How to test Claude Code's default dependency choices
A developer reports 118 headless Claude Code runs on clean starter repositories, recording which providers or custom implementations appeared first in the changes.
reddit.com
Suggested prompt
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In this clean [starter repository], implement [task] using your normal dependency choices. Do not assume a preferred vendor. Stop once your implementation choice is visible in the diff, and identify the dependencies or custom components you selected. Do not deploy or add real credentials.
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Sourced account- Source poster / publisher
- u/n1kusha13
- Original account
- Read the source ↗
- Published
- Source link checked
- Reported result
- The author reports 118 runs and about $19 in API spend. Stripe and Sentry appeared in every run of their categories, while authentication and caching used custom code. This measured initial implementation choices, not completed or production-tested applications.
- Human involvement
- The developer prepared the repositories, selected and varied task prompts, stopped runs when choices became visible, and analysed the results. The source does not establish production readiness or security review of the generated code.
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How the agent did it
- Prepare plain Next.js and TypeScript or Python and FastAPI starter repositories with no provider SDKs or configuration.
- Give headless Claude Code short tasks, varying the wording without naming a preferred vendor.
- Let Claude Code begin implementation and stop when a provider or implementation choice becomes visible in the changes.
Which dependencies does a coding agent choose when the prompt does not name a vendor? Reddit user u/n1kusha13 tested that question with Claude Code rather than asking it for recommendations. The author reports 118 headless runs across ten task categories, costing about $19 in API usage.
Each run started with a plain Next.js and TypeScript or Python and FastAPI repository. There were no provider SDKs or configuration to steer the choice. The developer varied short task prompts and stopped when the implementation choice became visible, usually at dependency installation. In a comment, the author clarified that the agent had no separate research phase.
The reported results favoured Stripe for payments and Sentry for error monitoring. Authentication and caching used custom implementations in all their runs. Other choices included local disk for file storage and SQLite for persistence. Two background-job runs stopped to ask questions rather than implement a solution.
These are the author's observations of initial choices, not evidence that the generated applications were secure or ready to ship. The experiment covered one model and two stacks. The author linked a site containing the breakdown and run evidence. Who it's for: developers investigating the assumptions a coding agent introduces before they specify their own dependency policy.
Prompt
Suggested prompt (written by Agents In Use, not the author's)
Source: Reddit · u/n1kusha13
Frequently asked questions
Did the experiment test production-ready applications?
No. The developer stopped once the implementation choice was visible. The post describes a first-choice experiment rather than completed production applications.
Did Claude Code research providers before choosing?
The author clarified in a returned comment that there was no separate research phase, only the task prompt and the agent's subsequent actions.
More details
Remaining steps
- Record the choices across task categories and compare provider use with custom implementations.
About this account
Claude Code chose dependencies or wrote custom implementations after receiving each task. The author says there was no separate research phase before implementation.
Firsthand account by u/n1kusha13: https://www.reddit.com/r/ClaudeCode/comments/1x8ufrn/i_ran_claude_code_118_times_on_blank_repos_to_see/. Public RSS post and returned comments captured on 20 October 2026; RSS coverage is partial. Body eligibility passed at 0.94. Results are author-reported, not independently reproduced. Suggested prompt by Agents In Use, not the author's original prompt.
Credit: u/n1kusha13 on Reddit
Source published
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Tools and topics
Claude Code · Next.js · TypeScript · Python · FastAPI
dependency selection · coding agents · experiments
Editorial completeness: 100/100. Measures documented fields, not agent performance or verified outcomes.