Allow configuring different models for plan mode vs execution mode

[nowtech]

Problem

Users on Max/Team Premium plans want to conserve their Opus budget by using it for high-value tasks (planning, architecture, complex debugging) while using Sonnet for straightforward execution (writing code, editing files, running commands).

Currently there's no way to configure this — you must manually run /model to switch between phases of work, which is easy to forget and breaks flow.

Proposed solution

Allow users to configure separate model preferences for different modes:

{
  "planModel": "opus",
  "executeModel": "sonnet"
}

When entering plan mode (via /plan or Shift+Tab), Claude Code would automatically use the planModel. When exiting plan mode and executing, it would switch to executeModel.

Alternatives considered

• Manual /model switching — works but relies on user discipline and breaks flow
• CLAUDE.md reminders — fragile, can't actually switch models
• Running two sessions — awkward and loses shared context

Impact

This would help users get the most value from their weekly Opus budget by automatically routing high-reasoning tasks to Opus and routine execution to Sonnet, without any manual intervention.

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[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. [Feature Request] Automatic Model Switching Between Plan and Execution Modes #27274
2. [FEATURE] Automatic Model Switching for Plan Mode #15721
3. [FEATURE] Auto model switching based on conversation context (plan vs. implementation) #31235

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🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[nitaiaharoni1]

+1 on this — this is the canonical friction point in any Opus-planned, Sonnet-executed workflow.

A few additional angles worth considering:

The opusplan setting exists but is incomplete. As noted in #15721, ANTHROPIC_MODEL=opusplan does switch models, but it's hardcoded to specific model versions (Opus 4.1 / Sonnet 4.5) rather than resolving to latest Opus/Sonnet. The proposed planModel / executeModel settings would solve this cleanly by letting users specify exactly which model to use in each phase, and stay up-to-date as new models release.

Superpowers skill pattern validates this workflow. Community tooling (e.g. superpowers skills for Claude Code) already documents "plan with Opus, execute with Sonnet/Haiku" as a best practice — there's clearly demand. Native support would eliminate the need for workarounds entirely.

Suggested minimal config:

{
  "planModel": "claude-opus-4-6",
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-6"
}

Where planModel is used during plan mode and model is the execution default. This is backward-compatible — if planModel is unset, behavior is unchanged.

Would love to see this land natively. Happy to test a beta if one becomes available.

[github-actions]

Closing for now — inactive for too long. Please open a new issue if this is still relevant.

[github-actions]

This issue has been automatically locked since it was closed and has not had any activity for 7 days. If you're experiencing a similar issue, please file a new issue and reference this one if it's relevant.