fix(models): expose custom max and ultra reasoning tiers (#115690)

* fix(models): honor custom advanced reasoning levels

* fix(ci): restore code mode matrix boundaries

scripts/code-mode-model-matrix.ts

@@ -18,6 +18,8 @@ import {
 import type { AgentExecEnvelope } from "../src/commands/agent-exec.ts";
 import { previewForDevToolLog, redactJsonValueForDevToolLog } from "./lib/dev-tooling-safety.ts";
 
+export { validateQaEvidenceSummaryJson };
+
 const execFileAsync = promisify(execFile);
 const SOURCE_PATH = "scripts/code-mode-model-matrix.ts";
 const MATRIX_SCHEMA_VERSION = 1;

src/auto-reply/thinking.test.ts

@@ -601,6 +601,51 @@ describe("listThinkingLevels", () => {
     ).toBe(true);
   });
 
+  it("uses advanced catalog efforts and derives OpenClaw Ultra from Max", () => {
+    const catalog = [
+      {
+        provider: "myazure",
+        id: "gpt-5.6-sol",
+        name: "GPT 5.6 Sol via Azure",
+        api: "openai-responses",
+        reasoning: true,
+        compat: {
+          supportedReasoningEfforts: ["none", "low", "medium", "high", "xhigh", "max"],
+        },
+      },
+    ];
+
+    expect(listThinkingLevels("myazure", "gpt-5.6-sol", catalog, "openclaw")).toEqual([
+      "off",
+      "minimal",
+      "low",
+      "medium",
+      "high",
+      "xhigh",
+      "max",
+      "ultra",
+    ]);
+    expect(
+      isThinkingLevelSupported({
+        provider: "myazure",
+        model: "gpt-5.6-sol",
+        level: "max",
+        catalog,
+        agentRuntime: "openclaw",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(
+      isThinkingLevelSupported({
+        provider: "myazure",
+        model: "gpt-5.6-sol",
+        level: "ultra",
+        catalog,
+        agentRuntime: "openclaw",
+      }),
+    ).toBe(true);
+    expect(listThinkingLevels("myazure", "gpt-5.6-sol", catalog, "codex")).not.toContain("ultra");
+  });
+
   it("does not let catalog xhigh compat override binary thinking providers", () => {
     providerRuntimeMocks.resolveProviderThinkingProfile.mockReturnValue({
       levels: [

src/auto-reply/thinking.ts

@@ -94,14 +94,6 @@ function resolveThinkingPolicyContext(params: {
   };
 }
 
-function catalogSupportsXHigh(compat: ThinkingCatalogEntry["compat"]): boolean {
-  const efforts = compat?.supportedReasoningEfforts;
-  if (!Array.isArray(efforts)) {
-    return false;
-  }
-  return efforts.some((effort) => normalizeThinkLevel(effort) === "xhigh");
-}
-
 function normalizeProfileLevel(
   level: ProviderThinkingProfile["levels"][number],
 ): RankedThinkingLevelOption | undefined {
@@ -158,6 +150,32 @@ function appendProfileLevel(profile: ResolvedThinkingProfile, id: ThinkLevel) {
   profile.levels = profile.levels.toSorted((a, b) => a.rank - b.rank);
 }
 
+const CATALOG_ADVANCED_THINKING_LEVELS = new Set<ThinkLevel>(["adaptive", "xhigh", "max"]);
+
+function appendCatalogAdvancedThinkingLevels(
+  profile: ResolvedThinkingProfile,
+  compat: ThinkingCatalogEntry["compat"],
+  agentRuntime?: string | null,
+) {
+  const efforts = compat?.supportedReasoningEfforts;
+  if (!Array.isArray(efforts)) {
+    return;
+  }
+  let supportsMax = false;
+  for (const effort of efforts) {
+    const level = normalizeThinkLevel(effort);
+    if (level && CATALOG_ADVANCED_THINKING_LEVELS.has(level)) {
+      appendProfileLevel(profile, level);
+      supportsMax ||= level === "max";
+    }
+  }
+  const runtime = normalizeOptionalLowercaseString(agentRuntime);
+  if (supportsMax && (runtime === "openclaw" || runtime === "auto")) {
+    // Ultra is OpenClaw's orchestration tier; provider requests use Max.
+    appendProfileLevel(profile, "ultra");
+  }
+}
+
 /** Resolve supported thinking levels and default for a provider/model pair. */
 export function resolveThinkingProfile(params: {
   provider?: string | null;
@@ -215,9 +233,7 @@ export function resolveThinkingProfile(params: {
   }
 
   const profile = buildBaseThinkingProfile();
-  if (catalogSupportsXHigh(context.compat)) {
-    appendProfileLevel(profile, "xhigh");
-  }
+  appendCatalogAdvancedThinkingLevels(profile, context.compat, params.agentRuntime);
   return profile;
 }
 

src/cli/program/register.agent-turn.ts

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ import { normalizeLowercaseStringOrEmpty } from "@openclaw/normalization-core/st
 import type { Command } from "commander";
 import { formatDocsLink } from "../../../packages/terminal-core/src/links.js";
 import { theme } from "../../../packages/terminal-core/src/theme.js";
+import { THINKING_LEVELS_HELP } from "../../auto-reply/thinking.shared.js";
 import { formatHelpExamples } from "../help-format.js";
 
 type AgentViaGatewayModule = typeof import("../../commands/agent-via-gateway.js");
@@ -52,7 +53,7 @@ export function registerAgentTurnCommand(
     .option("--model <id>", "Model override for this run (provider/model or model id)")
     .option(
       "--thinking <level>",
-      "Thinking level: off | minimal | low | medium | high | xhigh | adaptive | max where supported",
+      `Thinking level: ${THINKING_LEVELS_HELP.replaceAll("|", " | ")} where supported`,
     )
     .option("--verbose <on|off>", "Persist agent verbose level for the session")
     .option(
@@ -130,7 +131,7 @@ ${theme.muted("Docs:")} ${formatDocsLink("/cli/agent", "docs.openclaw.ai/cli/age
     .option("--local-model-lean", "Use the reduced local-model tool surface")
     .option(
       "--thinking <level>",
-      "Thinking level: off | minimal | low | medium | high | xhigh | adaptive | max where supported",
+      `Thinking level: ${THINKING_LEVELS_HELP.replaceAll("|", " | ")} where supported`,
     )
     .option(
       "--fallback <provider/model>",

src/cli/program/register.agent.test.ts

@@ -102,6 +102,20 @@ describe("agent command registration", () => {
     return call;
   }
 
+  it("keeps both agent thinking help surfaces aligned with the canonical levels", () => {
+    const program = new Command();
+    registerAgentTurnCommand(program, { agentChannelOptions: "last|telegram|discord" });
+    const agent = program.commands.find((command) => command.name() === "agent");
+    const exec = agent?.commands.find((command) => command.name() === "exec");
+
+    expect(agent?.options.find((option) => option.long === "--thinking")?.description).toContain(
+      "ultra",
+    );
+    expect(exec?.options.find((option) => option.long === "--thinking")?.description).toContain(
+      "ultra",
+    );
+  });
+
   it("runs agent command with verbose enabled for --verbose on", async () => {
     await runCli(["agent", "--message", "hi", "--verbose", "ON", "--json"]);
 

test/scripts/code-mode-model-matrix.test.ts

@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
   reserveCodeModeMatrixOutputDir,
   resolveCodeModeMatrixOutputDir,
   runCodeModeModelMatrix,
+  validateQaEvidenceSummaryJson,
   type CodeModeMatrixCellResult,
 } from "../../scripts/code-mode-model-matrix.ts";
 import type { AgentExecEnvelope } from "../../src/commands/agent-exec.ts";