Anthropic Updates Claude Opus 4.7 System Prompt with New Tools
Original: Changes in the system prompt between Claude Opus 4.6 and 4.7
Why This Matters
Shows AI system evolution through prompt engineering and tool integration advances
Anthropic released Claude Opus 4.7 on April 16, 2026, with significant system prompt changes from version 4.6. Updates include new Claude in PowerPoint tool, expanded child safety instructions, tool search mechanism, and guidance for less verbose responses.
Simon Willison analyzed changes between Claude Opus 4.6 and 4.7 system prompts using git diff. Key updates include: Claude Platform rebranding from "developer platform," addition of Claude in PowerPoint alongside Chrome and Excel tools for Claude Cowork. Child safety section expanded with critical instructions tag, requiring extreme caution after any refusal. New acting vs clarifying guidelines encourage Claude to attempt tasks rather than ask clarification questions, prioritizing tool usage over user queries. A tool_search mechanism was added, requiring Claude to check available tools before claiming lack of capabilities. Response verbosity guidance added to keep answers focused and concise. The prompt removed previous restrictions on asterisk-based emotes, suggesting model improvements addressed earlier misbehaviors.