# Claude Opus 4.6

Claude Opus 4.6 is the first Opus model with a context window of 1M tokens, and it introduces a new adaptive thinking parameter that lets the model decide when and how much to reason, rather than requiring a fixed budget.

- **Model ID:** `anthropic/claude-opus-4.6`
- **Type:** chat
- **Providers:** anthropic, bedrock, vertexAnthropic
- **Context window:** 1,000,000
- **Maximum output tokens:** 128,000
- **Pricing:** $5/1M input tokens, $25/1M output tokens
- **Canonical page:** https://vercel.com/ai-gateway/models/claude-opus-4.6

## Supported parameters

Detailed capability metadata has not been reported for this model.

## Example

```ts
import { streamText } from 'ai'

const result = streamText({
  model: 'anthropic/claude-opus-4.6',
  prompt: 'Why is the sky blue?',
  providerOptions: {
    anthropic: {
      speed: 'fast',
    },
    gateway: {
      only: ['anthropic'],
    },
  },
})
```

## About

Claude Opus 4.6 launched on AI Gateway on February 5, 2026, bringing two advances to the Opus tier. First, the context window of 1M tokens. This is the first time an Opus model supports this context size, matching what Sonnet 4.5 gained. For teams needing both Opus-level intelligence and large context capacity, this closes a capability gap.

Second, adaptive thinking: a new thinking type parameter (set as `thinking: { type: 'adaptive' }`) that lets the model decide when and how much to reason, rather than requiring you to specify a fixed thinking budget. Claude Opus 4.6 also supports interleaved thinking and tool calls within a single response. The model can reason, call a tool, reason further about the result, and call another tool, all in one response rather than requiring separate turns. This applies to complex agentic workflows where the best next tool call depends on reasoning about previous results.

Anthropic described Claude Opus 4.6 as built to power agents that handle real-world work, with strength across the development lifecycle. To use Claude Opus 4.6, set the model to `anthropic/claude-opus-4.6` in the AI SDK, Chat Completions API, Responses API, Messages API, or other API formats, from TypeScript or Python. When using the AI SDK, configure `providerOptions.anthropic` with the `thinking` and `effort` parameters as needed.

## What to consider

Requests using the context window of 1M tokens generate higher per-request token volumes than typical API calls. AI Gateway cost tracking per request is useful for budgeting large-context workloads.

## When to use

### Best For

- **Tasks requiring both Opus intelligence and massive context**, such as entire large codebases, extensive document sets, or long conversation histories where prior Opus models hit context limits
- **Agentic workflows with interleaved reasoning and tool use**, such as complex multi-step pipelines where reasoning about tool results before the next call improves outcomes
- **Workloads where adaptive thinking efficiency matters.** Letting the model calibrate its own reasoning depth avoids over-spending thinking tokens on simpler requests in mixed workloads
- **Programming, analysis, and creative tasks** at Opus depth. The model was specifically described as excelling across all three categories
- **Agents handling real-world development lifecycle tasks**, the announced strength area for this checkpoint

### Consider Alternatives When

- Cost is the primary constraint. Sonnet 4.6 approaches Opus-level intelligence at lower cost per token
- The context window of 1M tokens isn't needed and a smaller context budget is sufficient. Earlier Opus versions are available
- Maximum speed is required. Sonnet and Haiku variants serve latency-sensitive use cases better

## Best for

- **Opus intelligence at large context:** Entire large codebases, extensive document sets, or long conversation histories where prior Opus models hit context limits
- **Interleaved reasoning and tool use:** Complex multi-step pipelines where reasoning about tool results before the next call improves outcomes
- **Adaptive thinking efficiency:** Letting the model calibrate its own reasoning depth avoids over-spending thinking tokens on simpler requests in mixed workloads
- **Programming, analysis, and creative tasks:** At Opus depth, Claude Opus 4.6 excels across all three categories
- **Development lifecycle agents:** The announced strength area for this checkpoint

## Consider alternatives

- **Primary cost constraint:** Sonnet 4.6 approaches Opus-level intelligence at lower cost per token
- **Smaller context sufficient:** Earlier Opus versions handle workloads that don't need the context window of 1M tokens
- **Maximum speed required:** Sonnet and Haiku variants serve latency-sensitive use cases better

## Frequently asked questions

### What is adaptive thinking and how does it differ from extended thinking?

Adaptive thinking (`thinking: { type: 'adaptive' }`) lets the model decide when and how much to reason internally. Unlike extended thinking, you don't set a fixed thinking token budget. The model calibrates reasoning depth per request.

### How is the context window of 1M tokens significant for Opus 4.6?

This is the first Opus model to support 1M tokens. Previous Opus models had a 200K context limit. This enables Opus-level analysis of entire large codebases, extensive document collections, or long agent histories in a single request.

### Can Opus 4.6 interleave thinking and tool calls in one response?

Yes. Claude Opus 4.6 can interleave thinking and tool calls within a single response, reasoning about a problem, calling a tool, reasoning about the result, and calling another tool, all in one turn.

### How do I configure adaptive thinking and effort together in the AI SDK?

Under `providerOptions.anthropic` in the AI SDK, set `thinking.type` to `adaptive` and pass an `effort` level (for example, `max`). Set the model to `anthropic/claude-opus-4.6`.

### Does the effort parameter work the same way in Opus 4.6 as in Opus 4.5?

Yes, the effort parameter controls overall token usage across all token types, defaults to a high level, and operates independently of the thinking configuration. Both parameters can be set separately.

### What real-world work is Opus 4.6 specifically designed to handle?

Programming, analysis, and creative tasks across the development lifecycle. The hybrid reasoning architecture lets you use extended thinking for complex problems while keeping latency low for straightforward queries.

### When was Opus 4.6 made available on AI Gateway?

February 5, 2026.

## Links

- [Model page](https://vercel.com/ai-gateway/models/claude-opus-4.6)
- [AI Gateway documentation](https://vercel.com/docs/ai-gateway)
- [Provider model documentation](https://docs.anthropic.com/claude/docs/models-overview)
- [Provider pricing](https://www.anthropic.com/pricing#anthropic-api)


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