Effort levels are now defined in one shared list

Claude Code now keeps one shared list of effort levels: low, medium, high, xhigh and max

Under the hood Internal Changes

JSON All of v2.1.293

Under the hoodTier: how much it should matter to you

1Useful: my rating, 1 to 5

2Signal: worth watching, 1 to 5

EffortArea: what it touches

Internal ChangesKind: in v2.1.293, 07 Oct 26

Internal ChangesSection of the release

What

Claude Code now keeps the effort levels in one shared list: low, medium, high, xhigh and max.

Why

The names used for effort levels now come from a single place.

The build it came inv2.1.293

7 Oct 2026 · 287 entries, this one is #185.

Either side of it

Open the release →

Names in this entry

settinglow
A new modelSettings config key stores an effort level per model, from low to xhigh.
settingmedium
Workflow size now defaults to medium, and an admin policy setting overrides whatever you chose.
settinghigh
The bundled Claude API skill docs now target the new Opus, covering thinking defaults, fallbacks and fast mode.
settingxhigh
The bundled Claude API skill docs now target the new Opus, covering thinking defaults, fallbacks and fast mode.
settingmax
The bundled Claude API skill docs now target the new Opus, covering thinking defaults, fallbacks and fast mode.

Is this right?

Other releases about the same thing. Found by shared names or similar wording; neither means one caused the other.