lesson 3 of 7 · claude basics

Effort and models.

The model is which Claude does the work. Effort is how long it thinks before it acts.

new words

Model: One version of Claude. Bigger models reason better; smaller ones answer faster.
Effort: A level from low to max. Higher effort thinks longer and checks more.

the lesson

Model	Use it for
`opus`	Complex work. instibrain starts you on it.
`sonnet`	Most everyday tasks, a little faster.
`haiku`	Small, simple tasks. The fastest.
`fable`	The hardest, longest tasks. Before a Fable request uses paid usage credits, Claude asks you first.

Effort has five levels: low, medium, high, xhigh and max. A lower level answers sooner and uses less of your plan. A higher level thinks longer and checks more of its own work.

instibrain's setup sets xhigh. Check that yours is set: Opus 5.5 starts at medium until a level is chosen. max lasts for one session only; the other levels stay until you change them.

For one hard question, write ultrathink anywhere in your message. Claude thinks deeper for that one answer, and your level stays the same.

One scale, five levels. max lasts for one session only.

try it

Type this and press Enter:

/effort status

If the answer is not xhigh, type:

/effort xhigh

you should see

Your effort level.
After /effort xhigh, the level is saved, so your next sessions start at xhigh too.
To see the models, type /model. Press Esc to close the list without a change.