diff --git a/apps/web/src/components/chat/TraitsPicker.tsx b/apps/web/src/components/chat/TraitsPicker.tsx
index 68580c39a1e3e..abfc3d8b62aea 100644
--- a/apps/web/src/components/chat/TraitsPicker.tsx
+++ b/apps/web/src/components/chat/TraitsPicker.tsx
@@ -50,6 +50,28 @@ import { useComposerMenuState } from "./useComposerMenuState";
 
 type ProviderOptions = ReadonlyArray<ProviderOptionSelection>;
 
+function TraitsTriggerIcon({ level, size }: { level: number | null; size: ComposerControlSize }) {
+  if (level === null) return <ComposerControlIcon icon={GaugeIcon} size={size} />;
+  return (
+    <svg
+      aria-hidden="true"
+      viewBox="0 0 24 24"
+      fill="none"
+      stroke="currentColor"
+      strokeWidth={2}
+      strokeLinecap="round"
+      className={cn("shrink-0", size === "xs" ? "size-3" : "size-4")}
+      data-composer-control-icon
+    >
+      <path d="M3.34 19a10 10 0 1 1 17.32 0" opacity={0.3} />
+      {level > 0 && (
+        <path d="M3.34 19a10 10 0 1 1 17.32 0" pathLength={1} strokeDasharray={`${level} 2`} />
+      )}
+      <path d="M12 14V8.34" transform={`rotate(${240 * level - 120} 12 14)`} />
+    </svg>
+  );
+}
+
 /**
  * All the picker reads from the prompt while rendering. Passing this instead of
  * the prompt keeps the picker from re-rendering on every keystroke.
@@ -555,7 +577,7 @@ export const TraitsPicker = memo(function TraitsPicker({
     return null;
   }
 
-  const { label: triggerLabel } = buildTraitsTriggerDisplay({
+  const { label: triggerLabel, reasoningLevel } = buildTraitsTriggerDisplay({
     provider,
     descriptors,
     primarySelectDescriptorId: primarySelectDescriptor?.id ?? null,
@@ -600,7 +622,7 @@ export const TraitsPicker = memo(function TraitsPicker({
                 size === "xs" ? "gap-1" : "gap-1.5",
               )}
             >
-              <ComposerControlIcon icon={GaugeIcon} size={size} />
+              <TraitsTriggerIcon level={reasoningLevel} size={size} />
               <span data-composer-control-label className="min-w-0 truncate">
                 {triggerLabel}
               </span>
@@ -608,7 +630,7 @@ export const TraitsPicker = memo(function TraitsPicker({
             </span>
           ) : (
             <>
-              <ComposerControlIcon icon={GaugeIcon} size={size} />
+              <TraitsTriggerIcon level={reasoningLevel} size={size} />
               <span data-composer-control-label>{triggerLabel}</span>
               <ComposerControlChevron size={size} />
             </>
diff --git a/packages/client-runtime/src/modelTraits.test.ts b/packages/client-runtime/src/modelTraits.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000..1bb60634a4df2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/client-runtime/src/modelTraits.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,42 @@
+import { ProviderDriverKind, type ProviderOptionDescriptor } from "@t3tools/contracts";
+import { describe, expect, it } from "vite-plus/test";
+import { buildTraitsTriggerDisplay } from "./modelTraits.ts";
+
+function highEffortLevel(efforts: ReadonlyArray<string>, thinking?: boolean) {
+  const descriptors: Array<ProviderOptionDescriptor> = [
+    {
+      id: "effort",
+      label: "Reasoning",
+      type: "select",
+      options: efforts.map((id) => ({ id, label: id })),
+      currentValue: "high",
+    },
+  ];
+  if (thinking !== undefined) {
+    descriptors.push({
+      id: "thinking",
+      label: "Thinking",
+      type: "boolean",
+      currentValue: thinking,
+    });
+  }
+  return buildTraitsTriggerDisplay({
+    provider: ProviderDriverKind.make("cursor"),
+    descriptors,
+    primarySelectDescriptorId: "effort",
+    ultrathinkPromptControlled: false,
+  }).reasoningLevel;
+}
+
+describe("buildTraitsTriggerDisplay reasoningLevel", () => {
+  it("reads High the same however the provider orders or trims its efforts", () => {
+    const claude = highEffortLevel(["low", "medium", "high", "xhigh", "max"]);
+    expect(claude).toBeGreaterThan(0);
+    expect(highEffortLevel(["xhigh", "high", "medium", "low"])).toBe(claude);
+    expect(highEffortLevel(["high", "max"])).toBe(claude);
+  });
+
+  it("reads zero when thinking is switched off", () => {
+    expect(highEffortLevel(["low", "high"], false)).toBe(0);
+  });
+});
diff --git a/packages/client-runtime/src/modelTraits.ts b/packages/client-runtime/src/modelTraits.ts
index 198d09e3a13c6..fd26ec12ed5e4 100644
--- a/packages/client-runtime/src/modelTraits.ts
+++ b/packages/client-runtime/src/modelTraits.ts
@@ -110,12 +110,17 @@ export function buildTraitsTriggerDisplay(input: {
   ultrathinkPromptControlled: boolean;
   modelSelection?: ModelSelection | null;
   reportedModelSelection?: ModelSelection | null | undefined;
-}): { label: string } {
+}): { label: string; reasoningLevel: number | null } {
   let fastModeFallbackLabel: string | null = null;
   let speedLabel: string | null = null;
   let reasoningLabelIndex = -1;
+  let reasoningLevel: number | null = null;
+  let thinkingOff = false;
   const labels: Array<string> = [];
   for (const descriptor of input.descriptors) {
+    if (descriptor.id === "thinking" && descriptor.type === "boolean") {
+      thinkingOff = descriptor.currentValue === false;
+    }
     if (descriptor.id === "fastMode" && descriptor.type === "boolean") {
       speedLabel = descriptor.currentValue === true ? "Fast" : null;
       fastModeFallbackLabel = speedLabel ?? "Normal";
@@ -162,13 +167,21 @@ export function buildTraitsTriggerDisplay(input: {
         REASONING_SELECT_DESCRIPTOR_IDS.has(descriptor.id)
       ) {
         reasoningLabelIndex = labels.length;
+        reasoningLevel = getReasoningLevel(
+          getProviderOptionCurrentValue(
+            descriptor,
+            input.modelSelection,
+            input.reportedModelSelection,
+          ),
+        );
       }
       labels.push(label);
     }
   }
 
+  if (thinkingOff) reasoningLevel = 0;
   if (labels.length === 0 && fastModeFallbackLabel !== null) {
-    return { label: fastModeFallbackLabel };
+    return { label: fastModeFallbackLabel, reasoningLevel };
   }
   if (speedLabel) {
     if (reasoningLabelIndex >= 0) {
@@ -177,5 +190,28 @@ export function buildTraitsTriggerDisplay(input: {
       labels.push(speedLabel);
     }
   }
-  return { label: labels.join(" · ") };
+  return { label: labels.join(" · "), reasoningLevel };
+}
+
+// One scale for every provider so the same effort reads the same on any model.
+// Ultrathink is absent: it leaves the effort sent to Claude unchanged.
+const REASONING_LEVEL_RANKS: ReadonlyMap<string, number> = new Map([
+  ["none", 0],
+  ["off", 0],
+  ["minimal", 1],
+  ["low", 2],
+  ["medium", 3],
+  ["high", 4],
+  ["xhigh", 5],
+  // Claude runs Ultracode at xhigh effort.
+  ["ultracode", 5],
+  ["max", 6],
+  ["ultra", 7],
+]);
+const MAX_REASONING_LEVEL_RANK = 7;
+
+function getReasoningLevel(value: string | boolean | undefined): number | null {
+  const rank =
+    typeof value === "string" ? REASONING_LEVEL_RANKS.get(value.toLowerCase()) : undefined;
+  return rank === undefined ? null : rank / MAX_REASONING_LEVEL_RANK;
 }