diff --git a/src/server/chat-native.ts b/src/server/chat-native.ts
index 9abb99683e..a835f71990 100644
--- a/src/server/chat-native.ts
+++ b/src/server/chat-native.ts
@@ -106,16 +106,21 @@ function normalizePinnedChatEffort(options: HandleNativeChatOptions): void {
   const pinned = chatBody.compaction_trigger === undefined
     ? resolvePinnedEffort(route, selector, config)
     : undefined;
+  let normalizeForWire = false;
   if (pinned !== undefined) {
     logCtx.requestedEffort = from ? `${from}->${pinned}` : pinned;
     if (pinned === "none") delete chatBody.reasoning_effort;
     else chatBody.reasoning_effort = pinned;
-    // The native lane historically passes caller effort through, including with caps set.
-    // Only a newly operator-pinned value enters the cap and provider-mapping pipeline.
-    if (effortCapAppliesTo(chatCollabSurface(chatBody), req.headers, config)) {
-      const capped = applyChatEffortCap(chatBody, req.headers, config, supportedLadderFor(route));
-      if (capped) logCtx.requestedEffort = `${logCtx.requestedEffort}->${capped.to}`;
+    normalizeForWire = true;
+  }
+  if (effortCapAppliesTo(chatCollabSurface(chatBody), req.headers, config)) {
+    const capped = applyChatEffortCap(chatBody, req.headers, config, supportedLadderFor(route));
+    if (capped) {
+      logCtx.requestedEffort = `${logCtx.requestedEffort ?? capped.from}->${capped.to}`;
+      normalizeForWire = true;
     }
+  }
+  if (normalizeForWire) {
     const effort = typeof chatBody.reasoning_effort === "string" ? chatBody.reasoning_effort : undefined;
     const wireEffort = mapReasoningEffort(route.provider, route.modelId, effort);
     if (wireEffort === undefined) delete chatBody.reasoning_effort;
diff --git a/tests/codex-integration/model-pinned-effort.test.ts b/tests/codex-integration/model-pinned-effort.test.ts
index 7c7b15401c..096b104cc5 100644
--- a/tests/codex-integration/model-pinned-effort.test.ts
+++ b/tests/codex-integration/model-pinned-effort.test.ts
@@ -428,9 +428,10 @@ describe("operator pins on the actual request wire", () => {
     expect(wire.reasoning).toEqual({ effort: "max", summary: "auto" });
   });
 
-  test("native Chat without pins preserves caller wire spelling and existing cap behavior", async () => {
+  test("native Chat without pins enforces applicable caps and preserves unqualified caller spelling", async () => {
     const c = config({ reasoningEfforts: ["low"], reasoningEffortMap: { max: "enabled" } }, { effortCap: "low", subagentEffortCap: "low" });
-    expect((await request(c, "chat", { reasoning_effort: "ultra" }, { "x-openai-subagent": "collab_spawn" })).reasoning_effort).toBe("ultra");
+    expect((await request(c, "chat", { reasoning_effort: "ultra" }, { "x-openai-subagent": "collab_spawn" })).reasoning_effort).toBe("low");
+    expect((await request(c, "chat", { reasoning_effort: "ultra" })).reasoning_effort).toBe("ultra");
     expect(Object.hasOwn(await request(c, "chat", { reasoning_effort: undefined }), "reasoning_effort")).toBe(false);
   });