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Sweep 22 Oct 2026 · 04:32Z Build v2.1.308 527 read Stable v2.1.308 Latest v2.1.308 Next v2.1.308 Feeds RSS JSON llms.txt llms-full.txt Unofficial
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mid-conversation-system-messages changedbuild-with-claude/mid-conversation-system-messages

Nearest release: v2.1.293, published 2 hours after this site recorded the change. Shown because the two are within 24 hours of each other. Nothing here says the release caused the edit.

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16431643You can still set the top-level `system` field for instructions that should apply to the entire conversation. Reserve mid-conversation system messages for instructions that only become relevant later, or that you want to add without invalidating the cached prefix.
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1645A `role: "system"` message can also carry `output_config.effort` to change the [effort](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/effort) level from the next `user` turn on. This is in beta on Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Mythos 5.1, Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Opus 5, and Claude Sonnet 5.5 on the Claude API and Google Cloud, and requires the `mid-conversation-output-config-2026-07-01` beta header. See [Per-message effort](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/effort#change-effort-mid-conversation-beta).
1645A `role: "system"` message can also carry `output_config.effort` to change the [effort](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/effort) level partway through a conversation. This is in beta on Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Mythos 5.1, Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Opus 5, and Claude Sonnet 5.5 on the Claude API and Google Cloud, and requires the `mid-conversation-output-config-2026-07-01` beta header. On Amazon Bedrock, it's in beta on Claude Fable 5.1, Claude Mythos 5.1, and Claude Opus 5.5, with the same beta value. Claude Opus 5 doesn't support it on Amazon Bedrock. See [Per-message effort](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/effort#change-effort-mid-conversation-beta).
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16471647<CodeGroup>
16481648 ```bash cURL
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20962096messages.3.content.0: cache_control is not permitted on a turn-scoped system message (clear_at: 'next_user_message')
20972097```
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2099The first is the error returned without the beta header. On Amazon Bedrock and Google Cloud, pass the beta value as described in [Beta headers](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/api/beta-headers).
2099The first is the error returned without the beta header. On Google Cloud and [Claude in Amazon Bedrock](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/claude-in-amazon-bedrock), send the beta value in the `anthropic-beta` header, as on the Claude API (see [Beta headers](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/api/beta-headers)). With the Amazon Bedrock [InvokeModel API](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/claude-on-amazon-bedrock-legacy), put it in the `anthropic_beta` array of the request body instead.
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21012101Through the SDK, set `clear_at` (csharp, go: `ClearAt`; java: `.clearAt()`; php: `clearAt`) on the `role: "system"` entry in `messages` and send the beta header. The following example appends a turn-scoped reminder after the user turn; on the next request, once a later user message exists, the reminder stays in the array but no longer renders:
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