Cursor subagent default model

Support Bug Reports
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1

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

Cursor subagent default composer. I have to start using ClaudeCode again.

Steps to Reproduce

subagent

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

supperpower with subagent driven

For AI issues: which model did you use?

sonnet 5

Does this stop you from using Cursor

Yes - Cursor is unusable

5

Hey, thanks for the report. This isn’t a bug, it’s the current behavior and it depends on your plan type.

On request-based or legacy pricing and on Free, the built-in subagents Explore, Bash, Browser always use Composer, and you can’t change the model. The only option is to enable Max Mode, then subagents inherit the parent agent’s model, but it costs more.

On token-based paid pricing, for custom subagents you can set the model directly in the .md file via the model field in the frontmatter, for example model: claude-4.5-sonnet or model: inherit to inherit from the parent. More details: Subagents | Cursor Docs

Similar thread with an answer from the team: Can we change the default model used by auto-spawned sub-agents?

More flexible model settings for subagents are on the radar, but I can’t share an ETA yet. Let me know if you have any questions.