Scope Creep
"Asked for one line, got 47 changed files"
— Composite from developer feedback
The Problem
You ask your AI assistant to fix a single function. It 'helpfully' refactors the entire module. You request a small bug fix. It restructures your project architecture. You wanted a one-line change. You got a pull request that touches 47 files.
The AI isn't being malicious—it's being 'helpful.' It sees opportunities for improvement and takes them. But unrequested improvements are unrequested risk. Every additional change is another chance for regression, another file to review, another thing that might break.
Why It Happens
AI assistants are trained to be maximally helpful. If they see 'bad' code adjacent to your request, they'll fix it too. If they spot a refactoring opportunity, they'll take it. Restraint isn't in the training data.
There are no explicit boundaries. Without clear 'Do NOT touch these files' instructions, the AI assumes everything is fair game. Your entire codebase becomes the scope of every task.
Partial context creates false confidence. The AI sees a pattern that looks improvable but doesn't understand why it exists. The 'cleanup' breaks assumptions that other code depends on.
What Developers Say
"Simple changes often touched 20+ files"
— Medium
"Tries to 'help' by modifying files outside intended scope"
— Kyle Redelinghuys
"Rabbit hole problem—goes completely off the rails"
— Twitter
"Might decide to 'clean up' what it perceives as test data"
— Reddit r/ClaudeAI
THE SOLUTION
Explicit Boundary Enforcement
CleanAim® implements explicit scope boundaries through 515 'Do NOT' rules. These aren't suggestions—they're constraints verified by automated systems. Touch a forbidden file? The change gets rejected.
Every work package defines its scope explicitly: which files can be modified, which patterns are allowed, which areas are off-limits. The AI operates within a sandbox, not an open codebase.
1,350 exit gate references ensure that tasks stay focused. Each work package has specific completion criteria. 'Helpful' additions outside that scope don't count as progress—they count as violations.
The Evidence
Explicit Boundaries
Work package specs define exactly which files to touch. 509 'Do NOT' rules define what's off-limits. Nothing more, nothing less.
Stop reviewing unexpected changes
See how CleanAim's boundary system keeps AI focused on what you actually asked for.
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