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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] effortLevel: "max" in settings.json appears to run as medium [1 comments, 2 participants]

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anthropics/claude-code#48051•Fetched 2026-04-15 06:34:39
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  • I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
  • This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
  • I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

What happened: Global ~/.claude/settings.json has "effortLevel": "max" and "alwaysThinkingEnabled": true. /model reports "max effort". But thinking behavior looks closer to medium — short or absent thinking blocks on non-trivial prompts, less deliberation than expected.

Expected: Thinking output consistent with max effort (visibly longer deliberation on complex tasks).

Actual: Behavior feels like medium despite settings + /model both reporting max.

Config (no override found):

  • ~/.claude/settings.json → "effortLevel": "max" ✅
  • ~/.claude/settings.local.json → not set
  • Project .claude/settings.local.json → not set
  • No env vars overriding

Model: Opus 4.6 (1M context)

Ask: Can the runtime expose the actually applied effort level (not just the configured one) — e.g., in the status bar, in /model output, or via a /effort slash command? Hard to tell from the outside whether max is really being sent.

What Should Happen?

Global ~/.claude/settings.json has "effortLevel": "max" and "alwaysThinkingEnabled": true. /model reports "max effort". But thinking behavior looks closer to medium — short or absent thinking blocks on non-trivial prompts, less deliberation than expected.

Error Messages/Logs

Steps to Reproduce

What happened: Global ~/.claude/settings.json has "effortLevel": "max" and "alwaysThinkingEnabled": true. /model reports "max effort". But thinking behavior looks closer to medium — short or absent thinking blocks on non-trivial prompts, less deliberation than expected.

Expected: Thinking output consistent with max effort (visibly longer deliberation on complex tasks).

Actual: Behavior feels like medium despite settings + /model both reporting max.

Config (no override found):

  • ~/.claude/settings.json → "effortLevel": "max" ✅
  • ~/.claude/settings.local.json → not set
  • Project .claude/settings.local.json → not set
  • No env vars overriding

Model: Opus 4.6 (1M context)

Ask: Can the runtime expose the actually applied effort level (not just the configured one) — e.g., in the status bar, in /model output, or via a /effort slash command? Hard to tell from the outside whether max is really being sent.

Claude Model

Opus

Is this a regression?

I don't know

Last Working Version

No response

Claude Code Version

v2.1.107

Platform

Anthropic API

Operating System

macOS

Terminal/Shell

Terminal.app (macOS)

Additional Information

No response

extent analysis

TL;DR

The issue might be resolved by verifying the actual effort level applied by the runtime, potentially through an exposed status or command.

Guidance

  • Check the model's configuration and settings to ensure that "effortLevel" is correctly set to "max" and "alwaysThinkingEnabled" is true.
  • Verify that there are no override settings in ~/.claude/settings.local.json, project .claude/settings.local.json, or environment variables that might be affecting the effort level.
  • Consider requesting a feature to expose the actually applied effort level, such as through a status bar, /model output, or /effort slash command, to confirm whether the max effort level is being sent.
  • Test the model with different prompts and settings to see if the behavior is consistent and expected.

Notes

The issue description lacks specific error messages or logs, making it difficult to pinpoint the exact cause. The suggested steps are based on the provided information and may not fully resolve the issue.

Recommendation

Apply workaround: Request a feature to expose the actually applied effort level to verify the settings and behavior. This will help determine if the issue is with the configuration or the model's behavior.

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claude-code - 💡(How to fix) Fix [BUG] effortLevel: "max" in settings.json appears to run as medium [1 comments, 2 participants]