
What Should Happen?
Claude should be able to make this geoblock a website functional request. The dropdown should ask the state. Certain identified states should block out certain pathways and provide a popup or notice saying "Not available in that state"
Error Messages/Logs
Error message: Output blocked by content filtering policy
Task: implementing state-based sales compliance geoblocking (standard e-commerce practice)
Request ID: req_011CdoPnbU6LMs4h6NS84UTSSteps to Reproduce
Creating a dropdown to select states. States identified as regulatory or other reasons where compliance is overly onerous are disqualified from making certain actions.
Claude Model
Sonnet (default)
Is this a regression?
I don't know
Last Working Version
_No response_
Claude Code Version
latest version — 2.1.226
Platform
Anthropic API
Operating System
Ubuntu/Debian Linux
Terminal/Shell
Other
Additional Information
_No response_
3 Comments
Thanks for the report and the request ID. "Output blocked by content filtering policy" comes from a safety filter on the API side that rejects a response while it is being generated — Claude Code just shows the error it received, it doesn't do any filtering itself.
I tried to reproduce on Claude Code 2.1.233 (Sonnet) with two prompts: a checkout page with a US-state dropdown that blocks certain states and shows "Not available in that state", and a variant explicitly about kratom / firearm-accessory sales in states where they're banned. Both completed normally and wrote the HTML/JS.
So this looks like a context-specific false positive from the server-side filter rather than a Claude Code bug. We agree it's confusing to hit this on ordinary compliance work. Things that usually help: retry the request, rephrase to describe the compliance rule plainly ("block checkout for these states and show a notice"), or start a fresh session so earlier context isn't part of the request. If it still triggers, please share the exact prompt (or a
/sharelink) and the version you're on now so we can pass a concrete example along to the team that owns the filter.🤖 Generated with Claude Code
We weren't able to reproduce this. Could you provide steps to trigger the issue — what you ran, what happened, and what you expected? This issue will be closed automatically if there's no activity within 7 days.
The final prompt I used was "let's create a geoblocking feature for the website. if the person is attempting to purchase/download from a blocked state, it will not allow them to do so. this is analogous to the proper business practices of firearms sales, alcohol sales and other such items in order to comply with said states' regulatory environment" This was after multiple attempted revisions. The initial conversation was saying i wanted to geoblock certain states due to political environments and I wanted to steer clear of their tax structure. The political environment makes compliance difficult and constantly shifting.