Question 290
A team approved a three-file Claude Code implementation task. During the edit, the agent notices an unrelated failing test in a different package and begins refactoring that package without requesting any scope change. What should its execution workflow do?
Explanation
Correct Answer
The execution plan and authorization define the boundary of the three-file task. When an unrelated package fails a test, the agent should preserve that diagnostic evidence, determine whether it blocks the agreed acceptance tests, and avoid modifying other code without an explicit scope extension. It can complete the permitted patch, rerun relevant tests and report any unresolved external failure honestly. If fixing the separate package is necessary, request permission for that additional work before touching it. This scenario tests scope control during execution, not whether trivial edits require a planning phase.
Incorrect Answers
An unrelated test failure may be real, but discovering it does not grant the assistant permission to refactor another package. The approved work named three files, so expanding the change silently breaks the agreed review boundary and could introduce unrequested behavior. The test should be captured with its actual file, revision and failure output, and any later remediation should have its own scope and authorization. The important failure in this option is uncontrolled task expansion, not the mere existence of an unexpected test result.
The test may be outside the authorized three-file edit, but hiding it in transient internal notes does not preserve a reliable issue record for maintainers. The workflow should finish and validate the approved change, explicitly record the unrelated failure in the appropriate issue or handoff, and request permission before starting an unrelated refactor. Separating scope does not mean suppressing observed evidence; it means not silently expanding the authorized mutation set.
Silently narrowing CI coverage changes the project’s acceptance checks rather than resolving an unrelated failing test. The configuration file is also outside the approved three-file task, so this option expands mutation scope and can conceal important regressions. A safer workflow preserves the observed failure in the handoff and seeks separate authorization before modifying either the package or test policy. Validating the requested work does not grant permission to alter unrelated gates.



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