From d26bfc2a3fce8e5d24ee6bfe6b5ea8bc3eaccfa1 Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001
From: sim <sim@local>
Date: Sat, 15 Aug 2026 03:19:18 -0400
Subject: [PATCH] fix(#3534): resolve-execution reports resolved and effective
 effort

---
 .changeset/bold-badgers-climb.md |  5 +++++
 docs/CONFIGURATION.md            |  8 ++++++++
 src/commands.cts                 | 34 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
 3 files changed, 47 insertions(+)
 create mode 100644 .changeset/bold-badgers-climb.md

diff --git a/.changeset/bold-badgers-climb.md b/.changeset/bold-badgers-climb.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..7ebba6cb1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/bold-badgers-climb.md
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+---
+type: Added
+pr: 0
+---
+**`resolve-execution` now tells the truth about what the agent will run at** — the query reported only the config-cascade effort, which is not what an installed agent uses when its `effort:` frontmatter was hand-stripped or drifted. `--json` adds `effort_effective` (read from the installed agent frontmatter for the claude runtime; `"inherit"` when the key is absent) and `effort_effective_source` (`frontmatter` | `frontmatter-absent` | `resolved`). All existing fields, including `--pick effort`, are unchanged. (#3534)
diff --git a/docs/CONFIGURATION.md b/docs/CONFIGURATION.md
index a3bc1cd34..cbaf11ac1 100644
--- a/docs/CONFIGURATION.md
+++ b/docs/CONFIGURATION.md
@@ -1416,6 +1416,14 @@ The model-catalog's `reasoning_effort` per-tier hint is a legacy field kept for
 
 Valid effort values: `minimal`, `low`, `medium`, `high`, `xhigh`, `max`.
 
+`query resolve-execution --json` reports two effort views ([#3534](https://github.com/open-gsd/gsd-core/issues/3534)):
+`effort` is the **resolved** config-cascade value; `effort_effective` is what the installed
+agent will actually run at — read from the installed agent's `effort:` frontmatter for the
+claude runtime (`effort_effective_source: "frontmatter"`), reported as `"inherit"` when the
+key is absent (`"frontmatter-absent"` — the agent follows the session effort), and equal to
+the resolved value with source `"resolved"` when there is no install-time channel or no
+agent file to read. `--pick effort` still returns the resolved value.
+
 #### Where effort actually reaches — added in v1.8.0
 
 Effort resolved from the cascade above reaches a runtime through one of two channels.
diff --git a/src/commands.cts b/src/commands.cts
index a3fee9521..cc54fa41c 100644
--- a/src/commands.cts
+++ b/src/commands.cts
@@ -620,6 +620,38 @@ function cmdResolveExecution(cwd: string, agentType: string | undefined, raw: bo
 
   const fastModeSupported = RUNTIMES_WITH_FAST_MODE.has(runtime);
 
+  // #3534 (10a): the effective effort — what the installed agent will actually
+  // run at. `effort` above is the config cascade; for the claude runtime the
+  // per-agent frontmatter key is the source of truth (Claude Code's Agent tool
+  // has no per-spawn effort parameter), so the query reads the installed file.
+  // An ABSENT key is a real state — the agent follows the session effort
+  // ('inherit'), not drift. No file / no frontmatter / any read failure means
+  // no evidence: the resolved value is reported, flagged 'resolved' so a
+  // consumer can tell evidence from echo. Additive only — every existing key
+  // is unchanged.
+  let effortEffectiveSource: 'frontmatter' | 'frontmatter-absent' | 'resolved' = 'resolved';
+  let effortEffective: string = effort;
+  if (runtime === 'claude') {
+    try {
+      // eslint-disable-next-line @typescript-eslint/no-require-imports, @typescript-eslint/unbound-method
+      const { getGlobalConfigDir } = require('./runtime-homes.cjs') as { getGlobalConfigDir(runtime: string, explicitDir?: string | null): string };
+      const agentPath = path.join(getGlobalConfigDir(runtime), 'agents', `${agentType}.md`);
+      const agentContent = fs.readFileSync(agentPath, 'utf8');
+      // eslint-disable-next-line local/no-unbounded-quantifier -- same lazy `*?` bounded by the `^---$/m` closing anchor as the sibling frontmatter regexes in this file
+      const fmMatchEff = /^---\r?\n([\s\S]*?)^---\r?$/m.exec(agentContent);
+      if (fmMatchEff) {
+        const effortLine = /^effort:[ \t]*(.+?)[ \t]*$/m.exec(fmMatchEff[1]);
+        if (effortLine) {
+          effortEffective = effortLine[1];
+          effortEffectiveSource = 'frontmatter';
+        } else {
+          effortEffective = 'inherit';
+          effortEffectiveSource = 'frontmatter-absent';
+        }
+      }
+    } catch { /* no frontmatter evidence — stay on the resolved value */ }
+  }
+
   // Own-property guard: agentType is an unvalidated CLI positional, so a
   // prototype-chain value ("toString", "constructor") would otherwise return
   // an inherited truthy member from this plain object and misreport a
@@ -633,6 +665,8 @@ function cmdResolveExecution(cwd: string, agentType: string | undefined, raw: bo
     effort_rendered: rendered.value,
     effort_param: rendered.param,
     effort_propagation: rendered.channel,
+    effort_effective: effortEffective,
+    effort_effective_source: effortEffectiveSource,
     fast_mode: fastMode,
     fast_mode_supported: fastModeSupported,
   };