Remote Control: mobile new-session model chip (Fable 5) ignored — spawned session silently runs host default (Opus)

Summary

When spawning a new session on a Remote Control device from the Claude mobile app, the model chip in the composer showed Fable 5, but the session that actually spawned on the host Mac ran Opus (visible in the session's own model indicator, and confirmed by output quality). The chip's selection is silently ignored; the session uses the host's default model instead.

Environment

• Claude Code 2.1.224 on macOS 26.6.2 (host), claude rc in spawn mode (same-dir)
• Claude iOS app, new-session composer for the paired Mac device
• Host had no model key in ~/.claude/settings.json at the time (subscription auth, Max plan)

Steps to reproduce

1. On a Mac with no default model configured, run claude rc (spawn mode: same-dir).
2. In the iOS app, open the paired device and tap New session — the composer's model chip shows "Fable 5".
3. Send a prompt and check the spawned session's model indicator.

Expected

The spawned session runs the model shown in the composer chip (Fable 5), or the chip reflects what will actually run.

Actual

The session runs Opus (the host-side fallback). The chip continues to display Fable 5, so the mismatch is silent — the user only notices from the session UI or from output quality.

Workaround

Pinning "model": "claude-fable-5" in the host's ~/.claude/settings.json makes spawned sessions run Fable regardless of the chip.