Pattern: default models are shifting under users, and tools are adding switches to hold them still
GitHub (Cline, Claude Code, GitHub Changelog)·medium signal
Cline 4.1.21 refreshed its catalog to 6,386 models across 209 providers and changed the default for 19 providers that don't pin one, 11 of them to Claude Opus 5.5, GitHub Copilot and Vertex among them. A day later Claude Code 2.1.283 added exact-match availableModels so new releases stay blocked until listed. GitHub gave Copilot admins until October 22 to choose a default for future features. If you don't pin a model per provider, expect your cost per task to change without a config edit.