Claude code has those "thoughts" you say it never will. In plan mode, it isn't uncommon that it'll ask you: do you want to do this the quick and simple way, or would you prefer to "extract this code into a reusable component". It also will back out and say "Actually, this is getting messy, 'boss' what do you think?"
I could just be lucky that I work in a field with a thorough specification and numerous reference implementations.
I agree that Claude does this stuff. I also think the Chinese menus of options it provides are weak in their imagination, which means that for thoroughly specified problem spaces with reference implementations you're in good shape, but if you want to come up with a novel system, experience is required, otherwise you will end up in design hell. I think the danger is in juniors thinking the Chinese menu of options provided are "good" options in the first place. Simply because they are coherent does not mean they are good, and the combinations of "a little of this, a little of that" game of tradeoffs during design is lost.
This has happened to me too. Claude has stopped and said on occasions "this is a big refactor, and will affect UI as well. Do you want me to do it?"
I recently asked Claude to make some kind of simple data structure and it responded with something like "You already have an abstraction very similar to this in SourceCodeAbc.cpp line 123. It would be trivial to refactor this class to be more generic. Should I?" I was pretty blown away. It was like a first glimpse of an LLM play-acting as someone more senior and thoughtful than the usual "cocaine-fueled intern."