Matt Van Horn
6d5acb9121
Add --save-dir flag to last30days.py that saves raw research output during the existing script run. Remove entire "Save Research to Documents" section from SKILL.md (~45 lines). No more extra tool calls, no (No output), no multi-minute cogitation after invitation. Tested: --mock confirms file creation and duplicate date suffixing. Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.6 <noreply@anthropic.com>
3.4 KiB
title, type, status, date
| title | type | status | date |
|---|---|---|---|
| fix: Eliminate save-related output noise after research | fix | active | 2026-03-06 |
fix: Eliminate save-related output noise after research
Problem Statement
After research completes, the auto-save feature adds 3-5 lines of unwanted output below the clean invitation block. Every approach tried so far has made things worse:
| Version | Approach | Lines added | Side effects |
|---|---|---|---|
| v2.9.1 | Write tool |
~5 | Shows "Wrote 43 lines to..." |
| v2.9.2 | run_in_background: true |
~5 | Background callback triggers 2-4 min cogitation, model hallucinates fake "Human:" messages and generates unsolicited multi-paragraph responses |
| v2.9.3 | Foreground cat > heredoc |
~3 | Shows (No output), still triggers 2-4 min cogitation |
Current v2.9.3 noise (3 lines):
⏺ Bash(mkdir -p ~/Documents/Last30Days && cat > ...)
⎿ (No output)
✻ Churned for 2m 38s
The root cause is that ANY tool call after the invitation creates unavoidable Claude Code UI chrome, and the model cogitates for minutes regardless of foreground vs background.
Proposed Solutions
Option A: Remove auto-save entirely (Recommended)
Remove the entire "Save Research to Documents" section from SKILL.md. The research lives in the conversation. Zero extra tool calls, zero extra lines, zero cogitation.
Changes to SKILL.md:
- Delete the "Save Research to Documents" section (~45 lines)
- Update agent mode reference (line 126) - remove save mention
- Update security section (line 612) - change "Saves research briefings" to past tense or conditional
- Remove
📎footer line from invitation format - Simplify "WAIT FOR USER'S RESPONSE" section
What users lose: Auto-saved .md files in ~/Documents/Last30Days/
What users gain: Clean output ending exactly at the invitation block
Option B: Move save into Python script
Add --save-dir flag to last30days.py. The script saves its raw output during its existing Bash call (which already runs). Zero extra tool calls.
Changes:
scripts/last30days.py- add--save-dirargument, write raw output to file at end of executionSKILL.md- add--save-dir=~/Documents/Last30Daysto the script invocation, remove save section
What users lose: Saved file contains raw research data, not Claude's synthesis What users gain: Zero extra lines, data is still preserved
Option C: Opt-in save via follow-up command
Remove auto-save. Add a note to the invitation: "Say 'save' to save this research." When user says "save", run the Bash heredoc then.
Changes to SKILL.md:
- Delete auto-save section
- Add "save" as a recognized intent in "WHEN USER RESPONDS" section
- Save logic only runs when explicitly requested
What users lose: Nothing - save is still available on demand What users gain: Clean output by default, save when they want it
Acceptance Criteria
- Research output ends at the invitation block with zero tool calls after it
- No
(No output)line visible after invitation - No multi-minute cogitation after invitation
- No hallucinated fake user messages
- Version bumped to v2.9.4
- CHANGELOG updated
- Synced to ~/.claude, ~/.agents, ~/.codex via sync.sh
Context
- Source:
/Users/mvanhorn/last30days-skill-private/SKILL.md - Deployed to:
~/.claude/skills/last30days/SKILL.md - Sync command:
bash scripts/sync.sh - Current version: v2.9.3