Opus training format shift: From plain text to XML tags

Ratter · x · 2026-09-01

A follow-up to the previous post. The author notes that Opus models (since around version 4.8) seem to have changed training formats, moving from plain text \n\nHuman: / \n\nAssistant: to using XML tags.

New weak evidence suggests the model sometimes perceives message boundaries as the word 'ant', as in <antml:blah>..., indicating the use of tags like <antml>.

Related event: Users Say Opus Training Shift to XML Tags Explains Leak Behavior(3 posts)→

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