Why can't I change the model in Claude to default to opus 4.6? I'm paying for it!

Preflight Checklist

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

Problem Statement

Claude Pro subscribers pay for Opus access but every new conversation defaults to Sonnet 4.6 with no way to change it. There is no persistent model preference anywhere in the claude.ai interface — not in settings, not at the project level, not in the desktop app. Every session requires a manual model switch before work begins. This is a hidden tax on every paying user, every single day.

Proposed Solution

Add a "Default Model" preference in Account Settings that persists across all new conversations. Optionally, allow project-level overrides so users can set Sonnet for light work and Opus for specific projects where it matters. One setting. Saves the problem entirely.

Alternative Solutions

Putting a sticky not on my monitor lol

Priority

Critical - Blocking my work

Feature Category

Configuration and settings

Use Case Example

Project — competitive analysis, SEO roadmap, demographic research. Complex, high-stakes work that I specifically pay for Opus to handle. Halfway through, something felt off. The reasoning was shallower than I expected. I checked the model selector. Sonnet. I had opened the Project that morning, started typing, and never noticed the reset. Everything I'd built in that session was generated by the wrong model. I had no way of knowing without manually checking — there's no persistent indicator, no warning, no reminder. I had to evaluate every output and decide what to trust and what to redo. That cost me hours. Not because Claude failed — because the interface silently chose a different model than the one I paid to use.

Additional Context

_No response_