[BUG] Opus 4.6 removed from Claude Desktop Code tab model picker after Opus 4.7 release

[TrudosKudos]

Preflight Checklist

• I have searched existing issues and this hasn't been reported yet
• This is a single bug report (please file separate reports for different bugs)
• I am using the latest version of Claude Code

What's Wrong?

After the Opus 4.7 release on April 16, 2026, Opus 4.6 is no longer available in the Code tab of the Claude Desktop app (macOS). The only Opus option now resolves to Opus 4.7. There is no way to select or pin Opus 4.6 from the Code tab UI.

This issue is specific to the Code tab. The Claude.ai chat interface and Claude Cowork both still expose multiple model options in their respective model dropdowns. Only the Code tab's model picker has had Opus 4.6 removed.

Additionally, the /model command (documented for Claude Code CLI) does not work in the desktop app's Code tab, so there is no fallback to manually specify claude-opus-4-6 within the desktop interface.

Impact

Opus 4.7 ships with a new tokenizer that can produce up to ~35% more tokens for the same input text. Without the option to fall back to Opus 4.6, usage is being burned significantly faster — particularly for users on plans with message or token quotas. Users should have the ability to choose 4.6 while evaluating the cost/performance tradeoff of the new tokenizer.

Expected Behavior

Opus 4.6 should remain selectable in the Code tab's model picker alongside Opus 4.7, or at minimum, users should have a documented path to pin a specific model version from the desktop app UI — consistent with the CLI's /model claude-opus-4-6 and environment variable options.

Environment

• Claude Desktop version: 1.3109.0
• Platform: macOS
• Affected surface: Code tab only (Claude.ai chat and Cowork are unaffected)

Additional Context

• The Claude Code docs confirm /model and ANTHROPIC_MODEL env var as model pinning options, but these only apply to the CLI, not the desktop app's Code tab.
• GitHub Changelog confirms Opus 4.7 is replacing 4.5 and 4.6 in model pickers, but no deprecation notice was shown in the desktop app UI before removal.
• Related older issues: [FEATURE] Restore Opus 4.6 (200k) as a model picker option alongside Opus 4.6 (1M) #34279, [BUG] 1M context window removed from Desktop Code tab model picker after v1.1.7714 update on Max plan #36351, [BUG] Desktop app automatically switches model from Opus to Sonnet via /model command (Max subscription) #40095

[github-actions]

Found 2 possible duplicate issues:

1. [BUG] 1M context window removed from Desktop Code tab model picker after v1.1.7714 update on Max plan #36351
2. Opus 4.6 (1M context) disappeared from Desktop app model dropdown — Max plan regression #36603

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

• If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
• To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

[TrudosKudos]

Found 2 possible duplicate issues:

1. [BUG] 1M context window removed from Desktop Code tab model picker after v1.1.7714 update on Max plan #36351
2. Opus 4.6 (1M context) disappeared from Desktop app model dropdown — Max plan regression #36603

This issue will be automatically closed as a duplicate in 3 days.

• If your issue is a duplicate, please close it and 👍 the existing issue instead
• To prevent auto-closure, add a comment or 👎 this comment

🤖 Generated with Claude Code

This is not a duplicate and was incorrectly labeled as such.

[ghostoid]

Same issue. Tried this in settings.json:

  "env": {
	"ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_OPUS_MODEL": "claude-opus-4-6[1m]"
  },
  "model": "claude-opus-4-6[1m]",

Also forced to set env vars. It helps for Claude Code CLI, but not for Claude Desktop Code. There is no /model command in CDC.

[DC-today]

Removed on Windows 11 Desktop and when using Web Code also now.

As someone else said before "This is a legitimate complaint. Silent model swaps that affect token consumption on capped plans without any in app notice is just bad product behavior."

I agree with them, having just upgraded to Max 2 days ago myself to use Opus 4.6 and have this occur is bitter.

[yurukusa]

While the picker doesn't show 4.6 anymore, you can still pin the model via CLI or settings:

claude --model claude-opus-4-6
{
  "model": "claude-opus-4-6"
}

Project-level pinning also works: create .claude/settings.json in your project root with the same content.
Note: even after pinning, Claude Code can sometimes switch models mid-session silently. The model-version-alert hook from cc-safe-setup checks periodically and warns if the model changed.

[dragonfax]

People keep posting comments about the CLI I wish they would read even just the title of this issue. This is clearly about Claude Desktop app, not the claude command. The specific the version of Claude Code that runs within the desktop app.