github / github/copilot-cli

Resuming a session has strange ux with regards to model and reasoning

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area:models area:sessions
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Description

### Describe the bug

If you have a session that's was done on `gpt-5.6-terra` with `medium`, and you `--resume` it, with either `--model=gpt-5.6-luna --reasoning-effort=xhigh` or `gpt-5.6-luna + xhigh` in your `~/.copilot/settings.json`, the `reasoningEffort` is honoured, but the model is not, and your resumed session will be on `gpt-5.6-terra xhigh`

Feels like this should be consistent? It should either:

- Explicitly honour the original session, keeping the settings the same
- Explicitly honour your copilot CLI args and/or settings.json

I would rather the latter personally, but raising this as a UX bug.

This also affects sessions resumed via copilot-sdk.

### Affected version

1.0.77

### Steps to reproduce the behavior

_No response_

### Expected behavior

_No response_

### Additional context

_No response_

Contributor guide

Open the contributing guide

Research direction

Start at the --resume flow and trace how --model, --reasoning-effort, and ~/.copilot/settings.json are applied when restoring a session. Check the corresponding copilot-sdk resume path as well. Done means the chosen precedence is consistent for both CLI and SDK sessions, with regression coverage for model and reasoning effort.

Written by the indexing model from the issue text.

Assessment

Tech stack
shell
Domain
ai, cli
Issue type
Bug
Difficulty
3/5
Estimated time
1-2 days
Activity status
Quiet
Clarity
Mostly clear
Newbie friendliness
52/100

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