diff --git a/src/main/claude/claude-structured-effort-reporting.test.ts b/src/main/claude/claude-structured-effort-reporting.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..48c00f94da3
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/main/claude/claude-structured-effort-reporting.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,62 @@
+import { describe, expect, it } from 'vitest'
+import { readClaudeSettingsEffort } from './claude-structured-session-options'
+import type { ClaudeStructuredSessionEvent } from './claude-structured-session-adapter'
+import { acquired, fakeClaude } from './claude-structured-session-test-support'
+
+/** Verbatim from Claude Code 2.1.258's get_settings response. */
+const REAL_SETTINGS = {
+  applied: { model: 'claude-opus-5[1m]', effort: 'high', advisor: null, ultracode: false },
+  effective: { model: 'claude-opus-5[1m]', effortLevel: 'high', env: {} },
+  sources: {}
+}
+
+describe('Claude effort reporting', () => {
+  it('reads the effort get_settings reports', () => {
+    expect(readClaudeSettingsEffort(REAL_SETTINGS)).toBe('high')
+  })
+
+  it.each([
+    [
+      'the provider stops reporting it',
+      { applied: { effort: 'high' }, effective: {}, sources: {} }
+    ],
+    ['the payload carries no effective block', { applied: { effort: 'high' } }],
+    ['the request failed outright', null]
+  ])('reports no effort when %s', (_case, settings) => {
+    // Never defaulted: an effort nothing measured would be worse than a blank
+    // pill, and this is the assertion that goes red if the key is renamed.
+    expect(readClaudeSettingsEffort(settings)).toBeNull()
+  })
+
+  it('publishes the effort from get_settings, which system/init never carries', async () => {
+    const claude = fakeClaude({ settings: REAL_SETTINGS })
+    const adapter = await acquired(claude)
+
+    await expect(adapter.readOptions({ sessionId: 'session-1', fence: 7 })).resolves.toMatchObject({
+      current: { effort: 'high' }
+    })
+  })
+
+  it('leaves the effort unreported when the session never learns one', async () => {
+    const claude = fakeClaude({ settings: { applied: {}, effective: {}, sources: {} } })
+    const adapter = await acquired(claude)
+
+    const options = await adapter.readOptions({ sessionId: 'session-1', fence: 7 })
+    expect(options.current.effort).toBeUndefined()
+    expect(options.current.model).toBeTruthy()
+  })
+
+  it('keeps the init fixture free of an effort the real frame never sends', async () => {
+    const events: ClaudeStructuredSessionEvent[] = []
+    await acquired(fakeClaude(), {}, events)
+    const init = events.flatMap((event) =>
+      event.type === 'message' && event.message.subtype === 'init' ? [event.message] : []
+    )
+
+    expect(init).toHaveLength(1)
+    expect(init[0]).toHaveProperty('model')
+    // The regression that hid this defect: a fixture inventing `effortLevel`
+    // kept every gate green over a value that is always empty in production.
+    expect(Object.keys(init[0])).not.toContain('effortLevel')
+  })
+})
diff --git a/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-acquisition.ts b/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-acquisition.ts
index e15a866fa41..955b55c7fc6 100644
--- a/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-acquisition.ts
+++ b/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-acquisition.ts
@@ -30,6 +30,7 @@ import {
 } from './claude-structured-options'
 import { ClaudePromptRegistry } from './claude-structured-prompt-replies'
 import { createClaudeSessionJournalTranslator } from './claude-structured-journal-translation'
+import { readClaudeSettingsEffort } from './claude-structured-session-options'
 import { createClaudeSessionPublication } from './claude-structured-session-publication'
 import {
   cancelClaudeAcquisitionAttempt,
@@ -243,6 +244,7 @@ export async function acquireClaudeSession({
       claudeConfigDir: launch.claudeConfigDir,
       leafUuid: observedLeafUuid,
       fence: input.fence,
+      effort: readClaudeSettingsEffort(settings),
       resumed: launch.resumed,
       prompts,
       translator,
diff --git a/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-options.ts b/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-options.ts
index d61db72fbc5..7b6cad63d74 100644
--- a/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-options.ts
+++ b/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-options.ts
@@ -19,6 +19,16 @@ function text(value: unknown): string | null {
   return typeof value === 'string' && value.trim() ? value : null
 }
 
+/**
+ * The session's current effort, which only `get_settings` reports: the
+ * `system/init` frame carries `model` but has never carried an effort of any
+ * kind. Null when the provider stops reporting it, so the pill goes empty
+ * rather than showing an effort nothing measured.
+ */
+export function readClaudeSettingsEffort(settings: unknown): string | null {
+  return text(record(record(settings)?.effective)?.effortLevel)
+}
+
 function effortLabel(value: string): string {
   return value === 'xhigh' ? 'Extra high' : `${value.charAt(0).toUpperCase()}${value.slice(1)}`
 }
diff --git a/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-publication.ts b/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-publication.ts
index 652d897128b..3dec735d3aa 100644
--- a/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-publication.ts
+++ b/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-publication.ts
@@ -21,9 +21,11 @@ export function createClaudeSessionPublication(input: {
   observedAt: number
   options?: ReadonlyMap<string, string>
   capabilities: readonly string[]
+  /** Read from `get_settings`; `system/init` never reports an effort. */
+  effort: string | null
 }): { acquisition: AgentSessionAcquisition; session: ClaudeSession } {
   const model = readClaudeFrameString(input.init.message, 'model')
-  const effort = readClaudeFrameString(input.init.message, 'effortLevel')
+  const effort = input.effort
   return {
     acquisition: {
       process: input.process,
diff --git a/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-test-support.ts b/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-test-support.ts
index 2cb8e15d882..6b0768b5134 100644
--- a/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-test-support.ts
+++ b/src/main/claude/claude-structured-session-test-support.ts
@@ -50,7 +50,6 @@ export function fakeClaude(
     initSessionId?: string
     initUuid?: string
     initModel?: string
-    initEffort?: string
     initProof?: 'init' | 'session-start' | 'none'
     initAccount?: unknown
     exitBeforeInit?: string
@@ -97,13 +96,15 @@ export function fakeClaude(
             uuid: options.initUuid ?? 'init-uuid'
           })
         } else if (options.initProof !== 'none') {
+          // Keys mirror the real system/init frame, which carries `model` but no
+          // effort of any kind: the current effort only comes back from
+          // get_settings. Never add a field the CLI does not send.
           handlers.onMessage?.({
             type: 'system',
             subtype: 'init',
             session_id: options.initSessionId ?? PROVIDER_SESSION_ID,
             uuid: options.initUuid ?? 'init-uuid',
             model: options.initModel ?? 'claude-sonnet-5',
-            effortLevel: options.initEffort ?? 'high',
             apiKeySource: 'none',
             ...(options.capabilities ? { capabilities: options.capabilities } : {})
           })
@@ -115,7 +116,15 @@ export function fakeClaude(
       },
       getSettings: async () => {
         connection.calls.push({ subtype: 'get_settings' })
-        return options.settings ?? { env: {} }
+        // Shape measured from Claude Code 2.1.258: {applied, effective, sources},
+        // and the only place the session's current effort is reported.
+        return (
+          options.settings ?? {
+            applied: { model: 'claude-sonnet-5', effort: 'high', advisor: null, ultracode: false },
+            effective: { model: 'claude-sonnet-5', effortLevel: 'high', env: {} },
+            sources: {}
+          }
+        )
       },
       supportedModels: async () => {
         connection.calls.push({ subtype: 'list_models' })