thinking-steering-and-cost changedbuild-with-claude/thinking-steering-and-cost
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## How Claude determines when to think ## How Claude decides when to think
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88 To learn how zero data retention (ZDR) applies to this feature, see [API and data retention](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/manage-claude/api-and-data-retention).
99</Note>
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11Claude's thinking is adaptive: the model evaluates each request and decides for itself whether to think and how much. You set an intent, optionally specify the effort, and the model allocates reasoning where it judges reasoning will help.
11Claude's thinking is adaptive: the model evaluates each request and determines whether to think and how much. You set an intent, optionally specify the effort, and the model allocates reasoning where it judges reasoning will help.
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1313This makes thinking a strong fit for workloads that mix trivial and complex requests, and for long-horizon agentic workflows where the right amount of reasoning varies from step to step.
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15To learn how to turn thinking on, how to read thinking output, and about [thinking output on Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/thinking#thinking-output-on-claude-fable-5-and-claude-mythos-5), see the [Thinking](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/thinking) overview. This page covers how Claude decides when to think, how to steer that decision, and the caching, cost, and pricing mechanics that follow from it.
15To learn how to turn thinking on, how to read thinking output, and about [thinking output on Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/thinking#thinking-output-on-claude-fable-5-and-claude-mythos-5), see the [Thinking](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/thinking) overview. This page covers how Claude determines when to think, how to steer thinking, and the caching, cost, and pricing mechanics that follow from it.
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17## How Claude decides when to think
17## How Claude determines when to think
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19Thinking is optional for the model. On each request, Claude weighs the complexity of the input and decides whether deeper reasoning would improve the answer. A simple factual question may get a direct response with no thinking block at all; a multistep math problem or a tricky debugging task triggers deeper reasoning.
19Thinking is optional for the model. On each request, Claude weighs the complexity of the input and determines whether deeper reasoning would improve the answer. A simple factual question may get a direct response with no thinking block at all; a multistep math problem or a tricky debugging task triggers deeper reasoning.
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2121The decision happens per request. The same conversation can contain turns with and without thinking, and a turn where Claude chose not to think contains no thinking block. Don't build application logic that assumes every assistant turn starts with one.
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2525If you want Claude to think less often, lower the effort level before reaching for prompt-based steering.
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27Thinking also interleaves with tool use automatically: Claude can think between tool calls, reflecting on each tool result before deciding what to do next ([interleaved thinking](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/thinking#interleaved-thinking)). You don't need a beta header or any additional configuration for this.
27Thinking also interleaves with tool use automatically: Claude can think between tool calls, reflecting on each tool result before determining what to do next ([interleaved thinking](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/thinking#interleaved-thinking)). You don't need a beta header or any additional configuration for this.
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2929For the full picture of how the thinking configuration and the effort parameter interact, see [Thinking and effort](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/thinking#thinking-and-effort).
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5151| `medium` (default on Claude Opus 5.5) | Claude uses moderate thinking. May skip thinking for simple queries. |
5252| `low` | Claude minimizes thinking. Skips thinking for simple tasks where speed matters most. |
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54At every level, Claude decides per request whether to think. In a tool-use loop, the first request after new user input typically carries most of the reasoning, and follow-up requests that only process tool results can skip thinking, including at `xhigh` and `max`. Thinking per request also tends to decrease as a conversation grows longer. No level guarantees a thinking block on every request.
54At every level, Claude determines per request whether to think. In a tool-use loop, the first request after new user input typically carries most of the reasoning, and follow-up requests that only process tool results can skip thinking, including at `xhigh` and `max`. Thinking per request also tends to decrease as a conversation grows longer. No level guarantees a thinking block on every request.
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5656This table describes how each level changes thinking behavior. For guidance on which level to choose for a given workload, including per-model recommendations, see [When to adjust the effort parameter](https://platform.claude.com/docs/en/build-with-claude/effort#when-to-adjust-the-effort-parameter) on the effort page.
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