Allow configuring different models for plan mode vs execution mode

Resolved 💬 4 comments Opened Mar 12, 2026 by nowtech Closed Apr 12, 2026

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.

---

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

View original on GitHub ↗

This issue has 4 comments on GitHub. Read the full discussion on GitHub ↗