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models.list API omits CLI's configured default model (e.g. claude-sonnet-4.6) #1608

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Description

@bsauvage1

Describe the bug

The models.list JSON-RPC method returns a catalog of selectable models, but it does not include the model currently configured as the CLI's default in ~/.copilot/config.json.

For example, after running /model in the CLI and selecting claude-sonnet-4.6, the config stores "model": "claude-sonnet-4.6". However models.list returns only up to claude-sonnet-4.5 — the configured default is absent from the list.

This means any tool built on top of the SDK (e.g. the github-copilot-sdk Python package) that populates a model picker from models.list will not show the user's actual current model.

Steps to reproduce

  1. Run /model in the CLI and select claude-sonnet-4.6
  2. Call models.list via the SDK: models = await client.list_models()
    print([m.id for m in models]) # claude-sonnet-4.6 is absent

Expected behavior

models.list should include every model the CLI can actually use — including the one it is currently configured to use as default.

Additional context

  • CLI version: 0.0.414
  • SDK version: github-copilot-sdk==0.1.23
  • The session.start event's selected_model field is also None when a session is created without explicitly specifying a model, so there is no API workaround to discover the default model.

Activity

  1. added
    area:modelsModel selection, availability, switching, rate limits, and model-specific behavior
    on Apr 6, 2026
  2. patniko commented on Oct 26, 2026

    @patniko
    Collaborator

    Thanks for the report. We've shipped fixes in this area since this was filed (most recently in Copilot CLI v1.0.60), and we believe this may now be resolved. Could you retest on the latest release (Copilot CLI v1.0.103) and let us know whether you still see it? If we don't hear back in a couple of weeks, we may close this issue — you can always reopen it.

    Triaged as part of a Copilot SDK backlog review, with help from GitHub Copilot.

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