Free after Pro: model picker locked to Grok 4.6 Medium, cannot select Auto

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

On Free, Auto is the only model that should be available. A picker locked to Cursor Grok 4.6 Medium with no way to switch to Auto is not the intended Free setup. Cannot unlock Auto remotely.
Agent picker stays on Cursor Grok 4.6 Medium with “Upgrade to unlock premium models.” Auto cannot be selected.

Steps to Reproduce

Agent picker stays on Cursor Grok 4.6 Medium with “Upgrade to unlock premium models.” Auto cannot be selected.

Screenshots / Screen Recordings

Operating System

Windows 10/11

Version Information

Version: 3.20.21 (user setup)
VS Code Extension API: 1.128.0
Commit: f09fca384ceca23f7bf21f9c23655b162641d740
Date: 2026-09-13T19:02:51.781Z
Layout: IDE
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Default
Electron: 42.10.0
Chromium: 148.0.7778.280
Node.js: 24.18.1
V8: 14.8.178.38-electron.0
xterm.js: 6.1.0-beta.291
OS: Windows_NT x64 10.0.22631

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

Hey, thanks for the report. Your account is fine. This is how the Free plan works right now, it’s not something broken in your setup.

On Free without your own API key, the model picker is locked to one model. Right now that’s Cursor Grok 4.6 Medium with a lock icon. Auto and other models are available on paid plans, that’s what the Upgrade to unlock premium models window is about. Free used to have only Auto, but that changed, so what you’re seeing after switching from Pro is the current intended Free experience.

The lock doesn’t stop you from using Cursor. Cursor Grok 4.6 Medium runs on Free, and I can see your requests are going through fine.

If you want to pick Auto or other models yourself, you’ll need a paid plan like Pro. The picker unlocks right after you upgrade, no restart needed.

If you ever see a real error when sending a message, send a screenshot with the exact text and the Request ID (top-right corner of the chat > Copy Request ID) and we’ll take a look.

Similar thread with the same question: Can't switch to Auto in Free plan