Subagent with `model: inherit` doesn't actually inherit parent model (uses composer-1 instead)

[Kazopl (Catalin)]

Where does the bug appear (feature/product)?

Cursor IDE

Describe the Bug

When I create a custom subagent with model: inherit in the config and my parent agent is using Opus 4.5 thinking, the subagent doesn’t inherit the model. It runs on composer-1 instead.

My subagent config looks like this:

---
name: test-agent
model: inherit
description: Simple test agent for debugging subagent functionality
---

When I invoke it from the parent agent the subagent runs but uses composer-1 rather than inheriting Opus 4.5 thinking from the parent.

Steps to Reproduce

1. Set your main agent model to Opus 4.5 thinking
2. Create a custom subagent in .cursor/agents/ with model: inherit
3. Invoke the subagent using the Task tool or slash command
4. Check what model the subagent actually uses - it shows composer-1

Expected Behavior

The subagent should use the same model as the parent agent (Opus 4.5 thinking) when model: inherit is specified.

Operating System

MacOS

Version Information

Version: 2.4.25
VSCode Version: 1.105.1
Commit: d09ff0330132664471f9c70f7aa51ebc8945a800
Date: 2026-01-31T03:06:13.311Z
Build Type: Stable
Release Track: Early Access
Electron: 39.2.7
Chromium: 142.0.7444.235
Node.js: 22.21.1
V8: 14.2.231.21-electron.0
OS: Darwin arm64 25.2.0

For AI issues: which model did you use?

Opus 4.5 thinking (parent) but subagent defaults to composer-1

For AI issues: add Request ID with privacy disabled

d79c1d89-09df-4e13-96e1-b24368b5866f

Additional Information

---

Test result:
When asked to identify its model the subagent responded: “I’m Composer, a language model trained by Cursor. I’m not GPT-4/5, Grok, Gemini, Claude Sonnet/Opus, or any other publicly known model.”

This confirms the model: inherit config is ignored and the subagent defaults to Cursor’s internal Composer model instead of inheriting Opus 4.5 thinking from the parent.

---

Does this stop you from using Cursor

No - Cursor works, but with this issue

[Colin]

Hey @Kazopl!

Are you on a legacy (request-based) plan? If so, you’ll need to turn on Max Mode to use subagent models other than Composer 1.

[Kazopl (Catalin)]

Hey @Colin , I’m not on a legacy plan. I have On-Demand Usage enabled. Still getting Composer 1 for subagents instead of the model inherit working properly.

[Colin]

Hey @Kazopl

I have access to the backend – and I can tell that you are on a request-based plan! You’ll find under https://cursor.com/dashboard?tab=usage that your conversations are tracked by a number of requests.

Once you dip into on-demand usage, or turn on Max Mode, you should see other models get used for subagents.

[Kazopl (Catalin)]

Thanks for checking. Here’s my On-Demand settings! I do have it enabled. Does this mean I need to actually exceed my included requests before subagents will use the selected model? Or does Max Mode need to be explicitly turned on regardless?

[Colin]

@Kazopl

Does this mean I need to actually exceed my included requests before subagents will use the selected model?

Or turn on Max Mode! But once you’re using on-demand usage, Max Mode isn’t a requirement.

FYI, there’s also a display issue occasionally when first using a subagent after changing the model.

Is there a way to explicitly specify the sub-agent model?

Is there a way to explicitly specify the sub-agent model? Sometimes when I set the agent type in the main conversation, the sub-agent actually follows it, but in many cases it ignores this and always falls back to the Composer1 model. What is the recommended solution or best practice for this?

This is unrelated to the core issue here, but you might run into it if you turn on Max Mode (or dip into on-demand usage)

[Kazopl (Catalin)]

Also as feedback, if a user selects a premium model like Opus 4.5 thinking it should probably auto switch to on-demand usage for subagents. Having to wait until request-based limits run out doesn’t make sense when you’re already choosing to use a more expensive model.

[Kazopl (Catalin)]

Hey @Colin, I’m on the On-Demand Usage plan (not legacy). I’ve tested this extensively:

1. model: inherit - defaults to Composer-1, doesn’t inherit the parent model
2. model: claude-4.6-opus-high-thinking (explicit) - also defaults to Composer-1, the field is completely ignored

I verified by asking the subagent to identify itself. Response:
“I’m Composer, a language model trained by Cursor.”

This happens with all 6 of my custom subagents in ~/.cursor/agents/. The model field in YAML frontmatter appears to have no effect as both inherit and explicit model names are ignored, and subagents always run on Composer-1.

Tested on:

• Plan: On-Demand Usage
• Parent model: Opus 4.6
• Cursor version: latest stable

This seems to affect multiple users based on the related threads (all reporting the same Composer-1 default). Is there a timeline for a fix?

[Colin]

There’s a fix coming in 2.5, which is right around the corner!