Unclear Whether this narrows or widens who can skip the limit compared with before is not clear.
What
Ultracode, which runs dynamic workflows (Claude orchestrating extra work) on every task, used to be one of the effort levels, shown as "xhigh + workflows". It is now a separate on/off switch for the session that you combine with any effort level.
- The
/effortpicker has a separate row readingUltracode: onoroffwith "select to turn it" on or off and "dynamic workflows on every task". Selecting it sendsultracode onorultracode off. - The row only appears when workflows are available and the model supports xhigh effort. Workflow availability comes from the
tengu_workflows_enabledgate unlessCLAUDE_CODE_WORKFLOWSor thedisableWorkflows/enableWorkflowssettings override it. /effortusage now readsauto|ultracode [on|off], with a section headed "Ultracode (any effort level, this session only):".- Cycling effort levels left and right no longer includes ultracode, and a current ultracode value is no longer mapped to max or high.
- A new session-only
ultracodesetting is described as "standing dynamic-workflow orchestration at any effort level". - The status label shows the real effort level and adds " · ultracode" when it is on.
- The per-model
supportsUltrafield was dropped. - SDK session state and
get_settingsreportultracodeRequestedandultracodeAvailablenext toultracode(applied.ultracode).ultracodeAvailableis true when dynamic workflows are enabled and the model supports it; hosts should only offer an Ultracode control while it is true. Theultracodedescription no longer says it implies xhigh effort. - The check that the live model's effort still matches the recorded level no longer passes the ultracode setting.
- Skipping the limit on concurrent subagents (helper agents Claude starts) now only happens when ultracode is on and the model supports it, rather than depending on the effort level. The separate
tengu_amber_kestrelbypass is unchanged. The limit itself is still set withCLAUDE_CODE_MAX_CONCURRENT_SUBAGENTS.
Why
If you used ultracode before, it now behaves differently: you pick your effort level and turn ultracode on or off on top of it. Sessions at a high effort level without ultracode may now hit the subagent limit where they did not before, and SDK hosts can tell "requested but unavailable" apart from "on".
tengu_amber_kestrel Not enough to sayNothing 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 v2.1.284: 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 v2.1.284. It isn't a statement about your account. What a flag value here can and cannot tell you
Whether this narrows or widens who can skip the limit compared with before is not clear.