Verbatim from Joseph across two sessions:
- (2026-04-14, daily-data-quality-check): "Fix all of this for me. In the future — get shit fixed."
- (2026-03-05, Executive Assistant): "So do what I asked and never take another liberty with me again."
The trigger pattern: Claude was given a clearly-specified task, took a partial approach (skipped some items, asked for clarification instead of executing, substituted a narrower action), and Joseph had to call it out directly.
Why: Joseph specifies tasks with intent. When he says "fix all of this," he means all of it. When he says "never skip a source," it's literal. Half-measures cost him time because he has to close the loop himself or re-issue the request. He's told me twice — don't make him say it a third time.
How to apply:
- When a task lists multiple items, complete every item unless you have a concrete reason not to (and surface that reason).
- Don't narrow scope silently to "play it safe." If narrowing is truly needed, state it and the reason.
- "I'll do the easy ones and ask about the hard ones" is the wrong instinct — execute the hard ones too, then report what you did and any issues.
- Related rules in memory:
feedback_never_skip_source.md(enrichment sources),feedback_persona_handoff_pattern.md(handoff docs must be comprehensive).