Forcing agents to 'think loud' creates traces useful for distillation

Sad_Construction2179 · reddit · 2026-09-01

With major labs not exposing logits, the author explored alternative signals for distillation at scale. The experiment involves enforcing a 'workbook' for Claude Code/Codex, requiring them to document decisions, alternatives considered, and tradeoffs during work. This uses standard model output, not hidden reasoning, to investigate if such traces could serve as useful signals.

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