effort-cycle

A Claude Code mod that changes the effort level from the keyboard, without leaving a row in the transcript:

• Alt+E steps the effort up: low → medium → high → xhigh → max, stopping at max.
• Alt+Shift+E steps it down, stopping at low.
• The footer shows the model and level as they change, as a meter colored cool to hot (gray, green, yellow, orange, red, by theme color), the blocks a press fills or empties lit for a moment: Opus 5.5 ▰▰▰▱▱ high. A press past either end lights the level's word. At max the model name turns red too, and while Claude works a light sweeps across the bar.

The level applies to the main thread's model requests. Subagents keep Claude Code's own level. Changing effort Claude Code's way (/effort, the Alt+P picker) takes over again from the next request.

Mods (plugins of function hooks) are an early-access Claude Code API that changes between releases. This one is built and tested against Claude Code 2.1.283.

Install

1. Install it from the anerco marketplace, in Claude Code:

   /plugin marketplace add Anerco/plugins
   /plugin install effort-cycle@anerco
   

   Or, to work on it, clone the repo and load the folder with claude --plugin-dir <folder>, or in every session through CLAUDE_CODE_PLUGIN_DIRS in the env block of ~/.claude/settings.json.

2. Bind the keys in ~/.claude/keybindings.json:

   {
     "bindings": [
       { "context": "Global", "bindings": { "meta+e": "strip:jump9", "meta+shift+e": "strip:jump8" } }
     ]
   }
   

   A mod cannot own a key. It can only borrow one of Claude Code's own keybinding actions, so the mod listens for strip:jump9 (up) and strip:jump8 (down). Any modified key or chord works; a bare letter does not.

   On macOS, Option+E types an accent unless the terminal sends Option as Meta: in Terminal.app turn on Use Option as Meta key (Settings → Profiles → Keyboard), in iTerm2 set Left Option key to Esc+ (Settings → Profiles → Keys), in Ghostty set macos-option-as-alt = true. Or bind a ctrl chord instead.

Settings

/config lists five toggles, Effort keys: include low through include max, all on by default. The keys step only through the levels that are on, for every model. The values are stored in ~/.claude/settings.json under pluginConfigs, under the plugin's key (effort-cycle@anerco when installed from the marketplace).

Known issues

• The spinner can show a different level from the footer (#1). The footer is the level the requests go out with; the spinner reads Claude Code's own state, which a mod cannot change.
• The level is not kept after a restart. An Alt+E pick lasts for the session. A mod cannot write settings, so it cannot save the level the way the Alt+P picker does.
• Ultracode is not a step. It is a separate on/off switch that works at any level (/effort ultracode on), and the plugin API exposes no way to switch it.

Develop

claude plugin validate .
claude plugin test .

Run /plugin-types .claude-plugin/types in a Claude Code session to write the API declarations an editor and tsc type the mod against. They are generated per Claude Code build and are not committed.

License

MIT