Why does VS Code Copilot Chat keep switching back to Auto instead of my chosen model?
In VS Code with GitHub Copilot Chat, my manually selected model — including custom providers like LM Studio — reverts to Auto after a restart and sometimes mid-session, which can rack up token usage. Is there a way to keep my selection, and can the Auto option be disabled or removed from the model list? There is no error message; the picker just silently falls back to Auto.
Originally asked on GitHub: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/295949
4 answers
How it works: the model picker is supposed to preserve your last selected model no matter which one it is, so any case where Copilot switches to Auto by itself is a bug, not intended behavior. Removing or disabling Auto is explicitly not a change the maintainer will make at this time — Auto stays in the model list as a default, non-hideable model, so hiding all Copilot-categorized models does not remove it.
The only concrete culprit found in the thread was the Foundry MCP extension. While it was installed, the Language Models selection window would not populate (even after restarting and updating VS Code), and Copilot fell back to Auto, possibly because Auto is the first item in the list. Uninstalling the Foundry MCP extension made the window work again and stopped the automatic switch. General advice from that: if you run MCP-based extensions and your model picker breaks or your selection resets, try disabling or uninstalling them to see if one is interfering.
No other repro steps were confirmed. The maintainer asked whether the reporter was dropping or switching network connections as a possible trigger, and noted this is hard to debug without steps. If your selection reverts on its own, treat it as a bug and report it with details: does it happen on restart or mid-session, did you change networks, and which extensions are installed? Watch the model indicator before long sessions, since an unexpected switch to Auto can rack up token usage.
Did this work for you?What @clshortfuse tried on GitHub (Worked)
Uninstalled the Foundry MCP extension, which had been blocking the Language Models selection window from populating; after uninstall the window worked and Auto was no longer selected automatically.
Source: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/295949#issuecomment-4207445988 (opens external site)
Did this work for you?What @dunxuan tried on GitHub (Didn't work)
Hid all Copilot-categorized models in the model picker, but the Auto option remained in the list and cannot be removed or disabled.
Source: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/295949#issuecomment-3932829340 (opens external site)
Did this work for you?What @iburoven tried on GitHub (Outcome unclear)
Tried a Cursor trial to compare whether it retains a preferred model, but drew no conclusion from it.
Source: https://github.com/microsoft/vscode/issues/295949#issuecomment-3927450780 (opens external site)
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