Coding agent ignores "stop writing comments" rules in its project instructions file

The agent keeps adding verbose comments even when the project instructions file and memory say not to. Reminders clean up one edit, then the habit returns.

Difficulty

Moderate

Time

~15 min

Steps

Fixed in

—

Last checked

2026-10-15

Not fixed upstream yet: the issue is open. Source: issue open. Last checked 2026-10-15.

Symptom

The agent keeps adding verbose comments even when the project instructions file and memory say not to. Reminders clean up one edit, then the habit returns.

Evidence what you'll see

No error message: edits land with unwanted comments
Comments restate code or narrate the chat ("as you requested", "CHANGED:")

Cause

No maintainer root cause on the issue. Instruction-only approaches are widely reported as unreliable on their own.

Fix steps

0 of 3 done

Step 1Add a PostToolUse hook that rejects comment-heavy edits, so the agent must strip them in the same turn.
Step 2One community option named on the issue is No Comment (swarm-t3/nocomment, MIT): /plugin marketplace add swarm-t3/nocomment then /plugin install nocomment@nocomment. Review the code before installing anything that runs on your edits.
Step 3Partial tactics: park temporary notes in a markdown file instead of code; add review rules that ban ticket narration in source.

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Verify the fix worked

With a no-comments rule in place, ask for a small change. A comment-heavy edit is blocked and cleaned in the same turn.

Did this fix it?

Sources and credit

Summarized in our own words from these public reports. Credit goes to their authors.

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