Surface current Effort level as an icon in the input toolbar (VS Code)

Preflight Checklist

• [x] I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• [x] This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

In the Claude Code VS Code extension, the Effort setting (Low / Medium / High) is currently only visible after opening the command menu and scrolling to the Model section. It would be much more useful to surface the current Effort level as a small icon/indicator in the input toolbar, alongside the + (attach) and / (commands) icons.

Problem

• I can't tell at a glance what Effort level I'm currently using.
• To check or change it, I have to open the menu and navigate to Model → Effort, which adds friction during active sessions.
• It's easy to forget the mode is set to Low when working on something that warrants High effort (or the reverse, wasting tokens on trivial tasks).

Proposed Solution

Add a small Effort indicator to the input toolbar (the row with +, /, and Auto mode). Ideas:

• A compact label like L / M / H, or the dot-indicator style already used in the Effort menu.
• Clicking it opens the Effort selector directly, skipping the full command menu.
• Optional: subtle color cue (e.g., higher effort = warmer color) for fast visual recognition.

Why it matters

Effort directly affects response quality, latency, and token usage. Making it a first-class, always-visible control — the way model selection often is in other tools — would help users make intentional choices instead of discovering mid-task that they were on the wrong setting.

<img width="1536" height="960" alt="Image" src="https://github.com/user-attachments/assets/ce488070-6863-4d28-852e-acd88c683dd3" />

Alternative Solutions

_No response_

Priority

Medium - Would be very helpful

Feature Category

Interactive mode (TUI)

Use Case Example

_No response_

Additional Context

_No response_