Anthropic engineer on Claude Code effort levels: low to iterate, max for security
trq212 · x · 2026-09-26
Anthropic engineer Thariq Shihipar published a detailed explainer on how effort works in Claude Code, based on his own tests of three builds and a deep dive into Terminal-Bench 3.0.
- What effort is: an approximation of how much compute the model spends on a task. Higher effort means more independent judgment, more verification and edge-case testing — without breaking the prompt cache.
- When to go high: domains where verification matters most — hardware, code review, security. Effort max is mostly for fully hands-off runs or hunting security vulnerabilities.
- When to go low: when you want to stay in the loop.
- His workflow: have the model interview him first, implement on low effort, review the output manually, then run verification on high effort.
Related event: Anthropic Staff Explains How to Choose Claude Code's Effort Setting(5 posts)→
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