| name | set-effort |
| description | Read or set the global crew tokenomics dial (max | balance | low). Use when the user wants to change how aggressively crews consume tokens, or to check the current setting. |
squadrant:set-effort — Global Crew Effort Dial
The effort dial is a one-field toggle in ~/.config/squadrant/config.json that biases the captain's crew spawning decisions. It does not rewrite routing rules — it is a hint the captain honors when choosing agent/model for new crews.
Modes
| Mode | Meaning |
|---|
| max | Tokens are plentiful. Prefer claude/opus for crew spawns; don't downshift for cost. |
| balance | Normal. Use default crew routing rules unchanged. (Default when field is absent.) |
| low | Conserve tokens. Prefer opencode/sonnet for crews; reserve opus for work that genuinely needs it. |
Get current effort
squadrant effort
Prints the current mode and its one-line meaning. Does not write anything.
Set effort
squadrant effort max
squadrant effort balance
squadrant effort low
- Validates the value (errors with the 3 valid options if invalid).
- Writes
defaults.effort via the existing saveConfig atomic path.
- Prints a confirmation line.
- Best-effort: sends a one-line notice to any running captain workspace so a live session adjusts immediately. If no captain is running, the change applies on next launch.
Manual edit (fallback)
If the CLI is unavailable, edit ~/.config/squadrant/config.json directly:
{
"defaults": {
"effort": "low"
}
}
Valid values: "max" | "balance" | "low". Absent field is equivalent to "balance".
Scope
Effort is crew-only. It does not affect captain, command, or side roles — those stay pinned to their configured model regardless of effort.
Precedence
Effort is the weakest signal. Explicit --agent / --model flags on squadrant crew spawn always win. Effort only biases the captain's default choice when nothing more specific applies.
