@@ -85,6 +85,7 @@ import { useChat } from '@/app/workspace/[workspaceId]/home/hooks/use-chat'
 import { type MothershipChatHistory, mothershipChatKeys } from '@/hooks/queries/mothership-chats'
 import { handleMothershipChatStatusEvent } from '@/hooks/use-mothership-chat-events'
 import { useExecutionStore } from '@/stores/execution/store'
+import { useMothershipEffortStore } from '@/stores/mothership-effort/store'
 import { useMothershipQueueStore } from '@/stores/mothership-queue/store'
 
 authClientMockFns.mockUseSession.mockImplementation(() => ({
@@ -105,7 +106,7 @@ interface NetworkState {
    * - `deduped` — the 409 the server returns for an already-claimed send
    */
   postBehavior: 'hang' | 'accept' | 'deduped' | 'tool' | 'task'
-  postBodies: Array<{ message: string; userMessageId?: string; chatId?: string }>
+  postBodies: Array<{ message: string; userMessageId?: string; chatId?: string; effort?: string }>
   pendingAdmissions: Map<string, () => void>
   abortSettlements: boolean[]
   abortBodies: CopilotChatAbortBody[]
@@ -692,6 +693,36 @@ describe('useChat remount send recovery', () => {
     }
   )
 
+  it.each([
+    { surface: 'a new chat', newChatPick: null, storedPick: null, sends: undefined },
+    { surface: 'a new chat', newChatPick: 'medium', storedPick: null, sends: 'medium' },
+    { surface: 'an existing chat', newChatPick: null, storedPick: null, sends: undefined },
+    { surface: 'an existing chat', newChatPick: null, storedPick: 'medium', sends: 'medium' },
+  ] as const)(
+    'sends effort $sends from $surface only when the user picked one',
+    async ({ surface, newChatPick, storedPick, sends }) => {
+      state.postBehavior = 'accept'
+      useMothershipEffortStore.getState().reset()
+      if (newChatPick) useMothershipEffortStore.getState().setNewChatEffort(newChatPick)
+      const { getResult } =
+        surface === 'a new chat'
+          ? renderUseChat('ws-1', 'agent')
+          : renderUseChatInChat('chat-effort', {
+              id: 'chat-effort',
+              title: 'Effort',
+              messages: [],
+              activeStreamId: null,
+              resources: [],
+              effort: storedPick,
+            })
+      await act(async () => {
+        await getResult().sendMessage('Plan the launch')
+      })
+      expect(state.postBodies).toHaveLength(1)
+      expect(state.postBodies[0].effort).toBe(sends)
+    }
+  )
+
   it('identifies a Stop while an existing-chat query is still cancelling', async () => {
     const { getResult } = renderUseChatInChat('chat-a')
     let releaseCancellation!: () => void
 
@@ -1095,6 +1095,13 @@ describe('MothershipBlockHandler', () => {
     })
   })
 
+  it('runs a block with no effort set at high', async () => {
+    fetchMock.mockResolvedValue(new Response(JSON.stringify({ content: 'done' })))
+    await handler.execute(context, block, { prompt: 'hello' })
+    const body = JSON.parse(String(fetchMock.mock.calls[0]?.[1]?.body))
+    expect(body.effort).toBe('high')
+  })
+
   it.each([true, false])('uses deployment agent-event opt-in: %s', async (agentEvents) => {
     context.stream = true
     context.selectedOutputs = [`${block.id}_content`]
 
@@ -78,7 +78,7 @@ describe('a chat keeps the effort its owner picked', () => {
     await setChatEffort.execute({ principal: owner, input: { chatId: picked, effort: 'low' } })
 
     expect(await loadEffort(untouched)).toBeNull()
-    expect(await nextTurnEffort(untouched)).toBe('medium')
+    expect(await nextTurnEffort(untouched)).toBe('high')
     expect(await nextTurnEffort(picked)).toBe('low')
     const [row] = await db
       .select({ config: copilotChats.config })
@@ -96,7 +96,7 @@ describe('a chat keeps the effort its owner picked', () => {
   it('reads a stored value outside the effort range as no pick', async () => {
     const chatId = await createChat({ effort: 'turbo' })
     expect(await loadEffort(chatId)).toBeNull()
-    expect(await nextTurnEffort(chatId)).toBe('medium')
+    expect(await nextTurnEffort(chatId)).toBe('high')
   })
 
   it("refuses to change another user's chat in a shared workspace", async () => {
 
@@ -814,7 +814,7 @@ describe('handleUnifiedChatPost', () => {
     ['xhigh', 'xhigh'],
     ['max', 'xhigh'],
     ['low', 'low'],
-    ['none', 'medium'],
+    ['none', 'high'],
   ])(
     'enforces the default model and effort range on submitted %s effort',
     async (effort, expected) => {
@@ -841,8 +841,8 @@ describe('handleUnifiedChatPost', () => {
   )
 
   it.each([
-    { stored: null, sent: undefined, runs: 'medium' },
-    { stored: 'high', sent: undefined, runs: 'high' },
+    { stored: null, sent: undefined, runs: 'high' },
+    { stored: 'medium', sent: undefined, runs: 'medium' },
     { stored: 'low', sent: undefined, runs: 'low' },
     { stored: 'high', sent: 'low', runs: 'low' },
     { stored: 'high', sent: 'max', runs: 'xhigh' },
 
@@ -18,7 +18,7 @@ export const MOTHERSHIP_MODEL_OPTIONS = [
 ] satisfies Array<{ value: ModelSelection['model']; label: string }>
 
 /** The effort a chat or Sim Chat block runs at until the user picks one. */
-export const DEFAULT_MOTHERSHIP_EFFORT: MothershipEffort = 'medium'
+export const DEFAULT_MOTHERSHIP_EFFORT: MothershipEffort = 'high'
 
 const SIMPLE_EFFORT_VALUES: ReadonlySet<MothershipEffort> = new Set([
   'low',