Increase in Claude Code speed bumps?

Claude Code seems like it's pausing a lot more than it has previously to ask me kind of frivolous questions about the prompt I've just given it. It seems to be pausing multiple times per step. I've been using CC for quite awhile and have never noticed it until this week in particular.

Am I missing a new setting or something? (I do not and will not use the destructive flag(s))