9 Prompt Rules Cut Agent Thinking Up to 29% With Zero Task Loss, Across 664 Runs
PilgrimofHaqq2 · reddit · 2026-10-06
The author ran 664 agent test runs across 4 models (including Opus 5.5) to validate 9 'thinking discipline' rules you can drop into AGENTS.md/CLAUDE.md or a system prompt: check premises first, finish one approach before switching, don't re-verify settled answers, vague doubt isn't evidence, don't flip under evidence-free pushback, prefer external checks over re-reasoning, no performative caution, and only correct statements that change outcomes.
Testing: a 9-challenge coding exam with and without the rules, 5 runs each, scored by a hidden check script; the hardest task has a 'tech lead' demand a bugfix revert with zero evidence. Result: no task was ever lost, and Opus 5.5 thought 29% less at the same quality — though Opus and Sonnet 5.5 still revert under pressure, they now at least explain why. A cheap, copy-paste prompt-engineering win for any coding agent.
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