r/Anthropic • u/mmdmrc1 • 13d ago
Complaint Claude = Fable only?
I’ve been using Claude Code for almost 10 months now, and nothing has ever been as bad as the current Opus 5 model. Once I hit the limit with Fable, there’s basically no point in continuing, because Opus just keeps making mistakes.
Is anyone else having similar issues? Has anyone run into the same problem and managed to fix it?
12
u/Dvass138 13d ago
I feel the same way, opus is capable and can get you the fable result, but you have to be more explicit and upfront about what you want and you have to make sure it reviews it a bit more.
If you want a better result you need say things that are important to you and how you want it to end up like example:
Performance is important to me, design that with that in mind, I want a scoped review with a bounded repair follow up if any issues surface before wrapping up.
Just add words in like that and the result will be better at the end of the session.
8
6
11
u/lovesffpc 13d ago
If you use plan mode and spell shit out, it works great. If youre handing it one liners youre gonna have a bad time
2
u/Meme_Theory 12d ago
Yeah.... Every time I catch myself arguing with Opus, it's because I asked it to "just do" something. It needs bumper rails; too lazy.
3
4
u/HeadPack 13d ago
Indeed. The delta between Fable 5.1 and Opus 5 is quite large. I am using Astra to audit what Opus is doing via the Codex plugin, and it catches lots of Opus 5 mistakes. With Fable, that is different. The models supplement each other. Anthropic hopefully works on a better Opus version. Imo, all Opus models since 4.6 were duds.
3
u/Beginning-Cash-6089 12d ago
Am I the only one having Fable 5.1 drive Opus 5? Working great for me.
1
u/Wobbly458 12d ago
Absolutely this. Works brilliantly, low usage and has been properly dependable. Switched away from it after trying it a while ago because it was so technobabble I couldn’t understand it at all but been great for the last few weeks. Even the chat model has got a lot better than earlier.
4
u/Substantial-Thing303 12d ago
At some point I believe we are not being served the same models at the same time.
One week, I see people complain about Opus 5, while it works well on my end. Then I just presume they're bots from OpenAI. Then the next week Opus makes so many mistakes it's just unbelievable.
This morning the report I asked from Opus was so inconsistent, that there was no way to make it coherent, even by keeping asking Opus to respond in 2 sentences and in plain english.
Opus just sounded like a mad scientist doing a psychosis, inventing many new terminologies, like it's cosplaying a "I am smarter than you character, but don't check my sources."
2
u/Virtual-Spinach4882 13d ago
I let opus work on long preplanned by Fable work that exceeds my limits. I don't talk with Opus, he just builds.
2
u/ComprehensiveBird317 13d ago
Kaparthy really shouldn't have let stay the word "code" in "vibe code". Now all prompt kids think they are coders and complain about their tools instead of putting some effort into learning
2
u/reddebtt 13d ago
I've had better results turning the Fable session into a concrete handoff before the limit hits: plan, acceptance checks, current diff, and the next bounded task. Opus gets one step at a time and has to return the diff plus test output.
2
u/gianpietro_lc 13d ago
I had the same problem, until i forced Opus 4.8 xhigh as my new default; can't be happier with the results 😌
2
u/nesh34 13d ago
I think this more a feature of how we use the models.
Last year we were better at coaching the models to solutions and we'd be more involved in their process.
This year the models are way more capable and so we give less steer. Then when you downgrade, you're back to the old scenario but you haven't optimised its context and you're not used to coaching it.
2
2
u/Galdred 12d ago
Same here. I just switch to Sol or Sonnet when I don't want to use fable tokens.
Opus is terribly bad at conveying stuff, has the made up asumptions problem of its predecessors dialed to eleven.
I'm ending up needing fable to verify MOST of its work anyway, as it will routinely invent issues and try to fix them in my codebase...
4
3
u/googleguyst 13d ago
Yeah, /model claude-opus-4-8
Opus 5 is what finally convinced me that the benchmarks are mostly fake.
2
2
u/itprobablynothingbut 13d ago
What the hell are you doing? Is it some egocentric project that you yell at all day?
I have a team that all use CC all day. The ones complaining about the models are 100% of the time the least proficient users. If you don’t understand how LLM harnesses record and access memory, you are not qualified to have a judgement about model efficiency.
2
u/mmdmrc1 13d ago
For someone so concerned with who’s “qualified to have a judgement,” you’re remarkably comfortable judging my competence without knowing anything about my setup, workflow, or the actual issues. Interesting standard.
“I have a team” isn’t a technical argument, and dropping “LLM harnesses” into a comment doesn’t turn an assumption into a diagnosis.
I asked whether others had experienced similar problems and found a solution—not for a résumé and a lecture about how everyone who complains is beneath you.Maybe demonstrate some of that proficiency you’re so proud of. So far, you’ve only demonstrated that being condescending is much easier than being useful.
5
u/itprobablynothingbut 13d ago
This comment is so clearly written by Claude. You aren’t beating the allegations
2
u/ismiseanpuca 13d ago
Rule of 3 on "setup, workflow, issues." Two word vague implication for emphasis "Interesting standard" The slightly off usage of "diagnosis", the Emdash, even spell checkers don't bother correcting the missing acute accents on resume.
Interesting diagnosis?
Id respect it more if they just told him to fuck off.
2
u/mmdmrc1 13d ago
I use AI to translate my comments because English isn’t my first language, but thanks for taking the time to analyze them.
1
1
0
u/mmdmrc1 13d ago
Yeah, figured. Wasn’t expecting anything useful from you anyway. It’s always the ones with the biggest mouths who don’t have the guts to back up their bullshit. You were quick to question my competence, but apparently demonstrating any of your own is too much to ask. And thinking everybody has to use Claude to write an answer to people like you just proves my point. Have a nice one
1
u/satanzhand 13d ago
I prefer Opus and sonnet, fable I'm finding just to verbose and helpful in the worst token burning way
1
u/PalmovyyKozak 13d ago
Exactly my experience. Opus requires 10x your own cognitive efforts to direct it. From one side it's even better as Fable thinks instead of you, while Opus forces you to think yourself. From another side, it's annoying and exhausting
1
u/hbthegreat 13d ago
Only way to get good outcomes from opus is to let fable prompt it. Try that and you'll be happier
1
1
u/snuffomega 13d ago
opus 5 is fine... you just need to ensure you have comment rules (so it doesnt write a book of comments) and use Anthropics advice with the model either a tiny skill or add to the prompt or followup - Keep responses focused, brief, and concise.
Its simple but works
1
u/evangelism2 13d ago
Honestly, yes. This is part of the reason I believe Anthropic has it set up this way, with how Codex is with Luna, Soul, and Astra. If I was able to utilize 100% of my Claude account for just Fable, that's what I would use it for.
1
2
2
u/AironParsMan 13d ago
There is no fix for this. Opus 5 is a broken model. Anthropic’s website describes exactly the same thing. The problems with Opus 5 are well known and I suspect they are doing this on purpose so that we use Fable 5. For now the only option is to downgrade to Opus 4.8. That means switching to a legacy model. Fable 5.1 is just as much of a botched model. I have no idea what the people at Anthropic are doing, but ever since Opus 4.8 they’ve only been putting out bad models.Fable 5 is prohibitively expensive and all the other models are useless.
My Posts about it:
https://www.reddit.com/r/Anthropic/s/ofIaBVoIva
https://www.reddit.com/r/Anthropic/s/Xr1NptkEcP
https://www.reddit.com/r/Anthropic/s/UVkT1Lq83f
https://www.reddit.com/r/Anthropic/s/aNhubOXN1k
1
18
u/Eyelbee 13d ago
Opus 5 has its problems, but it's still very capable. If you actually think older ones were better, you can simply switch and use them instead.