dzykovic · Oct 7, 2026 · Oct 7, 2026 · Oct 7, 2026 · Oct 7, 2026 · Oct 7, 2026
diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -6,6 +6,19 @@ Legacy Intelligence Sync history remains in its [archive](https://github.com/ain
 
 ## [0.19.0]
 
+### Added
+
+- Agents and skills accept a tool-neutral `effort:` — `low`, `medium`, `high`, `xhigh`, `max` or `ultra`. Claude Code agents and skills receive it as `effort:` (`ultra` becomes `max`), Codex agents as `model_reasoning_effort`, and the shared `.agents/skills/` tree keeps it as written; Copilot, Cursor, OpenCode, Antigravity and Pi receive no effort key (decision 0015).
+- An `effort:` off that scale prints a `WARNING:` line naming the source file and the value, also under `sync --compact` and `init`, renders as absent and leaves sync successful; an empty `effort:` is absent without a warning.
+
+### Changed
+
+- A tier no longer sets a reasoning effort in any tool. Codex agents without `effort:` no longer get a tier-derived `model_reasoning_effort` (`xhigh` for `frontier`, `high` for `heavy` or no tier, `medium` for `standard`, `low` for `light`), so Codex's own setting applies and `frontier` and `heavy` render identical Codex agents.
+
+### Breaking
+
+- [ ] Every Codex agent that should keep a reasoning effort states it as `effort:` in its source; after sync, `.codex/agents/*.toml` carries `model_reasoning_effort` only for agents whose source sets a valid `effort:`.
+
 ### Fixed
 
 - `status --check` no longer reports `.gitignore` patterns as missing when the file has CRLF line endings on Linux and macOS; it decides presence the way the `.gitignore` writer does, so `intelligence init` clears the finding (#45).

diff --git a/cli/commands/init.sh b/cli/commands/init.sh
@@ -296,6 +296,7 @@ manifest="$root/intelligence.yaml"
     echo "#                                      its stack, and the constraints to respect"
     echo "#   $content_dir/agents/<name>.md      a persona (frontmatter: name, description,"
     echo "#                                      tier: frontier|heavy|standard|light,"
+    echo "#                                      effort: low|medium|high|xhigh|max|ultra,"
     echo "#                                      access: full|readonly)"
     echo "#   $content_dir/skills/<name>/SKILL.md  a procedure invoked as /<name>"
     echo "# '.intelligence/' is CLI-managed (packages + engine content) — never edit it."

diff --git a/cli/tests/e2e-lifecycle.sh b/cli/tests/e2e-lifecycle.sh
@@ -667,9 +667,10 @@ chk grep -Fq ".agents/rules/big.md renders $override_chars;" "$OUT/agr-override-
 echo "== every built-in adapter renders every model tier =="
 # The expected model comes from the engine's own default table, so a model
 # bump does not touch this test; what it pins is that each adapter emits the
-# tier's resolved model, never an empty one, and Codex's effort ladder.
+# tier's resolved model, never an empty one, and that a tier never sets a
+# reasoning effort (decision 0015).
 TIERS="$OUT/model-tiers"
-mkdir -p "$TIERS/intelligence/agents"
+mkdir -p "$TIERS/intelligence/agents" "$TIERS/intelligence/skills"
 git -C "$TIERS" init --quiet
 cat > "$TIERS/intelligence.yaml" <<EOF
 project:
@@ -682,6 +683,7 @@ sources:
   agents:
     - "intelligence/agents"
   skills:
+    - "intelligence/skills"
 
 targets:
   agents: { enabled: true, output: "AGENTS.md" }
@@ -712,14 +714,20 @@ for tier in frontier heavy standard light; do
     chk grep -Fqx "model: \"$(default_model opencode "$tier")\"" "$TIERS/.opencode/agents/$tier-agent.md"
     chk grep -Fqx "model: \"$(default_model antigravity "$tier")\"" "$TIERS/.agents/agents/$tier-agent.md"
 done
-chk grep -Fqx 'model_reasoning_effort = "xhigh"' "$TIERS/.codex/agents/frontier-agent.toml"
-chk grep -Fqx 'model_reasoning_effort = "high"' "$TIERS/.codex/agents/heavy-agent.toml"
-chk grep -Fqx 'model_reasoning_effort = "medium"' "$TIERS/.codex/agents/standard-agent.toml"
-chk grep -Fqx 'model_reasoning_effort = "low"' "$TIERS/.codex/agents/light-agent.toml"
-# No tier resolves to heavy, and its effort follows the model it resolved to.
+# No tier resolves to heavy.
 chk grep -Fqx "model = \"$(default_model codex heavy)\"" "$TIERS/.codex/agents/untiered-agent.toml"
-chk grep -Fqx 'model_reasoning_effort = "high"' "$TIERS/.codex/agents/untiered-agent.toml"
 chk grep -Fqx "model: $(default_model claude heavy)" "$TIERS/.claude/agents/untiered-agent.md"
+# A tier selects the model only: without `effort:` no tool receives an effort,
+# so the tool's own setting applies — and frontier and heavy, which share a
+# Codex model, render the same agent.
+for agent in frontier-agent heavy-agent standard-agent light-agent untiered-agent; do
+    chknot grep -q 'model_reasoning_effort' "$TIERS/.codex/agents/$agent.toml"
+    chknot grep -q '^effort:' "$TIERS/.claude/agents/$agent.md"
+done
+eq() { [ "$1" = "$2" ]; }
+# same_but_identity <a> <b> — identical once name and description are set aside.
+same_but_identity() { eq "$(grep -Ev '^(name|description) = ' "$1")" "$(grep -Ev '^(name|description) = ' "$2")"; }
+chk same_but_identity "$TIERS/.codex/agents/frontier-agent.toml" "$TIERS/.codex/agents/heavy-agent.toml"
 # A tier nothing resolves still renders, but never silently: one warning per
 # tool and tier, however many agents carry it. A custom tier the manifest
 # overrides resolves quietly for that tool.
@@ -746,6 +754,113 @@ chknot grep -Fq "tier 'heavy'" "$OUT/tiers-unknown.txt"
 chk grep -q "^WARNING: no claude model for tier 'haevy'" "$OUT/tiers-compact.txt"
 chk grep -q "^WARNING: no claude model for tier 'haevy'" "$OUT/tiers-replay.txt"
 
+echo "== effort is written once and rendered where a tool has a field =="
+# Decision 0015: the neutral level reaches Claude Code (the nearest lower level
+# it has) and Codex; the shared skills tree keeps it as written; every other
+# tool gets no effort key. An off-scale value warns, names its source and is
+# rendered as absent without failing the sync; an empty one is absent, silently.
+# fm_effort_keys <file> — the frontmatter lines whose key names any effort
+# (`effort`, `reasoningEffort`, ...); a body line is the author's text and stays.
+fm_effort_keys() {
+    awk 'NR == 1 && $0 != "---" { exit } /^---$/ { if (++n == 2) exit; next }
+        index($0, ":") && tolower(substr($0, 1, index($0, ":") - 1)) ~ /effort/' "$1"
+}
+no_effort_key() { [ -z "$(fm_effort_keys "$1")" ]; }
+tiers_agent() { # <name> <frontmatter line>...
+    local name="$1"
+    shift
+    { printf -- '---\nname: %s\ndescription: "Agent %s"\n' "$name" "$name"
+      [ "$#" -eq 0 ] || printf '%s\n' "$@"
+      printf -- '---\n\n# Agent\n\neffort: a body line keeps its text\n'; } > "$TIERS/intelligence/agents/$name.md"
+}
+tiers_skill() { # <name> <frontmatter line>...
+    local name="$1"
+    shift
+    mkdir -p "$TIERS/intelligence/skills/$name"
+    { printf -- '---\nname: %s\ndescription: "Skill %s"\n' "$name" "$name"
+      [ "$#" -eq 0 ] || printf '%s\n' "$@"
+      printf -- '---\n\n# Skill\n\neffort: a body line keeps its text\n'; } > "$TIERS/intelligence/skills/$name/SKILL.md"
+}
+tiers_agent effort-xhigh 'tier: light' 'effort: xhigh'
+tiers_agent effort-ultra 'effort: ultra'
+tiers_agent effort-quoted 'effort: "low"'
+tiers_agent effort-typo 'effort: hiigh'
+tiers_agent effort-case 'effort: High'
+tiers_agent effort-bare 'effort:'
+tiers_agent effort-empty 'effort: ""'
+# Only the first `effort:` counts, as for every other frontmatter key.
+tiers_agent effort-twice 'effort: medium' 'effort: ultra'
+printf -- '---\r\nname: effort-crlf\r\ndescription: "CRLF"\r\neffort: max\r\n---\r\n\r\n# Agent\r\n' \
+    > "$TIERS/intelligence/agents/effort-crlf.md"
+tiers_skill skill-ultra 'effort: ultra'
+tiers_skill skill-quoted 'effort: "high"'
+tiers_skill skill-typo 'effort: hiigh'
+tiers_skill skill-bare 'effort:'
+tiers_skill skill-empty 'effort: ""'
+tiers_skill skill-plain
+RC=0
+(cd "$TIERS" && IS_SUPPRESS_CLI_NOTE=1 bash "$CLI" sync > "$OUT/effort-sync.txt" 2>&1) || RC=$?
+[ "$RC" -eq 0 ] || { echo "FAIL: effort sync exited $RC"; cat "$OUT/effort-sync.txt"; fail=1; }
+claude_effort() { chk grep -Fqx "effort: $2" "$TIERS/.claude/agents/$1.md"; }
+codex_effort() { chk grep -Fqx "model_reasoning_effort = \"$2\"" "$TIERS/.codex/agents/$1.toml"; }
+claude_effort effort-xhigh xhigh;   codex_effort effort-xhigh xhigh
+claude_effort effort-ultra max;     codex_effort effort-ultra ultra
+claude_effort effort-quoted low;    codex_effort effort-quoted low
+claude_effort effort-twice medium;  codex_effort effort-twice medium
+claude_effort effort-crlf max;      codex_effort effort-crlf max
+# Effort leaves the model alone.
+chk grep -Fqx "model: $(default_model claude light)" "$TIERS/.claude/agents/effort-xhigh.md"
+chk grep -Fqx "model = \"$(default_model codex light)\"" "$TIERS/.codex/agents/effort-xhigh.toml"
+chk eq "$(fm_effort_keys "$TIERS/.claude/agents/effort-twice.md")" "effort: medium"
+for agent in effort-typo effort-case effort-bare effort-empty; do
+    chk no_effort_key "$TIERS/.claude/agents/$agent.md"
+    chknot grep -q 'model_reasoning_effort' "$TIERS/.codex/agents/$agent.toml"
+done
+# Tools without a per-agent effort field never receive the key.
+for agent in effort-xhigh effort-ultra effort-quoted effort-typo effort-twice effort-crlf; do
+    for rendered in ".github/agents/$agent.agent.md" ".opencode/agents/$agent.md" \
+        ".agents/agents/$agent.md" ".cursor/agents/$agent.md"; do
+        chk no_effort_key "$TIERS/$rendered"
+    done
+done
+# The frontmatter is rewritten, never the body that documents it.
+chk grep -Fqx 'effort: a body line keeps its text' "$TIERS/.claude/agents/effort-typo.md"
+chk grep -Fqx 'effort: a body line keeps its text' "$TIERS/.cursor/agents/effort-xhigh.md"
+# Skills: Claude's level in .claude, the neutral value as written in the shared
+# tree, nothing where the tool has no field, and nothing for an off-scale or
+# empty value anywhere.
+chk grep -Fqx 'effort: max' "$TIERS/.claude/skills/skill-ultra/SKILL.md"
+chk grep -Fqx 'effort: ultra' "$TIERS/.agents/skills/skill-ultra/SKILL.md"
+chk grep -Fqx 'effort: "high"' "$TIERS/.claude/skills/skill-quoted/SKILL.md"
+chk grep -Fqx 'effort: "high"' "$TIERS/.agents/skills/skill-quoted/SKILL.md"
+for skill in skill-ultra skill-quoted skill-typo skill-bare skill-empty skill-plain; do
+    for tree in .github/skills .cursor/skills; do
+        chk no_effort_key "$TIERS/$tree/$skill/SKILL.md"
+    done
+done
+for skill in skill-typo skill-bare skill-empty skill-plain; do
+    for tree in .claude/skills .agents/skills; do
+        chk no_effort_key "$TIERS/$tree/$skill/SKILL.md"
+        chk grep -Fqx 'effort: a body line keeps its text' "$TIERS/$tree/$skill/SKILL.md"
+    done
+done
+# One warning per off-scale source, naming it and the value; none for empty.
+for source in agents/effort-typo.md:hiigh agents/effort-case.md:High skills/skill-typo/SKILL.md:hiigh; do
+    chk eq "$(grep -c "^WARNING: .*intelligence/${source%%:*}:[0-9]* effort \"${source##*:}\" is not one of low, medium, high, xhigh, max, ultra" "$OUT/effort-sync.txt")" 1
+done
+chknot grep -Eq 'WARN(ING)?: .*(effort-bare|effort-empty|skill-bare|skill-empty|effort-quoted|effort-twice|effort-crlf|skill-quoted)' "$OUT/effort-sync.txt"
+chk eq "$(grep -Ec 'WARN(ING)?: .*effort "' "$OUT/effort-sync.txt")" 3
+# `sync --compact`, which `init` runs, keeps only unindented WARNING: lines, so
+# the typo reaches it: on a full render, and on the unchanged run that replays it.
+(cd "$TIERS" && IS_SUPPRESS_CLI_NOTE=1 bash "$CLI" sync --compact --force > "$OUT/effort-compact.txt" 2>&1) \
+    || { echo "FAIL: effort compact sync"; cat "$OUT/effort-compact.txt"; fail=1; }
+(cd "$TIERS" && IS_SUPPRESS_CLI_NOTE=1 bash "$CLI" sync --compact > "$OUT/effort-replay.txt" 2>&1) \
+    || { echo "FAIL: effort compact replay"; cat "$OUT/effort-replay.txt"; fail=1; }
+for report in effort-compact effort-replay; do
+    chk grep -q '^WARNING: .*intelligence/agents/effort-typo.md:[0-9]* effort "hiigh" is not one of' "$OUT/$report.txt"
+    chk grep -q '^WARNING: .*intelligence/skills/skill-typo/SKILL.md:[0-9]* effort "hiigh" is not one of' "$OUT/$report.txt"
+done
+
 echo "== skills only the owner invokes get Codex's policy at sync =="
 # The source states the intent once; Codex's own file is the engine's to write,
 # for project skills as much as package ones, and an author's own file is kept.

diff --git a/cli/tests/unit-engine.sh b/cli/tests/unit-engine.sh
@@ -204,6 +204,87 @@ for ide in claude cursor copilot codex antigravity opencode; do
     done
 done
 
+echo "== effort: an independent expected matrix =="
+# map_effort_var is the one mapping every adapter and the skill-copy pass
+# render through (decision 0015), so this matrix pins the table itself.
+# Columns follow the neutral scale; `-` means the tool receives no effort.
+chk eq "$IS_EFFORT_LEVELS" "low medium high xhigh max ultra"
+while read -r tool low medium high xhigh max ultra; do
+    row="$tool:"
+    for level in $IS_EFFORT_LEVELS; do
+        map_effort_var "$tool" "$level"
+        row+=" ${IS_EFFORT:--}"
+    done
+    chk eq "$row" "$tool: $low $medium $high $xhigh $max $ultra"
+done <<'EOF'
+claude      low medium high xhigh max max
+codex       low medium high xhigh max ultra
+open        low medium high xhigh max ultra
+copilot     -   -      -    -     -   -
+cursor      -   -      -    -     -   -
+opencode    -   -      -    -     -   -
+antigravity -   -      -    -     -   -
+pi          -   -      -    -     -   -
+EOF
+# Off the scale is matched exactly, case and quotes included, and is absent.
+for tool in claude codex open; do
+    for value in "" hiigh High HIGH " high" "high " '"high"' "low medium" ultra-high; do
+        map_effort_var "$tool" "$value"
+        chk eq "$tool [$value] -> [$IS_EFFORT]" "$tool [$value] -> []"
+    done
+done
+chk eq "$(map_effort claude ultra)" "max"
+# The awk passes receive map_effort_var's own answers, never a second table.
+effort_map_var claude
+chk eq "$IS_EFFORT_MAP" $'low=low\nmedium=medium\nhigh=high\nxhigh=xhigh\nmax=max\nultra=max\n'
+effort_map_var copilot
+chk eq "$IS_EFFORT_MAP" ""
+
+echo "== lint_frontmatter_files: an off-scale effort warns once, an empty one never =="
+L="$OUT/lint-effort"
+mkdir -p "$L"
+printf '%s\n' '---' 'effort: hiigh' 'effort: high' '---' 'effort: a body line' > "$L/typo.md"
+printf '%s\n' '---' 'effort: High' '---' > "$L/case.md"
+printf '%s\n' '---' 'effort: high' 'effort: hiigh' '---' > "$L/second.md"
+printf '%s\n' '---' 'effort:' '---' > "$L/bare.md"
+printf '%s\n' '---' 'effort: ""' '---' > "$L/empty.md"
+printf '%s\n' '---' 'effort: "xhigh"' '---' > "$L/quoted.md"
+printf '%s\r\n' '---' 'effort: ultra' '---' > "$L/crlf.md"
+printf '%s\n' 'effort: hiigh' > "$L/nofm.md"
+warnings="$(lint_frontmatter_files "$L"/*.md 2>&1 >/dev/null)"
+chk eq "$(printf '%s\n' "$warnings" | grep -c 'effort')" 2
+chk eq "$(printf '%s\n' "$warnings" | grep -c "^WARNING: $L/typo.md:2 effort \"hiigh\" is not one of low, medium, high, xhigh, max, ultra")" 1
+chk eq "$(printf '%s\n' "$warnings" | grep -c "^WARNING: $L/case.md:2 effort \"High\" is not one of")" 1
+
+echo "== copy_skill_bundle_dirs_for: effort rendered for the tree's tool =="
+K="$OUT/skill-effort"
+mkdir -p "$K/src/up" "$K/src/typo" "$K/src/quoted" "$K/src/none/references"
+printf '%s\n' '---' 'name: up' 'effort: ultra' 'effort: low' '---' 'effort: a body line' > "$K/src/up/SKILL.md"
+printf '%s\n' '---' 'name: typo' 'effort: hiigh' '---' > "$K/src/typo/SKILL.md"
+printf '%s\n' '---' 'name: quoted' "effort: 'high'" '---' > "$K/src/quoted/SKILL.md"
+printf '%s\n' '---' 'name: none' '---' > "$K/src/none/SKILL.md"
+printf '%s\n' '---' 'effort: ultra' '---' > "$K/src/none/references/notes.md"
+skill_fm() { awk '/^---$/ { if (++n == 2) exit; next } /^effort:/' "$1"; }
+for tool in claude open copilot; do
+    copy_skill_bundle_dirs_for "$tool" "$K/$tool" "$K/src/up" "$K/src/typo" "$K/src/quoted" "$K/src/none"
+    chk eq "$(skill_fm "$K/$tool/typo/SKILL.md")" ""
+    chk eq "$(skill_fm "$K/$tool/none/SKILL.md")" ""
+    # Only the top-level SKILL.md is a skill's frontmatter; the body and the
+    # bundled references are the author's text.
+    chk eq "$(tail -n 1 "$K/$tool/up/SKILL.md")" "effort: a body line"
+    chk eq "$(skill_fm "$K/$tool/none/references/notes.md")" "effort: ultra"
+done
+chk eq "$(skill_fm "$K/claude/up/SKILL.md")" "effort: max"
+chk eq "$(skill_fm "$K/claude/quoted/SKILL.md")" "effort: 'high'"
+chk eq "$(skill_fm "$K/open/up/SKILL.md")" "effort: ultra"
+chk eq "$(skill_fm "$K/open/quoted/SKILL.md")" "effort: 'high'"
+chk eq "$(skill_fm "$K/copilot/up/SKILL.md")" ""
+chk eq "$(skill_fm "$K/copilot/quoted/SKILL.md")" ""
+# The plain form renders for the shared open-standard tree.
+copy_skill_bundle_dirs "$K/plain" "$K/src/up" "$K/src/typo"
+chk eq "$(skill_fm "$K/plain/up/SKILL.md")" "effort: ultra"
+chk eq "$(skill_fm "$K/plain/typo/SKILL.md")" ""
+
 echo "== count_matching_files: what find | wc -l reports per directory =="
 C="$OUT/counts"
 mkdir -p "$C/rules/nested" "$C/skills/one/refs" "$C/skills/two" "$C/agents" "$C/empty"

diff --git a/decisions/0013-add-a-frontier-model-tier.md b/decisions/0013-add-a-frontier-model-tier.md
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 
 Date: 2026-10-07
 Status: accepted
+Superseded by 0015 in part: point 2's separation of `frontier` from `heavy` by Codex reasoning effort, and point 3's effort clause. A tier now selects the model only.
 
 ## Context