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Recca Tsai
Recca Tsai

Posted on • Originally published at recca0120.github.io

How to Add Old Models to Claude Code /model Picker: 3 Methods Tested

#claudecode #costoptimization

Originally published at recca0120.github.io

The day Opus 4.7 launched, Claude Code's opus alias silently pointed to the new version. No notification, no changelog reminder. Open the /model picker — Opus 4.6 was gone.

I'd previously written a }}">3-month billing analysis showing 4.7's quota burn is 2.4× that of 4.6. Switching back seemed obvious, but the picker had no option for it. I spent an afternoon testing every configuration method and combing through GitHub issues.

Three Configuration Mechanisms

Claude Code currently offers three ways to modify the /model picker.

1. availableModels: Replaces, Doesn't Extend

Add this to ~/.claude/settings.json:

{
  "availableModels": [
    "claude-opus-4-6",
    "claude-sonnet-4-6",
    "claude-haiku-4-5"
  ]
}
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The /model picker now shows only these three. The default opus / sonnet / haiku aliases all disappear, replaced entirely by your list.

This is the biggest gotcha: many people assume availableModels means "add these on top of the defaults." It doesn't — it's a complete replacement.

2. modelOverrides: For Bedrock / Vertex 

{
  "modelOverrides": {
    "claude-opus-4-7": "arn:aws:bedrock:us-east-1::foundation-model/anthropic.claude-opus-4-7-v1:0"
  }
}
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This maps model IDs to provider-specific endpoints. If you're using the Anthropic API directly, this setting does nothing for you.

3. ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION: One Extra, That's It

Supported since v2.1.78, this environment variable adds a single custom entry to the bottom of the /model picker:

export ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION="claude-opus-4-6[1m]"
export ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION_NAME="Opus 4.6 (1M)"
export ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION_DESCRIPTION="Opus 4.6 with 1M context window"
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It doesn't touch the default picker, but you can only add one. Want both Opus 4.6 and Sonnet 4.6 1M? No luck — there's no ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION_2.

Pitfalls

Aliases Don't Work in availableModels

You might try:

{
  "availableModels": ["opus", "sonnet", "haiku", "claude-opus-4-6[1m]"]
}
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The picker shows 4 items, but opus, sonnet, haiku behave inconsistently when mixed with full model IDs. Aliases aren't valid model IDs in this context — stick to full IDs.

Same-Family Deduplication

If you list both claude-opus-4-6 and claude-opus-4-7 in availableModels, same-family deduplication may collapse them into one entry. This behavior is undocumented.

Lock Version with model, Not availableModels

availableModels controls what's in the picker. The model field controls what's actually used at startup:

{
  "model": "claude-opus-4-6[1m]",
  "availableModels": ["claude-opus-4-6[1m]", "claude-sonnet-4-6", "claude-haiku-4-5"]
}
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Set both. If you only set availableModels without model, startup still uses whatever the default alias points to.

What the GitHub Community Says

This isn't a niche issue. There are plenty of related issues on GitHub:

#14443 — Request for Configurable Model Picker

User joerivwijn asked for the /model picker to be configurable via settings.json. Especially relevant for Bedrock users whose model IDs need us. prefixes and :0 suffixes that don't match the default picker.

Result: Marked as duplicate of #12969 by bot and auto-closed.

#12738 — Opus 4.5 Disappeared from Picker

User grigb reported Opus 4.5 missing from the CLI picker on the Max plan, despite being available in the web app. Multiple users confirmed:

  • cleanspin found /model opus pointed to Opus 4.1 instead of 4.5 — the alias mapping was stale. Workaround: use the full ID /model claude-opus-4-5-20251101
  • todddrinkwater reported the VS Code extension also affected
  • zerzerzerz and PavelProdan posted screenshots confirming "it was there yesterday, gone today"

This pattern repeats with every new model release: the alias points to the new version, the old version vanishes from the picker, no notice given.

Result: Auto-closed by stale bot.

#35630 — ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION Undocumented

User coygeek noticed v2.1.78's changelog mentioned this env var, but official docs had zero coverage.

Result: Fixed — both the env-vars and model-config doc pages now include full documentation.

Other Related Open Issues

Issue Problem
#52310 Bedrock ignores availableModels, shows only one model per family
#47164 Enterprise custom model IDs can't appear in interactive picker
#40501 Duplicate entries when settings.json model matches a built-in option
#49566 ANTHROPIC_DEFAULT_*_MODEL creates duplicate "Custom" entry on Bedrock
#53006 VS Code extension missing Sonnet 4.6
#38238 1M context model not available in picker on WSL2

The issues cluster around two themes: stale alias mappings and no mechanism to extend the default list.

Recommended Configuration

After testing everything, availableModels is unreliable due to same-family deduplication — list 4 models and you might only see 3. The most practical approach: don't touch availableModels, keep the default picker, lock your version with model, and add one extra option with ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION.

~/.claude/settings.json (global):

{
  "model": "claude-opus-4-6[1m]"
}
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One line. The default picker stays intact (opus / sonnet / haiku all present), but every session starts on Opus 4.6 1M. The opus alias in the picker points to the latest version (currently 4.7), so you can switch to it anytime.

~/.zshrc (add a 4th option via ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION):

export ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION="claude-sonnet-4-6[1m]"
export ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION_NAME="Sonnet 4.6 (1M)"
export ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION_DESCRIPTION="Sonnet 4.6 with 1M context window"
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This gives 4 options in /model: the default opus / sonnet / haiku, plus Sonnet 4.6 1M. Covers all daily scenarios:

  • Opus 4.6 1M: locked via model field, used on startup
  • Opus 4.7: the opus alias in the picker, switch when needed
  • Sonnet 4.6: the sonnet alias, for review / fix / test tasks
  • Sonnet 4.6 1M: the 4th option via env var, for large context scenarios

Why not use availableModels? It's a full replacement, and same-family dedup silently eats entries. Leaving it unset gives you the most stable default picker.

Conclusion

Claude Code's model picker assumes everyone wants the latest version. availableModels is a full replacement with dedup issues; ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION only supports one entry.

In practice, model + ANTHROPIC_CUSTOM_MODEL_OPTION covers most needs: lock your version with model, add one extra option via env var, and leave the default picker alone.

Plenty of GitHub issues have been filed, but most get marked duplicate or stale-closed. If you need more than one custom model in the picker, there's no official solution yet.

References

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