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effortLevel: max is not supported - Claude Code

Quick fix

Set the CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL environment variable to high, or to max on v3.14.1+, avoiding the invalid max value mapping.

Symptom

Section titled “Symptom”
Error output
Generating "effortLevel": "max" instead

Cause

Section titled “Cause”

In cc-switch v3.14.0, ticking "Maximum Thinking Strength" in the Claude configuration screen wrongly sets the effortLevel field in the generated config file to "max". Claude Code in that version accepts only "low", "medium", or "high" as valid values, hence the error.

Later discussion notes that while an older Claude Code may not support "max", newer versions do. cc-switch v3.14.1 (commit 064b339b) fixed this by allowing `CLAUDE_CODE_EFFORT_LEVEL=max` to be written. Separately, ultracode mode emitting "xhigh" may need extra conversion support, but the core conflict is whether "max" is a legal value and how it maps.

Fix

Section titled “Fix”

  1. Upgrade cc-switch to v3.14.1 or newer for the correct effortLevel mapping.

    # src-tauri/src/proxy/providers/transform.rs (内部逻辑变更)

  2. If you cannot upgrade, edit the config file by hand and change effortLevel from "max" to "high".

Affected Versions

Section titled “Affected Versions”
ToolClaude Code
Version3.14.0
PlatformsWindows

Source Issues

Section titled “Source Issues”

This page is distilled from 2 real issues

FAQ

Section titled “FAQ”
Why does ticking Maximum Thinking Strength cause an error?
Because in v3.14.0 that option wrongly maps effortLevel to "max", while Claude Code at the time supported only low/medium/high.
How do I fix this error?
Upgrade to v3.14.1+, or change effortLevel in the config file to "high" by hand.
What about xhigh from ultracode mode?
ultracode emits xhigh, which needs extra support in the cc-switch conversion layer. For now, upgrade or relay through a local proxy.
Section titled “Related problems”
DeepSeek prefix cache hit rate drop - CC Switch fixUpgrade to cc-switch v3.16.3 to fix cache hit rate calculation errors caused by format conversion.2 issues mergedapi failed deserialize json body intoDepending on the error: roll Claude Code back, upgrade cc-switch, turn the local proxy off, or stop sending unsupported fields.7 issues mergedThe thinking process is not shown after using the Claude Code proxy feature - cc-switchSwitch back to the Anthropic protocol to restore the thinking display; on `openai_chat`, change the block conversion in `streaming.rs`.2 issues merged

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