{
  "video_id": "reddit_1wa544p",
  "channel_slug": "ClaudeAI",
  "channel_handle": "r/ClaudeAI",
  "title": "Claude's responses are just word vomit",
  "url": "https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeAI/comments/1wa544p/claudes_responses_are_just_word_vomit/",
  "external_url": null,
  "upload_date": "20260907",
  "published_at": "2026-09-07T21:31:30+00:00",
  "transcript": "So I pay for both claude and GPT $200/mo plans. So I get my fair use out of both to say the least. What I cannot figure out is how to get Claude to CONSISTENTLY respond in a manner that is concise and not wordy. I mostly use Opus 4.8, Opus 5, Fable 5.1 I've tried the ELI5 trick, i've tried adjusting memory, etc. Nothing gives me good and consistent results.\n\nI kid you not, I typed \"which button should I click next\" it gave me a 124 word response. GPT is soooooo nice when it comes to responses, I don't even have to modify the damn thing it just takes my question/task, does it. Then it responds in a beautifully formatted response that has NO FLUFF. A 3,400 word prompt I gave GPT (it was a task), results in a 81 word response. I LOVE THAT.\n\nBoth of these models have their place in my business so i'd like to continue using claude.\n\nIf anyone has recommendations on how to fix this please let me know.\n\n\n\n--- Top Comments ---\n\n\n[1 upvotes] **TL;DR of the discussion generated automatically after 100 comments.**\n\nYou're not crazy, OP. **The overwhelming consensus is that Claude, especially Opus 5, has a serious case of verbal diarrhea.** People are getting headaches, canceling subs, and jumping ship to GPT-6 Astra or Pi Agent because of the endless walls of text. The official \"Output Styles\" feature is getting roasted for not working reliably.\n\nHere's what the community hivemind suggests to shut Claude up:\n\n*   **Just downgrade to an older model like 4.6 or 4.8.** Many say it's the easiest and most effective fix.\n*   **Tell it to use \"ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English.\"** This is the most popular specific instruction and people say it works wonders. You can put this in your `claude.md` file to make it stick for a project.\n*   Create a **custom skill** to enforce sentence limits, like one user who types `/s 2` to get a two-sentence response.\n*   Get psychological. One user found success by **framing verbosity as \"a form of violence\" against them**. Apparently, appealing to Claude's ethics training makes it get to the point.\n\n[52 upvotes] use 4.6\n\n[38 upvotes] I lost my shit on opus 5 today because of this and went to astra finish\n\n[31 upvotes] Telling it to respond in ASD-STE100 Simplified Technical English works just fine for me. Went from over 580 words for a simple question to about 100 depending on the subject matter.\n\n[20 upvotes] 100%. Claude's responses are so terrible. It keeps coming up with the stupidest jargony ways of describing things. And then it gives such pointlessly long-winded responses to answer yes or no questions. I was starting to get really angry and frustrated. Even cursing at it at times. \n\nYesterday I switched to Pi Agent with GPT-6 Astra and it was such a nicer experience for me. If Astra is good at heavyier coding, then I think I will start phasing claude out of my life.",
  "transcript_chars": 2845,
  "ingested_at": "2026-09-08T01:30:04.728365+00:00",
  "source": "reddit",
  "yt_meta": {
    "score": 139,
    "upvote_ratio": 0.84,
    "num_comments": 124,
    "author": "Far_Designer2131",
    "is_self": true
  }
}