/effort should override CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL env var
Resolved 💬 2 comments Opened Mar 27, 2026 by nicksonnenberg Closed Apr 27, 2026
Summary
When CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL is set as an environment variable, the /effort session command refuses to override it:
/effort max
Not applied: CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL=high overrides effort this session, and max is session-only (nothing saved)
Expected Behavior
The precedence should be: session /effort > env var > built-in default
Users naturally set the env var as a default in their shell profile, expecting to override it per-session when needed. The current behavior treats the env var as a hard ceiling that can't be overridden, which is counterintuitive.
Current Behavior
The env var acts as an immutable override: env var > session /effort (session command is blocked entirely).
Suggested Fix
Allow /effort to override CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL for the current session. The env var should function as the default, not a lock.
Reproduction
export CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL=high- Start Claude Code
- Run
/effort max - Observe: override is rejected
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