My problem with that suggestion is that it becomes automatic, if I just know I need to short circuit every query to get results I think I'd fall into a bad habi

My problem with that suggestion is that it becomes automatic, if I just know I need to short circuit every query to get results I think I'd fall into a bad habit. If update and delete require special thought, you need to take that thought specifically when you're doing those actions. We're adding friction for those dangerous commands, not every command.