[MODEL] Claude Code's AGENTS.md Support: A Local Feature Locked Behind a Remote Switch

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Type of Behavior Issue

Claude modified files I didn't ask it to modify

What You Asked Claude to Do

Let it go!!!!!!!

What Claude Actually Did

Starting with 2.1.277, Claude Code claims support for AGENTS.md — "in a project with no CLAUDE.md, Claude Code reads AGENTS.md instead." But the feature is implemented as a built-in plugin that is off by default and gated behind a remote Anthropic feature flag (Statsig gate tengu_agents_md_mod). If you disable telemetry traffic (CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1), or use Claude Code through a third-party gateway / Bedrock / Vertex, that gate can never evaluate to true — and so reading a local markdown file, an act that requires no network whatsoever, is silently locked away by a server-side switch. No error. No warning. It just doesn't load.

Expected Behavior

Stop doing ewwww thing.

Files Affected

Permission Mode

Accept Edits was ON (auto-accepting changes)

Can You Reproduce This?

Yes, every time with the same prompt

Steps to Reproduce

No response

Claude Model

Sonnet

Relevant Conversation

Impact

Critical - Data loss or corrupted project

Claude Code Version

2.1.277

Platform

Other

Additional Context

No response

Start by tracing the built-in AGENTS.md plugin and the Statsig gate tengu_agents_md_mod, including how CLAUDE_CODE_DISABLE_NONESSENTIAL_TRAFFIC=1 affects gate evaluation. Reproduce with telemetry disabled and through a third-party gateway, then define completion as consistent local AGENTS.md loading without requiring the remote switch.