Agents: fix subagent model precedence

src/agents/model-selection.test.ts

@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import {
   modelKey,
   resolveAllowedModelRef,
   resolveConfiguredModelRef,
+  resolveSubagentConfiguredModelSelection,
   resolveThinkingDefault,
   resolveModelRefFromString,
 } from "./model-selection.js";
@@ -857,3 +858,48 @@ describe("normalizeModelSelection", () => {
     expect(normalizeModelSelection(42)).toBeUndefined();
   });
 });
+
+describe("resolveSubagentConfiguredModelSelection", () => {
+  it("prefers the agent primary model over agents.defaults.subagents.model", () => {
+    const cfg = {
+      agents: {
+        defaults: {
+          model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6" },
+          subagents: { model: "openai/gpt-5.4" },
+        },
+        list: [
+          {
+            id: "research",
+            model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6" },
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+    } as OpenClawConfig;
+
+    expect(resolveSubagentConfiguredModelSelection({ cfg, agentId: "research" })).toBe(
+      "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6",
+    );
+  });
+
+  it("still prefers agent subagents.model over the agent primary model", () => {
+    const cfg = {
+      agents: {
+        defaults: {
+          model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6" },
+          subagents: { model: "openai/gpt-5.4" },
+        },
+        list: [
+          {
+            id: "research",
+            model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6" },
+            subagents: { model: "google/gemini-2.5-pro" },
+          },
+        ],
+      },
+    } as OpenClawConfig;
+
+    expect(resolveSubagentConfiguredModelSelection({ cfg, agentId: "research" })).toBe(
+      "google/gemini-2.5-pro",
+    );
+  });
+});

src/agents/model-selection.ts

@@ -440,8 +440,8 @@ export function resolveSubagentConfiguredModelSelection(params: {
   const agentConfig = resolveAgentConfig(params.cfg, params.agentId);
   return (
     normalizeModelSelection(agentConfig?.subagents?.model) ??
-    normalizeModelSelection(params.cfg.agents?.defaults?.subagents?.model) ??
-    normalizeModelSelection(agentConfig?.model)
+    normalizeModelSelection(agentConfig?.model) ??
+    normalizeModelSelection(params.cfg.agents?.defaults?.subagents?.model)
   );
 }
 

src/cron/isolated-agent.subagent-model.test.ts

@@ -95,6 +95,7 @@ async function runSubagentModelCase(params: {
   home: string;
   cfgOverrides?: Partial<OpenClawConfig>;
   jobModelOverride?: string;
+  agentId?: string;
 }) {
   const storePath = await writeSessionStore(params.home);
   mockEmbeddedAgent();
@@ -102,6 +103,9 @@ async function runSubagentModelCase(params: {
   if (params.jobModelOverride) {
     job.payload = { kind: "agentTurn", message: "do work", model: params.jobModelOverride };
   }
+  if (params.agentId) {
+    job.agentId = params.agentId;
+  }
 
   await runCronIsolatedAgentTurn({
     cfg: makeCfg(params.home, storePath, params.cfgOverrides),
@@ -192,4 +196,25 @@ describe("runCronIsolatedAgentTurn: subagent model resolution (#11461)", () => {
       expect(call?.model).toBe("gpt-4o");
     });
   });
+
+  it("prefers the agent model over agents.defaults.subagents.model", async () => {
+    await withTempHome(async (home) => {
+      const call = await runSubagentModelCase({
+        home,
+        agentId: "research",
+        cfgOverrides: {
+          agents: {
+            defaults: {
+              model: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5",
+              workspace: path.join(home, "openclaw"),
+              subagents: { model: "ollama/llama3.2:3b" },
+            },
+            list: [{ id: "research", model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6" } }],
+          },
+        },
+      });
+      expect(call?.provider).toBe("anthropic");
+      expect(call?.model).toBe("claude-opus-4-6");
+    });
+  });
 });

src/cron/isolated-agent/model-selection.ts

@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ export type ResolveCronModelSelectionParams = {
   cfg: OpenClawConfig;
   cfgWithAgentDefaults: OpenClawConfig;
   agentConfigOverride?: {
+    model?: unknown;
     subagents?: {
       model?: unknown;
     };
@@ -61,6 +62,7 @@ export async function resolveCronModelSelection(
 
   const subagentModelRaw =
     normalizeModelSelection(params.agentConfigOverride?.subagents?.model) ??
+    normalizeModelSelection(params.agentConfigOverride?.model) ??
     normalizeModelSelection(params.cfg.agents?.defaults?.subagents?.model);
   if (subagentModelRaw) {
     const resolvedSubagent = resolveAllowedModelRef({

src/gateway/sessions-patch.test.ts

@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@ async function applySubagentModelPatch(cfg: OpenClawConfig) {
 }
 
 function makeKimiSubagentCfg(params: {
-  agentPrimaryModel: string;
+  agentPrimaryModel?: string;
   agentSubagentModel?: string;
   defaultsSubagentModel?: string;
 }): OpenClawConfig {
@@ -83,7 +83,7 @@ function makeKimiSubagentCfg(params: {
       list: [
         {
           id: "kimi",
-          model: { primary: params.agentPrimaryModel },
+          model: params.agentPrimaryModel ? { primary: params.agentPrimaryModel } : undefined,
           subagents: params.agentSubagentModel ? { model: params.agentSubagentModel } : undefined,
         },
       ],
@@ -400,7 +400,6 @@ describe("gateway sessions patch", () => {
 
   test("allows global defaults.subagents.model for subagent session even when missing from global allowlist", async () => {
     const cfg = makeKimiSubagentCfg({
-      agentPrimaryModel: "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-6",
       defaultsSubagentModel: SUBAGENT_MODEL,
     });