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Zeitgeist — a spike by Chris Gathercole
  1. Creators/
  2. Matt Pocock — Total TypeScript/

Claude Code's system tools are SO BLOATED

YouTube Shorts · YouTube

  • Concrete claim: Claude Code’s default system prompt can run ~25,000 tokens; disabling unused built-in features/tools cuts it to ~8,000 tokens.
  • Mechanism: customising the global settings.json to turn off tools/features that aren’t being used, rather than accepting the default tool surface.
  • Positions this as pure efficiency — same capability, roughly two-thirds fewer tokens spent on system-prompt overhead per turn.
  • Practical takeaway: audit and trim settings.json tool/feature flags before treating context-window pressure as an unavoidable cost of using Claude Code.