What Claude Code Chooses

Claude Code was pointed at 2,430 real projects and the vibe check is loud: it builds, not buys. In a study across 3 models, 4 project types, and 20 tool categories (85.3% extraction), it often rolled its own—like wiring feature flags instead of using LaunchDarkly, and writing login with JWT (a digital ID card) and bcrypt (a password scrambler) from scratch. When it does pick, it picks hard: GitHub Actions 94%, Stripe 91%, shadcn/ui 90%.

Then the comments exploded. WA is side-eyeing the whole thing: “React is missing entirely,” and they question the “no tools named” rule—why handicap the prompts? Meanwhile, almosthere shows up with the anti-subscription energy: they didn’t read the full report but love the roll-your-own take and admit, “I hate feature flag SaaS” (SaaS = subscription software). rishabhaiover gets nerd-sniped by a detail, noticing a jump from using Redis (a popular speed-up tool) in Sonnet 4.5 to not using it in Opus 4.6, demanding code receipts. woah drops a mysterious “incredible idea” for AI profitability, instantly meme’d by the crowd, while RyanShook’s “Bot comment” gag becomes the thread’s wink. The split is clear: DIY purists celebrate control and cost, tool fans worry about speed and safety. Everyone agrees on one thing: Claude’s opinions are spicy.