[FEATURE] Expose all API-available models in Claude Code Desktop model picker

[rygereditsalt]

Preflight Checklist

• I have searched existing requests and this feature hasn't been requested yet
• This is a single feature request (not multiple features)

Problem Statement

The Claude Code Desktop app's model picker is server-controlled, meaning when Anthropic removes a model from the dropdown, users lose access entirely — even if that model is still available and functional via the CLI.

Currently, claude-opus-4-6 works perfectly when launched via the terminal with claude --model claude-opus-4-6, but there is no equivalent way to select it in the Desktop app. The model picker only shows what the server provides, and Opus 4.6 has been removed following the 4.7 release.

Also, in the future, it would be more convenient to have a wider selection of models in the Claude Code Desktop app

Workarounds I've already tried — none work for the Desktop app:

• Set ANTHROPIC_MODEL=claude-opus-4-6 as a permanent user-level environment variable on Windows → Desktop app ignores it, only works for terminal CLI
• Edited ~/.claude/settings.json with "model": "claude-opus-4-6" → only affects terminal CLI, Desktop app doesn't read it
• Checked claude_desktop_config.json in AppData/Roaming/Claude → no model override field exists
• Checked AppData/Roaming/Claude/claude-code/ directory → no settings.json present

All of these work for the terminal CLI, confirming claude-opus-4-6 is still fully functional on the API. The Desktop app simply doesn't expose it because its model picker is server-controlled and independent from the CLI's config system.

The Desktop app and the terminal CLI are essentially two separate products sharing the Claude Code engine, but the Desktop app overrides model selection through its own UI with no way to configure it locally.

Proposed Solution

Expose all API-available models in the Claude Code Desktop model picker — not just the latest version. Models like claude-opus-4-6, claude-opus-4-5-20251101, and claude-opus-4-20250514 still work via the CLI but are hidden in Desktop. A simple "Show all available models" toggle in settings would let users access the full list while keeping the default dropdown clean for everyone else.

Alternative Solutions

• Add a "model" field in claude_desktop_config.json that overrides the server-controlled picker, matching how ~/.claude/settings.json already works for the CLI
• Allow the /model command within Desktop sessions to accept full model strings like the CLI version.

Priority

Critical - Blocking my work

Feature Category

Configuration and settings

Use Case Example

No response

Additional Context

No response

[github-actions]

Found 3 possible duplicate issues:

1. Desktop app: expose Opus 4.6 [1m] with extended thinking, or honor settings.json model override #50254
2. [BUG] Opus 4.6 removed from Claude Desktop Code tab model picker after Opus 4.7 release #49689
3. [BUG] 1M context window removed from Desktop Code tab model picker after v1.1.7714 update on Max plan #36351

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[github-actions]

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

[AlterFalter]

For the people that miss available models, go to your user config file (not project).
In there you probably have defined which haiku/sonnet/opus model should be used. Remove these definitions and restart claude-code.
This gave people in my company the full list again.