Effort
Control how much reasoning a model uses before answering.
Effort controls how much reasoning a supported model uses before it answers. Higher effort means more thorough responses, but takes longer and uses your limits faster.
Use the Effort selector next to the model picker when you want to trade speed for deeper reasoning.
Effort Levels
| Effort | Best for |
|---|---|
| Low | Fastest responses with minimal reasoning. |
| Medium | Balanced reasoning for everyday tasks. |
| High | Deeper reasoning for more complex work. |
| XHigh | Extended reasoning for the hardest problems. |
| Max | Maximum reasoning depth. Highest cost and slowest. |
When to Use It
- Use Low or Medium for quick edits, straightforward questions, and normal app-building work.
- Use High when the task needs deeper planning, debugging, architecture, or multi-step reasoning.
- Use XHigh or Max only for the hardest problems where extra time and usage are worth it.
Not every provider exposes the same Effort options. Ideavo only shows options supported by the selected model.
Provider Support
Effort availability depends on both the provider and the model:
- OpenAI / GPT-style models commonly support
low,medium, andhigh. Some newer GPT or Codex models may also supportminimal,none, orxhigh. - Anthropic models expose
highandmaxwhen reasoning is supported. - Google / Gemini models vary by model, commonly exposing
low/highorhigh/max. - Other providers may expose fewer options or no Effort selector at all.
Custom Models
For custom or local models, Effort appears only when the model configuration has reasoning enabled.
Only enable reasoning for a custom model if the model and provider API truly support reasoning or effort controls. Enabling it for unsupported models can cause failed requests or unexpected responses.
See Custom Provider for custom provider setup.