openclaw - 💡(How to fix) Fix [Bug]: Control UI model picker doesn't trigger sessions.patch [1 comments, 2 participants]

Bug type

Behavior bug (incorrect output/state without crash)

Beta release blocker

No

Summary

Control UI model picker appears to allow switching models but does not actually trigger sessions.patch; agent continues using the previous model.

Steps to reproduce

1. Open Control UI (openclaw dashboard)<br>2. Observe model picker showing "DeepSeek"<br>3. Click model picker and select "Kimi"<br>4. Send message to agent: "What model are you?"<br>5. Observe agent responds using DeepSeek V4 Pro, not Kimi

Expected behavior

Model picker should immediately patch the active session via sessions.patch when a different model is selected, as documented: "The chat header model and thinking pickers patch the active session immediately through sessions.patch".

Actual behavior

Model picker shows the new selection in the dropdown but does not send any sessions.patch RPC to the Gateway. Session remains on deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro. Gateway logs show zero sessions.patch calls during the model switch event.

OpenClaw version

2026.5.7 (eeef486)

Operating system

Windows 11 (26200)

Install method

npm global

Model

deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro (default); attempting to switch to kimi/kimi-k2.6

Provider / routing chain

openclaw -> deepseek (default), openclaw -> kimi

Additional provider/model setup details

Both providers configured in openclaw.json. agents.defaults.models lists deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro (alias "DeepSeek"), kimi/kimi-k2.6 (alias "Kimi"), and deepseek/deepseek-v4-flash. Both providers authenticated.

Logs, screenshots, and evidence

Session status confirms model unchanged after UI selection:
🧠 Model: deepseek/deepseek-v4-pro

Gateway logs (openclaw logs) show zero sessions.patch calls during model switch action. The UI selection event does not reach the Gateway at all.

/model kimi/kimi-k2.6 command works correctly as workaround.

Impact and severity

Affected: All Control UI users attempting to switch models via the chat header picker Severity: Medium (UI misleading — shows selection but it's a no-op) Frequency: 100% reproducible (4/4 attempts) Consequence: Users cannot switch models via the UI; creates false confidence in the picker; only workaround is /model slash command which is not discoverable for new users

Additional information

Workaround: /model kimi/kimi-k2.6 slash command works correctly as immediate session override. This confirms the sessions.patch mechanism itself is functional and the bug is isolated to the UI picker not emitting the RPC.