telexed ~ c / f075d6a4-629radar:40 · agent_toolLIVE
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NO.
#f075d6a4
Topic
AGENTS & TOOLS
Source
Simon Willison
Published
2026-05-08 21:00:11
Importance
★ 4/10 — radar 40
`Claude Code`: Ask for HTML, Not Markdown
FIG-0071:1

`Claude Code`: Ask for HTML, Not Markdown

HTML outputs unlock SVG, navigation, and interactive explanations instead of plain prose. Token efficiency matters less now, so rich review artifacts and code walkthroughs are worth trying immediately.

[ KEY POINTS ]
  1. A concrete prompt asks for an HTML PR review with inline diff annotations and severity colors, turning review output into a browsable artifact.
  2. The older reason to prefer Markdown was the 8,192-token era; that tradeoff weakened as context windows grew.
  3. HTML lets the model embed SVG, navigation, widgets, and styling in one response, which improves long technical explanations.
  4. A test run with gpt-5.5 on an obfuscated Linux exploit produced a usable interactive explainer, though prompt focus still mattered.
Originalsimonwillison.net/2026/May/8/unreasonable-effectiveness-of-html/#atom-everythingRead original →

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