Claude's five effort levels explained: raise thinking power before switching models
CodeByPoonam · x · 2026-09-26
CodeByPoonam breaks down the 5 effort levels in Claude Opus 5.5, noting most people only ever use one:
- Low: mechanical tasks with a clear plan, like renames or applying a known pattern across files
- Medium: the default starting point for well-scoped daily work
- High: when medium stalls—more thinking per turn catches what medium misses
- Extra high: when high still can't get there; if stuck, switch to Fable 5.1 for that task
- Max: only for the most complex tasks—turn it on, finish the hard part, then lower it again
Key advice: if results disappoint, raise the effort level before reaching for a bigger model.
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