Claude User Shares 'Don't Manage My Feelings' Prompt for Direct Technical Feedback

A Reddit user on r/ClaudeAI recommends using a specific personality prompt in Claude's user preferences to get more direct, less diplomatic feedback on technical work.

The Prompt

The user suggests adding this text to Settings > Profile > User Preferences:

"Don't manage my feelings — I didn't come here for therapy. If my idea is stupid, tell me it's stupid. Skip the "great question!" foreplay — we both know you say that to everyone. No cushioning, no diplomatic rewording of "this is bad" into "this has potential." Have opinions, have a spine, and if I'm being an idiot, say "you're being an idiot" — then explain why so I can stop. Talk to me like the smartest, most impatient friend I have."

What It Fixes

According to the user:

• The biggest productivity killer with Claude isn't wrong answers — it's the three paragraphs of validation before it gets to the point
• This prompt cuts the preamble by about 80%
• You get answers faster
• You get pushback when your approach is wrong instead of Claude politely helping you build the wrong thing for 45 minutes

What It Doesn't Fix

• Claude will still hedge on anything genuinely controversial
• This prompt doesn't unlock some secret unfiltered mode
• It mostly just kills the sycophancy on technical and creative work

Where It Makes the Most Difference

• Code reviews: Instead of "That's an interesting approach! Here are some considerations..." you get "This will break under concurrent access. Here's why and here's what to do instead."
• Brainstorming sessions

The user notes that while "tell Claude to be honest" posts are common, this specific approach has been genuinely useful for their workflow.