## Bug Description The Claude Code status bar displays `medium /effort` in the lower right corner, suggesting `/effort` is a valid slash command. However, typing `/effort high` in-session returns: ``` Unknown skill: effort ``` ## Expected Behavior Either: 1. `/effort` should be recognized as a built-in command and change the reasoning effort level, OR 2. The status bar should not advertise `/effort` as a slash command if it's not implemented as one ## Steps to Reproduce 1. Open a Claude Co

/effort slash command shown in status bar but returns 'Unknown skill: effort'

Status Fixed / completed

Maintainer reply ✓ Yes — claude[bot]

Activity 14 comments · opened Mar 10, 2026 · closed Apr 24, 2026

💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (claude[bot], contributor) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

Bug Description

The Claude Code status bar displays medium /effort in the lower right corner, suggesting /effort is a valid slash command. However, typing /effort high in-session returns:

Unknown skill: effort

Expected Behavior

Either:

/effort should be recognized as a built-in command and change the reasoning effort level, OR
The status bar should not advertise /effort as a slash command if it's not implemented as one

Steps to Reproduce

Open a Claude Code session
Observe medium /effort in the status bar (lower right)
Type /effort high
Get Unknown skill: effort error

Environment

macOS (Darwin 24.6.0)
Claude Code CLI (latest)

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

View original on GitHub ↗

13 Comments

GlassBeaver · 5 months ago

This happens on Windows too, with CLI version 2.1.72

vampy · 5 months ago

It has been happening since 2.7.72
2.1.73 still did not fix it even tho it says in the changelog

Improved /effort to work while Claude is responding, matching /model behavior

jm3466 · 5 months ago

Claude... Pls fix.

dave-sims · 5 months ago

finia2NA · 5 months ago

I have the same issue. I think it's pretty widespread.

chancegraff · 5 months ago

Same issue

henricook · 5 months ago

Has anyone got a workaround to change effort? I'm stuck on medium like a pauper!

henricook · 5 months ago

Answered my own question, you can modify ~/.claude/settings.json (see line with a + in this diff, or ask Claude Code to edit it for you):

Update(~/.claude/settings.json)                                                                                                                                                                                                      
  ⎿  Added 1 line                                                                                                                                                                                                                      
      35      "deny": []                                                                                                                                                                                                               
      36    },                                                                                                                                                                                                                         
      37    "model": "opus",                                                                                                                                                                                                           
      38 +  "effortLevel": "high",                                                                                                                                                                                                     
      39    "hooks": {                                                                                                                                                                                                                 
      40      "SessionStart": [                                                                                                                                                                                                        
      41        {

cwkfs · 5 months ago

Has anyone got a workaround to change effort? I'm stuck on medium like a pauper!

Type /model

Select model; should be opus4.6 by default

Then right arrow key to increase thinking effort ; medium->high->max

Enter key to save

But when you start new Claude session, it most likely defaults back to medium effort

rmurphey · 5 months ago

This bug is worse than a missing feature — it's the UI actively lying to users.

The status bar displays /effort as if it's a command. Users type it. It fails. Then the v2.1.73 changelog says "Improved /effort to work while Claude is responding" — implying it was fixed — while the command still returns Unknown skill: effort.

This means:

The UI advertises a broken command on every session
The changelog claims a fix that didn't ship (or shipped broken), undermining trust in all release notes
There's been zero team response on this issue despite multiple reports across platforms

Users are paying for Max/Team plans and can't access a core feature through the mechanism the product itself tells them to use. The workarounds (editing settings.json, using /model with arrow keys) are not discoverable — users only find them by reading GitHub comments.

This needs a team response and a fix, not silence.

vampy · 5 months ago

They fixed it in 2.1.76 https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md

But changelog shows they added it in 2.1.72 and made some fixes for it in 2.1.73.
Hallucations are great. 😂

claude[bot] contributor · 4 months ago

This issue was fixed as of version 2.1.76.

github-actions[bot] · 4 months ago

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.

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