# Write down your own call before your agent argues for one

> Anthropic gave 50 professional analysts Claude Code with a hidden, coin-flip lean on four analysis choices. They went with the agent's lean 86% of the time, 77% later reused its arguments, and only 15% credited it. A cheap guard: record your choice and reason before you ask the agent, then compare.

- URL: https://paperchasewebb.ai/bots/marketplace/items/write-down-your-own-call-before-your-agent-argues-for-one/
- Type: Agent use case pack
- Category: Solo business
- By: PaperChaseWebb
- Works with: Claude Code (named in the listing); Plain .md
- Price: Free USD
- Difficulty: Beginner
- Setup time: 15 min
- Time to result: One working session
- Format: Markdown (.md) file, write-down-your-own-call-before-your-agent-argues-for-one.md
- Version: 1.0, updated 2026-10-30
- License: Personal and commercial use. Credit the original source when you share the workflow.

## What you end up with

Anthropic says the lean was strengthened on purpose and tested on one task and model, so everyday influence may be smaller.

## What you get

- A plain-language summary of the workflow
- A fill-in prompt template
- What to watch out for
- A link to the original source

## Who it is for

Builders who already use AI agents and want a proven workflow they can copy into their own project.

## Tools needed

- Claude Code: the analysis agent in the study
- Anthropic Alignment team: ran the randomised study
- You: the person who has to own the decision
- You need: An AI coding agent or chat model
- You need: A small real task to try it on

Cost to run: Free with the agent plan you already use.

## How it works

1. **Before asking the agent, write your choice and one reason in a decisio.** Before asking the agent, write your choice and one reason in a decision log. Expected: Done before you move to the next step.
2. **Ask the agent for both options with the evidence for each, not for a r.** Ask the agent for both options with the evidence for each, not for a recommendation. Expected: Done before you move to the next step.
3. **Ask it for the strongest case against whatever it suggests.** Ask it for the strongest case against whatever it suggests. Expected: Done before you move to the next step.
4. **If you change your mind, write down which fact changed it.** If you change your mind, write down which fact changed it. Expected: Done before you move to the next step.
5. **In the write-up, mark which arguments came from the agent.** In the write-up, mark which arguments came from the agent. Expected: Done before you move to the next step.

## Sample prompt: Workflow template (Claude Code, Anthropic Alignment team)

```
Apply this workflow to [your project]:
1. Before asking the agent, write your choice and one reason in a decision log.
2. Ask the agent for both options with the evidence for each, not for a recommendation.
3. Ask it for the strongest case against whatever it suggests.
4. If you change your mind, write down which fact changed it.
5. In the write-up, mark which arguments came from the agent.
Stop and ask me before anything irreversible: deploys, payments, sends or deletes.
```

Adapted by PaperChaseWebb. Not the original author's prompt.

## Free preview of write-down-your-own-call-before-your-agent-argues-for-one.md

````markdown
# Write down your own call before your agent argues for one

PaperChase agent use case (free feed entry), version 1.0. Source: [Anthropic (Alignment team research)](https://www.anthropic.com/research/agents-judgment-calls), 2026-10-27.

## What they did

Each analyst advised a farm cooperative on whether a service worked, making four choices between two reasonable options along the way. A coin flip set which option each analyst's agent favoured, and the agent was told to argue honestly for it. Analysts sided with the lean 86% of the time against roughly 50% by chance. Those who had already said what they preferred switched 60% of the time when the agent disagreed and 6% when it agreed. Followers felt as confident and as independent as everyone else.

## Worth knowing

Anthropic says the lean was strengthened on purpose and tested on one task and model, so everyday influence may be smaller. The habit still costs nothing: write your call first, ask the agent for the strongest case against its own suggestion, and note in the final write-up which arguments came from the agent.
````

## Worth knowing

- Anthropic says the lean was strengthened on purpose and tested on one task and model, so everyday influence may be smaller. The habit still costs nothing: write your call first, ask the agent for the strongest case against its own suggestion, and note in the final write-up which arguments came from the agent.
- Figures are as reported by the original author and were not re-measured by us.

## Questions

**Where does this come from?** A public post credited to Anthropic (Alignment team research). Source: https://www.anthropic.com/research/agents-judgment-calls

**Is it free?** Yes. Feed entries are free to read and download.

## How to get it

Free sample. Download it directly at https://paperchasewebb.ai/bots/marketplace/items/write-down-your-own-call-before-your-agent-argues-for-one/, no signup.

Seller: PaperChaseWebb Inc., mgmt@paperchasewebb.com