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Sweep 22 Sep 2026 · 17:19Z Build v2.1.280 501 read Stable v2.1.267 Latest v2.1.280 Next v2.1.280 Feeds RSS JSON llms.txt Unofficial
Claude Code v2.1.280 ·

New 'max effort' mode with a status-line reminder

A new max-effort mode sends an effort parameter to the API and shows a status-line reminder (with /effort to change it) when active

TierYou'll noticehow much it should matter to you
Useful4my rating, 1 to 5
Signal4worth watching, 1 to 5
AreaVSCode Extensionwhat it touches
KindImprovementsin v2.1.280,
Group of 5 You'll notice Notable No documentation found

A new max-effort mode sends an effort parameter to the API and shows a status-line reminder (with /effort to change it) when active

What

  • A new "max effort" mode was added: a helper decides when to force maximum effort, gated by a reminder-enabled check before it's applied.
  • A status-line reminder ("Max effort · … · /effort to change") is shown when effort is set to max; whether it appears is controlled by the CLAUDE_CODE_MAX_EFFORT_REMINDER environment variable, falling back to a remote flag (tengu_proud_clover, off by default unless enabled server-side).
  • The VS Code extension's feature-gate table gained the corresponding max-effort reminder gate, wired from maxEffortReminderEnabled.
  • The reminder is shown in a warning color rather than a subtle one when the environment variable or flag is set.
  • Underneath, the request-building code for side-queries now accepts an effort option that becomes output_config.effort on the API call; if a model rejects it, Claude Code remembers the model doesn't support it and retries without the field, logging a telemetry event.

Why

This lets you run Claude Code at maximum effort and know at a glance when that mode is active, via /effort to change it, while the underlying request logic gracefully falls back for models that don't support the effort parameter.

Read from
Names in the bundletengu_vscode_inline_pastestengu_tranquil_cloudtengu_proud_clover
Feature flag
tengu_vscode_inline_pastes Not enough to say

Nothing here resolved what this flag was doing on this version, so nothing here should be read as on or off.

This account: no value returned · anonymous baseline: no value returned · compiled default in v2.1.280: on

These values were read against a different version of Claude Code, so treat them as the nearest reading available instead of one taken on this release.

tengu_tranquil_cloud Not enough to say

Nothing here resolved what this flag was doing on this version, so nothing here should be read as on or off.

This account: no value returned · anonymous baseline: no value returned · compiled default in v2.1.280: on

These values were read against a different version of Claude Code, so treat them as the nearest reading available instead of one taken on this release.

tengu_proud_clover Not enough to say

Nothing here resolved what this flag was doing on this version, so nothing here should be read as on or off.

This account: no value returned · anonymous baseline: no value returned · compiled default in v2.1.280: off

These values were read against a different version of Claude Code, so treat them as the nearest reading available instead of one taken on this release.

Read once, for one account on one subscription tier, against v2.1.280. It isn't a statement about your account. What a flag value here can and cannot tell you

How sure we are
Something disagreesSomething we can check disagrees with this entry, or the writer said they could not settle it.
The writer flagged doubtWhat `tengu_vscode_inline_pastes`, `tengu_tranquil_cloud`, and the max-effort reminder actually do or show to the user is not stated in the…
The name it cites is new in this buildNew in this build: tengu_proud_clover

See this entry in the whole of v2.1.280 →

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