[Bug] Sonnet 4.6 sessions: auto mode not available via any entry path (UI, flag, settings), while Opus 4.7 in same install works

Status Open

Reported on v2.1.117

Maintainer reply None cached

Activity 12 comments · opened Apr 22, 2026

Bug Description

In the same Claude Code install, auto mode is available on Opus 4.7 sessions but completely unreachable on Sonnet 4.6 sessions — not just missing from the Shift+Tab cycle, but also ignored when passed via --permission-mode auto or set via permissions.defaultMode: "auto" in settings.json.

Per docs (https://code.claude.com/docs/en/permission-modes) auto mode isn't formally supported on Pro/Max. However issue #49653 confirms Max accounts do receive auto mode through the startup path on Opus. This report is about the model-specific gap: the same Max path that works on Opus does not work on Sonnet.

Environment

Claude Code: 2.1.117
OS: macOS 26.1 (Darwin 25.1.0)
Shell: zsh
Plan: Max (auto mode working on Opus 4.7 sessions in this install)
Relevant settings:

``json { "permissions": { "defaultMode": "auto" }, "skipAutoPermissionPrompt": true, "effortLevel": "xhigh" }``

Steps to Reproduce

A. Model switch mid-session (Opus → Sonnet)

Start session: claude (Opus 4.7, auto mode active ✅)
/model sonnet → system emits ## Exited Auto Mode
Shift+Tab cycle: auto option is gone

B. Fresh Sonnet session via CLI flag

claude --model sonnet --permission-mode auto
Auto mode is not in Shift+Tab cycle and indicator does not show "auto mode on" (silently downgrades, same symptom as #42648's Haiku case)

C. Fresh Sonnet session via settings

With permissions.defaultMode: "auto" in ~/.claude/settings.json
claude --model sonnet
Auto mode does not activate on startup (whereas identical config activates it on Opus)

All three paths fail. Restart back to Opus → auto mode returns.

Expected

Either:

A: Auto mode should work on Sonnet 4.6 in the same paths that succeed on Opus 4.7 (symmetry across supported models per #42648 which states "Sonnet 4.6, Opus 4.6+" as supported).
B: If Sonnet is intentionally excluded on Max, surface a clear message at startup ("auto mode requires Opus on Max plan" or similar) — current silent downgrade is identical to the UX issue filed in #42648.

Actual

Silent downgrade with no indication of why. User-facing signal is only "auto is missing from Shift+Tab cycle" + one-shot ## Exited Auto Mode message on model switch.

#49653 — Shift+Tab auto disappears after plan-approval on Opus (similar end-state, different trigger)
#42648 / #43235 — Auto mode silently unavailable on Haiku (claims Sonnet 4.6 is supported, contradicting this report)
#46616 — Max plan auto mode gating inconsistency
#49273 — defaultMode:"auto" not activating at session start (Max + Opus 4.7)

Additional Context

The contradiction with #42648 (which states Sonnet 4.6 is a supported model for auto mode) suggests either (a) a regression on Sonnet 4.6 in recent versions, or (b) Max-plan-specific model gating that's not documented.

View original on GitHub ↗

12 Comments

github-actions[bot] · 4 months ago

Found 2 possible duplicate issues:

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ohamma8253 · 4 months ago

Not a duplicate of either suggested issue — distinct symptom and cause.

vs #49273 (Max + Opus 4.7, defaultMode not activating at startup): different model and different symptom. This report is specifically about Sonnet 4.6 being absent from Shift+Tab cycling entirely, while Opus 4.7 in the same install works correctly. It's a model-specific gap, not a startup config issue.

vs #44101 (Team + Sonnet 4.6, UI modal revert): different plan, different symptom (modal click revert vs Shift+Tab missing). However #44101 contains a highly relevant finding that may explain this report:

"ccr_auto_permission_mode": false,
"tengu_auto_mode_config": {
  "model": "claude-sonnet-4-6[1m]"
}

The tengu_auto_mode_config.model value points to claude-sonnet-4-6[1m] (1M context variant), while standard Sonnet 4.6 is the default session model. This suggests auto mode for Sonnet may require the 1M context variant specifically — which would explain the asymmetry: Opus 4.7 (1M, used on Max) gets auto mode, standard Sonnet 4.6 does not.

If the GrowthBook flag ccr_auto_permission_mode is the gate, and tengu_auto_mode_config.model defines which model variant is required, this issue and #44101 share a root cause but differ in surface behavior and plan tier. A fix that addresses the model-variant gating would cover both.

AnhQuanTrl · 4 months ago

From the doc of auto mode https://code.claude.com/docs/en/permission-modes#eliminate-prompts-with-auto-mode it says sonnet 4.6 is available but then in the CLI it is not. I think this is a bug

caleb-terry · 4 months ago

According to documentation:
Claude Sonnet 4.6, Opus 4.6, or Opus 4.7 on Team, Enterprise, and API plans; Claude Opus 4.7 only on Max plans. Other models, including Haiku and claude-3 models, are not supported.

Not a bug. They intentionally exclude Sonnet 4.6 from auto mode on Max plans because they know it's a cheaper model, and they want you to burn through Max limits faster to buy those sweet API credits. I'm also on a team plan through work and auto mode works fine for sonnet4.6. Anthropic just doesn't want the consumer having this option.

drihlahn · 4 months ago

+1; this is indeed so annoying

kosi2024v · 3 months ago

As per documentation from 6.may2026 (link)

lone17 · 3 months ago

+1 related bug

I have Max plan, 2 machines, opus 4.6. On 1 machine it works fine but on the other it says auto mode is not available for this model.

cajoy · 3 months ago

dhawal1248 · 3 months ago

josh000111 · 3 months ago

"They intentionally exclude Sonnet 4.6 from auto mode on Max plans because they know it's a cheaper model, and they want you to burn through Max limits faster to buy those sweet API credits. I'm also on a team plan through work and auto mode works fine for sonnet4.6. Anthropic just doesn't want the consumer having this option."

Anothrpic, this is schemy. Auto Mode should be available for all models on all plans.

oscaryu42-ship-it · 3 months ago

+1.....bring it back...

nitinja · 2 months ago

For me, I enabled auto mode in command line mode inside VS code terminal - then Auto mode showed up in extension dropdown.