effortLevel "max" in settings.json not respected on session start — falls back to xhigh

Bug

"effortLevel": "max" is set in ~/.claude/settings.json, but new sessions start at xhigh instead of max.

Steps to reproduce

1. Set "effortLevel": "max" in ~/.claude/settings.json
2. Open a new Claude Code session
3. Run /effort — slider shows xhigh selected, not max
4. Manually select max via /effort — it works for the session
5. Open another new session — back to xhigh

Expected

Session should start at max since that's what's in global settings.

Evidence

• ~/.claude/settings.json line 212: "effortLevel": "max"
• No project-level settings.json or settings.local.json overrides effortLevel
• /effort UI does show max as a valid level (rightmost on the slider: low → medium → high → xhigh → max)
• Setting max via /effort within a session works, output: "Set effort level to max (this session only)"

Environment

• Claude Code CLI (latest)
• macOS (Darwin 25.3.0)
• Model: claude-opus-4-7 (1M context)