[Bug] Anthropic API Error: Unsupported effort level 'xhigh' without thinking enabled

Status Fixed / completed
Reported on v2.1.220
Maintainer reply ✓ Yes — bcherny
Activity 3 comments · opened Jul 25, 2026 · closed Aug 20, 2026
💡 Likely answer: A maintainer (bcherny, collaborator) responded on this thread — see the highlighted reply below.

Bug Description
Web Search("Claude Code effortLevel high Opus 5 recommended setting")
⎿  Error: API Error: 400 output_config.effort 'xhigh' is not supported when thinking is disabled on this model. Use effort 'high' or below, or enable
thinking.

Environment Info

  • Platform: darwin
  • Terminal: iTerm.app
  • Version: 2.1.220
  • Feedback ID: 34423f4d-fa0d-4749-8156-26d6e28cf520

Errors

[{"error":"Error: 400 {\"type\":\"error\",\"error\":{\"type\":\"invalid_request_error\",\"message\":\"output_config.effort 'xhigh' is not supported when thinking is disabled on this model. Use effort 'high' or below, or enable thinking.\"},\"request_id\":\"req_011CdNP2tbAJHJEzxL14v7nu\"}\n    at generate (/$bunfs/root/src/entrypoints/cli.js:40:49836)\n    at makeRequest (/$bunfs/root/src/entrypoints/cli.js:80:7690)\n    at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-07-25T07:27:54.711Z"},{"error":"Error: 400 {\"type\":\"error\",\"error\":{\"type\":\"invalid_request_error\",\"message\":\"output_config.effort 'xhigh' is not supported when thinking is disabled on this model. Use effort 'high' or below, or enable thinking.\"},\"request_id\":\"req_011CdNQ5mWxjaApMZzSvgseU\"}\n    at generate (/$bunfs/root/src/entrypoints/cli.js:40:49836)\n    at makeRequest (/$bunfs/root/src/entrypoints/cli.js:80:7690)\n    at processTicksAndRejections (native:7:39)","timestamp":"2026-07-25T07:41:41.099Z"}]

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3 Comments

scpedicini · 1 month ago

Same issue - it's definitely something recent and seems to break tool usage.

Global settings.json configuration

"alwaysThinkingEnabled": true,
"effortLevel": "xhigh",

Platform

Platform: darwin
CLI Version: v2.1.220
ahundt · 28 days ago

I was able to reproduce this in the claude code cli:

Bug Description
there is a bug in xhigh thinking where the system indicates thinking is off and produces the following error:
⏺ Web Search("...")
⎿  Error: API Error: 400 output_config.effort 'xhigh' is not supported when thinking is disabled on this model. Use effort 'high' or below, or enable thinking.

⏺ Web Search("...")
⎿  Error: API Error: 400 output_config.effort 'xhigh' is not supported when thinking is disabled on this model. Use effort 'high' or below, or enable thinking.

Environment Info

  • Platform: darwin
  • Terminal: tmux
  • Version: 2.1.220
  • Feedback ID: 9ea336db-000d-4738-ad4e-47624156536d

Errors

[]
bcherny collaborator · 11 days ago

Fixed in 2.1.221 — changelog: "Fixed WebSearch failing with a 400 error at effort xhigh/max when thinking is disabled" (https://github.com/anthropics/claude-code/blob/main/CHANGELOG.md). Closing — reply to reopen if it still happens on the latest version.

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