own /effort: respawn-with-resume carrying --effort, picker UX (T-412)

Spike result (probed claude 2.1.175 over stream-json): there is NO
set_effort/set_thinking_effort control subtype — both are rejected. The
lever is the `--effort <level>` spawn flag (low/medium/high/xhigh/max;
settings.json effortLevel is the persisted default). So changing effort
restarts the process: respawn-with-resume keeps the conversation and
carries the flag — the same continuity /clear and /resume already rely on.

- SpawnSpec.effort → orchestrator appends `--effort <level>`.
- claude_pane: /effort <level> validates and respawns (toast explains the
  restart); bare /effort opens a picker; the pane re-applies its effort on
  every later respawn. Invalid level → local notice listing levels.
- ModelPickerCard generalised minimally (title + isCurrent predicate) so
  the effort picker reuses it; effort needs exact matching because `high`
  is a substring of `xhigh` and alias-containment would mis-mark it.
- SessionStatus.effort + StreamJsonSession.noteEffort: the wire never
  reports effort, so the spawner records what it set; status/sidebar read
  it from the normal status stream.
- Routing: effort moves from the TUI-only catalog to kClideOwnedCommands.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Fable 5 <noreply@anthropic.com>

.pql/changelog/ticket_history/2026-06.sql

@@ -4324,3 +4324,5 @@ the whole Claude sidebar (Activity/Team/Config): bump the row/label typography t
 the panel scale used elsewhere, give sections clearer hierarchy (headers, spacing,
 accent marks per ui-design tokens), and make the controls feel like controls.
 Treat ui-design skill as the reference for token/type choices.', NULL, '2026-06-12 10:24:43', '2026-06-12 10:24:43', '2026-06-12 10:24:43', NULL, '5e15c4d2cdabba62bbaba701a93f6e79', 2) ON CONFLICT(hash) DO NOTHING;
+INSERT INTO ticket_history (ticket_record_id, field, old_value, new_value, changed_by, changed_at, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('06FBP3GM6V0RZBY2PXE9ZQFR88', 'status', 'in_progress', 'done', NULL, '2026-06-12 10:25:53', '2026-06-12 10:25:53', '2026-06-12 10:25:53', NULL, 'f65cf1d99c1d22ced8d18e1579b048ad', 2) ON CONFLICT(hash) DO NOTHING;
+INSERT INTO ticket_history (ticket_record_id, field, old_value, new_value, changed_by, changed_at, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('06FBP3J7TXMG0F9E2WQDENPVJG', 'status', 'backlog', 'in_progress', NULL, '2026-06-12 10:25:53', '2026-06-12 10:25:53', '2026-06-12 10:25:53', NULL, 'dca846f23cb4353cc826ddd79a6c14f0', 2) ON CONFLICT(hash) DO NOTHING;

.pql/changelog/tickets/2026-06.sql

@@ -4703,3 +4703,11 @@ Treat ui-design skill as the reference for token/type choices.', 'backlog', 'med
 INSERT INTO tickets (record_id, type, parent_record_id, title, description, status, priority, assigned_to, team, decision_ref, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('06FBPQ8QNGJFFK7G24CBWQAR2C', 'story', '06FBP3EZC7AJANXZVF3D91QYWM', 'Surface Claude Code Workflow runs in the convo + status surfaces', 'Claude Code''s Workflow mechanism (multi-agent orchestration: wf_<id> runs, phases, agent fan-outs, live progress) currently renders in clide as ordinary tool-use cards at best. Integrate it properly: (1) CONVO PANEL — recognise a Workflow tool-use and render a dedicated run card: phase groups, per-agent rows with live status, and the run''s result summary; reuse the collapser/agent-card machinery (T-305/T-342) rather than inventing new chrome. (2) STATUS/SIDEBAR — while a workflow runs, show an aggregate indicator (run id, phase, agents active/done) in the Claude sidebar Activity tab and/or status line.
 
 SPIKE FIRST: capture what the stream-json wire actually emits during a Workflow run (tool_use input shape, progress/notification events, sidechain attribution for workflow-spawned agents) — same probe method as T-410''s. Scope the rendering to what the wire really carries; if progress only exists in the harness UI and not on the wire, document that limit and render what''s available (start/end + result). Filed from user request 2026-06-12.', 'backlog', 'medium', NULL, NULL, NULL, '2026-06-12 10:25:00', '2026-06-12 10:25:00', NULL, '579c8318c3c217ae5bbbc90661dbe917', 2) ON CONFLICT(record_id) DO UPDATE SET type=excluded.type, parent_record_id=excluded.parent_record_id, title=excluded.title, description=excluded.description, status=excluded.status, priority=excluded.priority, assigned_to=excluded.assigned_to, team=excluded.team, decision_ref=excluded.decision_ref, updated_at=excluded.updated_at, deleted_at=excluded.deleted_at, hash=excluded.hash, canonical_version=excluded.canonical_version WHERE excluded.updated_at > tickets.updated_at OR (excluded.updated_at = tickets.updated_at AND excluded.hash > tickets.hash);
+INSERT INTO tickets (record_id, type, parent_record_id, title, description, status, priority, assigned_to, team, decision_ref, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('06FBP3GM6V0RZBY2PXE9ZQFR88', 'story', '06FBP3EZC7AJANXZVF3D91QYWM', 'Slash-command routing table + graceful TUI-only capture', 'Replace kClideOwnedCommands (a bare Set) with a declarative routing table: token → forward | owned | unavailable. ''forward'' is probe-driven (the live initialize handshake''s slash_commands — skills + headless builtins); ''owned'' dispatches to clide implementations (clear/resume/fork/model today, growing per sibling stories); ''unavailable'' is a curated catalog of known TUI-only commands (doctor, login, logout, terminal-setup, ide, exit, vim, statusline, output-style, …) that get a friendly card explaining the clide equivalent — never forwarded.
+
+Plus the reactive catch-all: a system/local_command event whose stdout matches "isn''t available in this environment" renders as a muted hint card (suggesting the sidebar control when the routing table maps one) instead of raw CLI error text. This auto-captures future/unknown TUI commands without catalog maintenance.
+
+Where: slash_commands.dart (table), claude_pane._send (dispatch), stream_json_session/transcript handling for the local_command catch, conversation card for the hint. Tests: routing per class; the catch-all renders the hint card; advertised-but-unknown forwards untouched; typeahead lists owned + advertised, not ''unavailable'' ones (or lists them greyed).', 'done', 'high', NULL, NULL, NULL, '2026-06-12 08:58:42', '2026-06-12 10:25:53', NULL, 'd1aa3a143b9db8758ca20ba5197d9332', 2) ON CONFLICT(record_id) DO UPDATE SET type=excluded.type, parent_record_id=excluded.parent_record_id, title=excluded.title, description=excluded.description, status=excluded.status, priority=excluded.priority, assigned_to=excluded.assigned_to, team=excluded.team, decision_ref=excluded.decision_ref, updated_at=excluded.updated_at, deleted_at=excluded.deleted_at, hash=excluded.hash, canonical_version=excluded.canonical_version WHERE excluded.updated_at > tickets.updated_at OR (excluded.updated_at = tickets.updated_at AND excluded.hash > tickets.hash);
+INSERT INTO tickets (record_id, type, parent_record_id, title, description, status, priority, assigned_to, team, decision_ref, created_at, updated_at, deleted_at, hash, canonical_version) VALUES ('06FBP3J7TXMG0F9E2WQDENPVJG', 'story', '06FBP3EZC7AJANXZVF3D91QYWM', 'Own /effort: control-request spike + arg/picker UX', 'Mirror T-408''s /model treatment for /effort (thinking-effort level). SPIKE FIRST (same method as the T-408 set_model spike against claude 2.1.175): does the stream-json control channel accept a set_effort-style control_request subtype? Probe candidate subtypes alongside set_permission_mode/set_model; document the result in the ticket. If no control subtype exists, decide a fallback explicitly — settings-file write + session restart, or declare it unavailable-with-explanation — don''t fake it.
+
+UX when supported: ''/effort <level>'' sets directly (optimistic status merge, toast rollback on rejection, exactly the T-408 pattern); bare ''/effort'' swaps a picker card into the interaction zone (D-78). Surface the current effort in SessionStatus + the sidebar config row, and as an inline selector per the power-panel story. Levels per CLI docs (e.g. low/medium/high; verify against the CLI version).', 'in_progress', 'medium', NULL, NULL, NULL, '2026-06-12 08:58:55', '2026-06-12 10:25:53', NULL, 'd0b0dbfec1edcdd4ffe78372f440cf1b', 2) ON CONFLICT(record_id) DO UPDATE SET type=excluded.type, parent_record_id=excluded.parent_record_id, title=excluded.title, description=excluded.description, status=excluded.status, priority=excluded.priority, assigned_to=excluded.assigned_to, team=excluded.team, decision_ref=excluded.decision_ref, updated_at=excluded.updated_at, deleted_at=excluded.deleted_at, hash=excluded.hash, canonical_version=excluded.canonical_version WHERE excluded.updated_at > tickets.updated_at OR (excluded.updated_at = tickets.updated_at AND excluded.hash > tickets.hash);

CHANGELOG.md

@@ -18,6 +18,10 @@ heading, and (b) bumping `pubspec.yaml` `version:` in the same commit.
 
 ### Added
 
+- **`/effort` works in the Claude pane.** With a level (`/effort xhigh`) the
+  session restarts in place carrying `--effort` — resume keeps the
+  conversation; bare `/effort` opens a picker with the five levels and the
+  current one marked. The active effort shows in the session status. (T-412)
 - **TUI-only slash commands get a helpful notice instead of failing.** A typed
   `/effort`, `/status`, `/permissions`, … no longer errors raw from the CLI or
   leaks to the model as literal text — clide routes known TUI-only commands to

lib/builtin/claude/src/claude_pane.dart

@@ -91,6 +91,11 @@ class _ClaudePaneState extends State<ClaudePane> {
   /// (T-408). An open prompt takes precedence; the picker shows once it
   /// resolves.
   bool _modelPickerOpen = false;
+  bool _effortPickerOpen = false;
+
+  /// Effort level this pane's session runs at (`--effort`, T-412). Null =
+  /// the CLI default. Set by /effort; carried by every respawn.
+  String? _effort;
 
   bool _spawned = false;
 
@@ -249,6 +254,7 @@ class _ClaudePaneState extends State<ClaudePane> {
     _modelErrorSub?.cancel();
     _modelErrorSub = null;
     _modelPickerOpen = false;
+    _effortPickerOpen = false;
     await activeSessionOrchestrator?.close(_orchId); // kills the old repo's session
     _conversation = null;
     _session = null;
@@ -296,7 +302,14 @@ class _ClaudePaneState extends State<ClaudePane> {
       _sessionId ??= freshSessionId();
       try {
         managed = await orch.spawn(
-          SpawnSpec(id: _orchId, role: 'fork ${widget.secondaryIndex}', sessionId: _sessionId!, cwd: repoRoot, forkSourceSessionId: forkSource),
+          SpawnSpec(
+            id: _orchId,
+            role: 'fork ${widget.secondaryIndex}',
+            sessionId: _sessionId!,
+            cwd: repoRoot,
+            forkSourceSessionId: forkSource,
+            effort: _effort,
+          ),
         );
       } catch (e) {
         if (mounted) setState(() => _error = 'Could not start fork: $e');
@@ -327,6 +340,7 @@ class _ClaudePaneState extends State<ClaudePane> {
             cwd: repoRoot,
             resume: resume,
             transcriptPath: resume ? transcriptFile : null,
+            effort: _effort,
           ),
         );
       } catch (e) {
@@ -339,6 +353,9 @@ class _ClaudePaneState extends State<ClaudePane> {
 
     _session = managed.session;
     _conversation = managed.conversation;
+    // The wire never reports effort — record what this session was spawned
+    // with so the status line / sidebar can show it (T-412).
+    if (_effort != null) managed.session.noteEffort(_effort!);
     // Diagnostic (T-274 follow-up): record how this pane bound its session —
     // a fresh spawn vs connecting to existing on-disk history (the seed read
     // from the transcript/sidecar). Surfaces the resume path in `make run`.
@@ -397,6 +414,9 @@ class _ClaudePaneState extends State<ClaudePane> {
       case 'model':
         _modelCommand(slashCommandArg(text) ?? '');
         return;
+      case 'effort':
+        _effortCommand(slashCommandArg(text) ?? '');
+        return;
     }
     // Route the rest (T-411): a known TUI-only builtin never reaches the
     // session — forwarded it would error (or, un-advertised, bracket-paste to
@@ -431,6 +451,41 @@ class _ClaudePaneState extends State<ClaudePane> {
     _composerFocus.requestFocus();
   }
 
+  /// clide-owned `/effort` (T-412): with a level, respawn-with-resume carrying
+  /// `--effort`; bare, open the picker. No set_effort control subtype exists
+  /// (probed 2.1.175), so the respawn IS the mechanism — resume keeps the
+  /// conversation, only the process restarts.
+  void _effortCommand(String arg) {
+    if (_session == null) return;
+    if (arg.isEmpty) {
+      setState(() => _effortPickerOpen = true);
+      return;
+    }
+    if (!kEffortLevels.any((l) => l.value == arg)) {
+      _session!.addLocalNotice('unknown effort "$arg" — levels: ${kEffortLevels.map((l) => l.value).join(', ')}');
+      return;
+    }
+    _setEffort(arg);
+  }
+
+  void _pickEffort(String value) {
+    _closeEffortPicker();
+    _setEffort(value);
+  }
+
+  void _closeEffortPicker() {
+    setState(() => _effortPickerOpen = false);
+    _composerFocus.requestFocus();
+  }
+
+  void _setEffort(String level) {
+    final sid = _sessionId;
+    if (sid == null) return;
+    _effort = level;
+    _kernel?.notify.info('effort $level — restarting the session to apply', title: 'effort');
+    unawaited(_respawnWithSession(sid));
+  }
+
   /// Record a submitted prompt in the active session's history (T-163),
   /// de-duping immediate repeats. Empty/whitespace prompts are skipped.
   void _appendHistory(String text) {
@@ -455,7 +510,7 @@ class _ClaudePaneState extends State<ClaudePane> {
   /// background tap must never pull focus from (or resurrect) the composer
   /// over an open prompt.
   void _focusComposerOnTap() {
-    if (_session?.pendingPrompt != null || _modelPickerOpen) return;
+    if (_session?.pendingPrompt != null || _modelPickerOpen || _effortPickerOpen) return;
     _composerFocus.requestFocus();
   }
 
@@ -530,6 +585,7 @@ class _ClaudePaneState extends State<ClaudePane> {
     _modelErrorSub?.cancel();
     _modelErrorSub = null;
     _modelPickerOpen = false;
+    _effortPickerOpen = false;
     await activeSessionOrchestrator?.close(_orchId); // kills the old session
     // Erase only after the process is dead, so claude isn't mid-write.
     final root = _repoRoot;
@@ -612,6 +668,16 @@ class _ClaudePaneState extends State<ClaudePane> {
                   onPick: _pickModel,
                   onCancel: _closeModelPicker,
                 )
+              else if (_effortPickerOpen && _session != null)
+                ModelPickerCard(
+                  title: 'effort',
+                  models: kEffortLevels,
+                  currentModel: _status.effort,
+                  // Exact match — containment would mark `high` inside `xhigh`.
+                  isCurrent: (o, c) => c != null && o.value == c,
+                  onPick: _pickEffort,
+                  onCancel: _closeEffortPicker,
+                )
               else
                 StreamBuilder<bool>(
                   stream: _session?.busyStream,

lib/builtin/claude/src/model_picker_card.dart

@@ -25,7 +25,15 @@ bool modelOptionIsCurrent(ModelOption option, String? currentModel) {
 }
 
 class ModelPickerCard extends StatefulWidget {
-  const ModelPickerCard({super.key, required this.models, this.currentModel, required this.onPick, required this.onCancel});
+  const ModelPickerCard({
+    super.key,
+    required this.models,
+    this.currentModel,
+    required this.onPick,
+    required this.onCancel,
+    this.title = 'model',
+    this.isCurrent = modelOptionIsCurrent,
+  });
 
   /// Selectable entries, in display order. Callers pass [kFallbackModels]
   /// when the session hasn't reported its list yet.
@@ -40,6 +48,15 @@ class ModelPickerCard extends StatefulWidget {
   /// Called when the user dismisses the picker without choosing.
   final VoidCallback onCancel;
 
+  /// Header label. The /effort picker reuses this card with its own title
+  /// and an exact-match [isCurrent] (T-412).
+  final String title;
+
+  /// Marks the active entry. The model default ([modelOptionIsCurrent]) also
+  /// alias-matches (`sonnet` ⊂ `claude-sonnet-4-6`); effort needs exact match
+  /// (`high` would falsely match inside `xhigh`).
+  final bool Function(ModelOption option, String? current) isCurrent;
+
   @override
   State<ModelPickerCard> createState() => _ModelPickerCardState();
 }
@@ -49,7 +66,7 @@ class _ModelPickerCardState extends State<ModelPickerCard> {
 
   int _initialHighlight() {
     for (var i = 0; i < widget.models.length; i++) {
-      if (modelOptionIsCurrent(widget.models[i], widget.currentModel)) return i;
+      if (widget.isCurrent(widget.models[i], widget.currentModel)) return i;
     }
     return 0;
   }
@@ -130,7 +147,7 @@ class _ModelPickerCardState extends State<ModelPickerCard> {
           children: [
             Row(
               children: [
-                ClideText('model', fontSize: clideFontSmall, fontFamily: clideMonoFamily, color: tokens.statusInfo),
+                ClideText(widget.title, fontSize: clideFontSmall, fontFamily: clideMonoFamily, color: tokens.statusInfo),
                 const Spacer(),
                 ClideText('↑↓ · 1-${widget.models.length} · Enter · Esc', fontSize: clideFontMeta, fontFamily: clideMonoFamily, color: tokens.globalTextMuted),
               ],
@@ -152,7 +169,7 @@ class _ModelPickerCardState extends State<ModelPickerCard> {
 
   Widget _row(SurfaceTokens tokens, int i) {
     final m = widget.models[i];
-    final current = modelOptionIsCurrent(m, widget.currentModel);
+    final current = widget.isCurrent(m, widget.currentModel);
     final highlighted = i == _highlight;
     return Padding(
       padding: const EdgeInsets.only(bottom: 4),

lib/builtin/claude/src/session_orchestrator.dart

@@ -49,6 +49,7 @@ class SpawnSpec {
     this.team = false,
     this.memberName,
     this.forkSourceSessionId,
+    this.effort,
   });
 
   final String id;
@@ -81,6 +82,12 @@ class SpawnSpec {
   /// Takes precedence over [resume]/[sessionId] for arg selection.
   final String? forkSourceSessionId;
 
+  /// Effort level passed to `claude --effort` (low/medium/high/xhigh/max,
+  /// T-412). Null spawns without the flag — the CLI uses its configured
+  /// default (settings.json `effortLevel`). No set_effort control subtype
+  /// exists, so changing effort means respawn-with-resume carrying this.
+  final String? effort;
+
   /// Whether this spec spawns a forked session.
   bool get isFork => forkSourceSessionId != null;
 }
@@ -238,7 +245,13 @@ class ClaudeSessionOrchestrator extends ChangeNotifier {
       preambles.add(_teamSystemPrompt(name, spec.role));
     }
     final bootstrap = agentBootstrap(spec.cwd, base: spec.env);
-    sessionArgs = ['--append-system-prompt', preambles.join('\n\n'), ...bootstrap.extraArgs, ...sessionArgs];
+    sessionArgs = [
+      '--append-system-prompt',
+      preambles.join('\n\n'),
+      ...bootstrap.extraArgs,
+      if (spec.effort != null) ...['--effort', spec.effort!],
+      ...sessionArgs,
+    ];
 
     final proc = await _factory(sessionArgs: sessionArgs, cwd: spec.cwd, env: bootstrap.envDelta);
     final session = StreamJsonSession(proc, mcpServers: mcpServers)..start();

lib/builtin/claude/src/slash_commands.dart

@@ -32,8 +32,10 @@ bool isKnownSlashCommand(String text, Iterable<String> known) {
 /// transcript reader can't follow, so clide owns the semantics (T-156).
 /// `/fork` branches the current session into a new pane (T-172). `/model`
 /// is interactive in the CLI's TUI only — forwarded it does nothing — so
-/// clide owns it as a set_model control request / picker (T-408).
-const Set<String> kClideOwnedCommands = {'clear', 'resume', 'fork', 'model'};
+/// clide owns it as a set_model control request / picker (T-408). `/effort`
+/// has no control subtype, so clide owns it as a respawn-with-resume
+/// carrying `--effort` (T-412).
+const Set<String> kClideOwnedCommands = {'clear', 'resume', 'fork', 'model', 'effort'};
 
 /// The clide-owned command in [text] (a single-line leading-slash token in
 /// [kClideOwnedCommands]), or null.
@@ -64,7 +66,7 @@ enum SlashRoute {
 /// model as literal text). Value = the clide-native pointer shown in the
 /// notice card. Commands clide later implements move to [kClideOwnedCommands].
 const Map<String, String> kTuiOnlyCommands = {
-  'effort': 'the session effort level is set at spawn time; clide support is tracked in T-412',
+  'effort': '', // owned (T-412) — only routes here if ever removed from owned
   'status': 'session status lives in the Claude sidebar (Activity tab)',
   'cost': 'cost and context usage live in the Claude sidebar (Activity tab)',
   'context': '', // advertised on current CLIs — only routes here on older ones

lib/builtin/claude/src/stream_json_session.dart

@@ -162,6 +162,18 @@ class ModelOption {
   final String description;
 }
 
+/// Effort levels `claude --effort` accepts (probed against 2.1.175). There is
+/// NO set_effort control subtype (probed: rejected), so changing effort
+/// respawns the session with the flag — resume keeps the conversation (T-412).
+/// Expressed as [ModelOption]s so the /effort picker reuses the /model card.
+const List<ModelOption> kEffortLevels = [
+  ModelOption(value: 'low', displayName: 'low', description: 'fastest, minimal thinking'),
+  ModelOption(value: 'medium', displayName: 'medium', description: 'balanced'),
+  ModelOption(value: 'high', displayName: 'high', description: 'thorough'),
+  ModelOption(value: 'xhigh', displayName: 'xhigh', description: 'deeper reasoning'),
+  ModelOption(value: 'max', displayName: 'max', description: 'maximum thinking budget'),
+];
+
 /// Fallback picker entries for when the `initialize` response hasn't arrived
 /// (or carried no models): the stable aliases every claude build accepts
 /// (T-408). `default` resets to the CLI's configured model.
@@ -801,6 +813,11 @@ class StreamJsonSession {
     _items.add(AssistantTextMessage(uuid: 'local-${_localSeq++}', timestamp: DateTime.now(), isSidechain: false, text: text, synthetic: true));
   }
 
+  /// Record the effort level this session was spawned with (`--effort`,
+  /// T-412). The wire never reports effort, so the spawner tells the status
+  /// what it set; the status line / sidebar read it from [SessionStatus].
+  void noteEffort(String level) => _mergeStatus(SessionStatus(effort: level));
+
   /// Interrupt the running turn (the escape hatch for a runaway — D-78). Sends
   /// the `interrupt` control_request; claude cancels the current turn and ends
   /// it with a `result`, which clears [busy]. Safe to call when idle.

lib/builtin/claude/src/transcript_reader.dart

@@ -433,7 +433,7 @@ class TranscriptReader {
 /// (T-145, T-168). All fields nullable — a chunk only carries what it saw,
 /// and the reader [merge]s deltas into a running status.
 class SessionStatus {
-  const SessionStatus({this.model, this.permissionMode, this.contextTokens, this.cost, this.contextWindow, this.rateLimitInfo});
+  const SessionStatus({this.model, this.permissionMode, this.contextTokens, this.cost, this.contextWindow, this.rateLimitInfo, this.effort});
 
   /// Assistant `message.model`, e.g. `claude-opus-4-7`.
   final String? model;
@@ -458,7 +458,13 @@ class SessionStatus {
   /// `"rate limited — resets 14:32"` (T-168). Null when not rate-limited.
   final String? rateLimitInfo;
 
-  bool get isEmpty => model == null && permissionMode == null && contextTokens == null && cost == null && contextWindow == null && rateLimitInfo == null;
+  /// The session's effort level (`--effort`, T-412). The wire never reports
+  /// it — clide records what it spawned with via [StreamJsonSession.noteEffort];
+  /// null means the CLI default (settings.json `effortLevel`).
+  final String? effort;
+
+  bool get isEmpty =>
+      model == null && permissionMode == null && contextTokens == null && cost == null && contextWindow == null && rateLimitInfo == null && effort == null;
 
   /// Overlay [other]'s non-null fields onto this one.
   SessionStatus merge(SessionStatus other) => SessionStatus(
@@ -468,6 +474,7 @@ class SessionStatus {
     cost: other.cost ?? cost,
     contextWindow: other.contextWindow ?? contextWindow,
     rateLimitInfo: other.rateLimitInfo ?? rateLimitInfo,
+    effort: other.effort ?? effort,
   );
 
   @override
@@ -478,10 +485,11 @@ class SessionStatus {
       other.contextTokens == contextTokens &&
       other.cost == cost &&
       other.contextWindow == contextWindow &&
-      other.rateLimitInfo == rateLimitInfo;
+      other.rateLimitInfo == rateLimitInfo &&
+      other.effort == effort;
 
   @override
-  int get hashCode => Object.hash(model, permissionMode, contextTokens, cost, contextWindow, rateLimitInfo);
+  int get hashCode => Object.hash(model, permissionMode, contextTokens, cost, contextWindow, rateLimitInfo, effort);
 }
 
 /// Result of [parseTranscriptChunk]: items, version-drift warnings, and

test/builtin/claude/model_picker_card_test.dart

@@ -85,4 +85,24 @@ void main() {
     await tester.pump();
     expect(picked, isNull);
   });
+
+  testWidgets('effort reuse: custom title + exact-match marking (T-412)', (tester) async {
+    // Exact-match isCurrent: `high` must not be marked when effort is `xhigh`.
+    await tester.pumpWidget(
+      harness(
+        f,
+        ModelPickerCard(
+          title: 'effort',
+          models: kEffortLevels,
+          currentModel: 'xhigh',
+          isCurrent: (o, c) => c != null && o.value == c,
+          onPick: (_) {},
+          onCancel: () {},
+        ),
+      ),
+    );
+    expect(find.text('effort'), findsOneWidget); // the custom header
+    expect(find.textContaining('● xhigh'), findsOneWidget);
+    expect(find.textContaining('○ high'), findsOneWidget); // NOT containment-marked
+  });
 }

test/builtin/claude/session_orchestrator_test.dart

@@ -22,14 +22,17 @@ class _FakeProc extends StreamJsonProcess {
 
 void main() {
   late List<_FakeProc> created;
+  late List<List<String>> spawnedArgs;
   late ClaudeSessionOrchestrator orch;
 
   setUp(() {
     created = [];
+    spawnedArgs = [];
     orch = ClaudeSessionOrchestrator(
       processFactory: ({required sessionArgs, required cwd, env}) async {
         final p = _FakeProc();
         created.add(p);
+        spawnedArgs.add(sessionArgs);
         return p;
       },
     );
@@ -37,6 +40,19 @@ void main() {
 
   SpawnSpec spec(String id, {bool visible = true}) => SpawnSpec(id: id, role: id, sessionId: '$id-uuid', cwd: '/repo', visible: visible);
 
+  test('a spec with effort spawns claude with --effort <level> (T-412)', () async {
+    await orch.spawn(SpawnSpec(id: 'e1', role: 'primary', sessionId: 'e1-uuid', cwd: '/repo', effort: 'xhigh'));
+    final args = spawnedArgs.single;
+    final i = args.indexOf('--effort');
+    expect(i, isNonNegative, reason: 'sessionArgs: $args');
+    expect(args[i + 1], 'xhigh');
+  });
+
+  test('a spec without effort spawns without the flag (CLI default applies)', () async {
+    await orch.spawn(spec('primary'));
+    expect(spawnedArgs.single, isNot(contains('--effort')));
+  });
+
   test('spawns multiple concurrent sessions, each with its own process', () async {
     await orch.spawn(spec('primary'));
     await orch.spawn(spec('teammate:tyre'));

test/builtin/claude/slash_commands_test.dart

@@ -151,7 +151,7 @@ void main() {
     });
 
     test('owned beats everything', () {
-      for (final t in ['/clear', '/resume', '/fork', '/model opus']) {
+      for (final t in ['/clear', '/resume', '/fork', '/model opus', '/effort high']) {
         expect(routeSlashCommand(t, advertised: advertised), SlashRoute.owned, reason: t);
       }
     });
@@ -163,7 +163,7 @@ void main() {
     });
 
     test('a known TUI-only builtin routes unavailable', () {
-      for (final t in ['/effort high', '/status', '/permissions', '/doctor', '/login']) {
+      for (final t in ['/status', '/permissions', '/doctor', '/login']) {
         expect(routeSlashCommand(t, advertised: advertised), SlashRoute.unavailable, reason: t);
       }
     });

test/builtin/claude/stream_json_session_test.dart

@@ -640,6 +640,15 @@ void main() {
     expect(statuses.last.permissionMode, 'plan', reason: 'only ExitPlanMode exits plan mode');
   });
 
+  test('noteEffort merges the effort level into the status (T-412)', () async {
+    proc.emit(initEvent());
+    await Future<void>.delayed(Duration.zero);
+    session.noteEffort('xhigh');
+    await Future<void>.delayed(Duration.zero);
+    expect(statuses.last.effort, 'xhigh');
+    expect(statuses.last.model, 'claude-opus-4-7'); // merge, not replace
+  });
+
   test('addLocalNotice emits a synthetic clide item and sends nothing (T-411)', () async {
     final before = proc.writes.length;
     session.addLocalNotice('/status is a Claude Code TUI command');

test/builtin/claude/transcript_reader_test.dart

@@ -522,6 +522,16 @@ void main() {
       expect(const SessionStatus(contextWindow: 0).isEmpty, isFalse);
       expect(const SessionStatus(rateLimitInfo: 'rate limited').isEmpty, isFalse);
     });
+
+    test('effort merges, compares, and flips isEmpty (T-412)', () {
+      const a = SessionStatus(model: 'm1');
+      final m = a.merge(const SessionStatus(effort: 'high'));
+      expect(m.effort, 'high');
+      expect(m.model, 'm1');
+      expect(const SessionStatus(effort: 'high'), const SessionStatus(effort: 'high'));
+      expect(const SessionStatus(effort: 'high'), isNot(const SessionStatus(effort: 'max')));
+      expect(const SessionStatus(effort: 'low').isEmpty, isFalse);
+    });
   });
 
   group('synthetic CLI-local output (T-411)', () {