@@ -176,6 +176,7 @@ if (process.env.FREEBUFF_CHAT_CONTROLS_TEST !== '1') {
     useFreebuffChatStore.setState({
       admission: { phase: 'requested', model: luna, metadataChecked: true },
     })
+    useFreebuffModelStore.setState({ hasExplicitPick: true }) // Luna was picked
     const setup = await mount()
     expect(useFreebuffChatStore.getState().admission?.phase).toBe('confirm')
     expect(setup.captureCharFrame()).toContain('20')
 
@@ -153,12 +153,14 @@ describe('freebuff rows the CLI offers', () => {
       resolveFreebuffModelSelectionForSession(
         FREEBUFF_GPT_6_LUNA_MODEL_ID,
         paidSession,
+        true,
       ),
     ).toBe(FREEBUFF_GPT_6_LUNA_MODEL_ID)
     expect(
       resolveFreebuffModelSelectionForSession(
         FREEBUFF_GPT_6_LUNA_MODEL_ID,
         unpaidSession,
+        true,
       ),
     ).toBe(LIMITED_FREEBUFF_MODEL_ID)
   })
 
@@ -1,6 +1,19 @@
+import {
+  FREEBUFF_DEEPSEEK_V4_FLASH_MODEL_ID,
+  FREEBUFF_MIMO_V25_MODEL_ID,
+} from '@codebuff/common/constants/freebuff-models'
+import { createTestRenderer } from '@opentui/core/testing'
+import { createRoot, flushSync } from '@opentui/react'
 import { describe, expect, test } from 'bun:test'
+import React from 'react'
 
-import { freebuffChatAdmissionMayStart } from '../use-freebuff-chat-admission'
+import { useFreebuffChatStore } from '../../state/freebuff-chat-store'
+import { useFreebuffModelStore } from '../../state/freebuff-model-store'
+import { useFreebuffSessionStore } from '../../state/freebuff-session-store'
+import {
+  freebuffChatAdmissionMayStart,
+  useFreebuffChatAdmission,
+} from '../use-freebuff-chat-admission'
 
 describe('freebuffChatAdmissionMayStart', () => {
   const ready = {
@@ -34,3 +47,38 @@ describe('freebuffChatAdmissionMayStart', () => {
     ).toBe(false)
   })
 })
+
+test('a send before the first session response runs the default it resolved', async () => {
+  // The send captured the launch seed (MiMo); the response moved the selection
+  // to Flash. `freebucks: null` stops admission at confirm, before the network.
+  useFreebuffModelStore.setState({
+    hasExplicitPick: false,
+    selectedModel: FREEBUFF_DEEPSEEK_V4_FLASH_MODEL_ID,
+  })
+  useFreebuffSessionStore.getState().setSession({
+    status: 'none',
+    accessTier: 'full',
+    freebucks: null,
+  } as never)
+  useFreebuffChatStore.setState({
+    admission: {
+      phase: 'requested',
+      model: FREEBUFF_MIMO_V25_MODEL_ID,
+      metadataChecked: true,
+    },
+  })
+  const setup = await createTestRenderer({ width: 20, height: 2 })
+  const root = createRoot(setup.renderer)
+  const Harness = () => {
+    useFreebuffChatAdmission(true)
+    return React.createElement('text', null, 'x')
+  }
+  flushSync(() => root.render(React.createElement(Harness)))
+  await setup.renderOnce()
+  expect(useFreebuffChatStore.getState().admission).toMatchObject({
+    phase: 'confirm',
+    model: FREEBUFF_DEEPSEEK_V4_FLASH_MODEL_ID,
+  })
+  flushSync(() => root.unmount())
+  setup.renderer.destroy()
+})
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ import {
   type ChatAdmission,
 } from '../state/freebuff-chat-store'
 import { getFreebuffModelDirectory } from '../state/freebuff-catalog-store'
+import { useFreebuffModelStore } from '../state/freebuff-model-store'
 import { useFreebuffSessionStore } from '../state/freebuff-session-store'
 import {
   freebucksOf,
@@ -195,7 +196,12 @@ export function useFreebuffChatAdmission(enabled: boolean) {
       })
       return
     }
-    const model = resolveFreebuffModelPickForSession(admission.model, session)
+    // A send before the first session response captured the launch seed.
+    const { hasExplicitPick, selectedModel } = useFreebuffModelStore.getState()
+    const model = resolveFreebuffModelPickForSession(
+      hasExplicitPick ? admission.model : selectedModel,
+      session,
+    )
     const intent = freebucksRowIntent(
       freebucksOf(session),
       model,
 
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ import {
   useFreebuffCatalogStore,
 } from '../state/freebuff-catalog-store'
 import {
+  freebuffDefaultModelForSession,
   getSelectedFreebuffModel,
   persistFreebuffModelPick,
   useFreebuffModelStore,
@@ -345,8 +346,12 @@ export function resolveFreebuffModelPickForSession(
 export function resolveFreebuffModelSelectionForSession(
   selectedModel: string,
   session: FreebuffSessionResponse,
+  hasExplicitPick: boolean,
 ) {
   if (session.status === 'active') return session.model
+  if (session.status === 'none' && !hasExplicitPick) {
+    return freebuffDefaultModelForSession(session)
+  }
   if (session.status === 'none' && session.accessTier === 'limited') {
     return resolveFreebuffModelPickForSession(selectedModel, session)
   }
@@ -587,6 +592,7 @@ export function useFreebuffSession({
       const resolvedModel = resolveFreebuffModelSelectionForSession(
         selectedModel,
         next,
+        useFreebuffModelStore.getState().hasExplicitPick,
       )
       if (resolvedModel !== selectedModel) {
         useFreebuffModelStore.getState().setSelectedModel(resolvedModel)
 
@@ -2,11 +2,19 @@ import {
   DEFAULT_FREEBUFF_MODEL_ID,
   resolveAvailableFreebuffModel,
 } from '@codebuff/common/constants/freebuff-models'
+import {
+  getFreebucksInfo,
+  getFreebuffServerAccessTier,
+  getSubscriptionInfo,
+} from '@codebuff/common/types/freebuff-session'
+import { getFreebuffModelPresets } from '@codebuff/common/util/freebuff-model-presets'
+import { getFreebuffModelMeter } from '@codebuff/common/util/freebuff-session-pools'
 import { create } from 'zustand'
 
 import { getFreebuffModelDirectory } from './freebuff-catalog-store'
 import {
   loadFreebuffCatalogReasoningEfforts,
+  loadFreebuffModelKeyPreference,
   loadFreebuffModelPreference,
   loadFreebuffReasoningEfforts,
   saveFreebuffCatalogReasoningEffort,
@@ -15,6 +23,7 @@ import {
   saveFreebuffReasoningEffort,
 } from '../utils/settings'
 
+import type { FreebuffSessionResponse } from '../types/freebuff-session'
 import type { ReasoningEffort } from '@codebuff/common/constants/reasoning-effort'
 
 /**
@@ -46,6 +55,8 @@ import type { ReasoningEffort } from '@codebuff/common/constants/reasoning-effor
 interface FreebuffModelStore {
   selectedModel: string
   setSelectedModel: (model: string) => void
+  /** Until the user picks, the selection follows freebuffDefaultModelForSession. */
+  hasExplicitPick: boolean
   /** Per-model effort overrides. A model absent from this map runs its catalog
    *  default; see saveFreebuffReasoningEffort for why absence is the "default"
    *  state rather than a stored null. */
@@ -56,12 +67,17 @@ interface FreebuffModelStore {
   ) => void
 }
 
+const savedFreebuffModelPick = loadFreebuffModelPreference()
+
 export const useFreebuffModelStore = create<FreebuffModelStore>((set) => ({
   selectedModel: resolveAvailableFreebuffModel(
-    loadFreebuffModelPreference() ?? DEFAULT_FREEBUFF_MODEL_ID,
+    savedFreebuffModelPick ?? DEFAULT_FREEBUFF_MODEL_ID,
   ),
   setSelectedModel: (model) =>
     set({ selectedModel: getFreebuffModelDirectory().resolveSelection(model) }),
+  hasExplicitPick:
+    savedFreebuffModelPick !== undefined ||
+    loadFreebuffModelKeyPreference() !== undefined,
   reasoningEffortByModel: {
     ...loadFreebuffReasoningEfforts(),
     ...loadFreebuffCatalogReasoningEfforts(),
@@ -90,6 +106,27 @@ export function getSelectedFreebuffModel(): string {
   return useFreebuffModelStore.getState().selectedModel
 }
 
+/** The Desktop and Web slider's Balanced stop, or the catalog's
+ *  recommendation when the meter cannot start it, as on Desktop and Web. */
+export function freebuffDefaultModelForSession(
+  session: FreebuffSessionResponse,
+): string {
+  const directory = getFreebuffModelDirectory()
+  const accessTier = getFreebuffServerAccessTier(session)
+  const freebucks = getFreebucksInfo(session)
+  const balanced = getFreebuffModelPresets({
+    accessTier,
+    isSubscriber: Boolean(
+      getSubscriptionInfo(session)?.tierId ?? freebucks?.planId,
+    ),
+    balance: freebucks?.balance,
+  }).find((preset) => preset.id === 'balanced')!
+  const model = directory.resolveSelection(balanced.modelId)
+  return getFreebuffModelMeter({ model, freebucks }).canStart
+    ? model
+    : directory.recommendedModelId(accessTier)
+}
+
 /**
  * The user's effort override for a model, or null when they have none.
  *
@@ -133,6 +170,7 @@ function legacyEffortForCatalogKey(
  * key; see `saveFreebuffModelPreference`).
  */
 export function persistFreebuffModelPick(model: string): void {
+  useFreebuffModelStore.setState({ hasExplicitPick: true })
   if (getFreebuffModelDirectory().row(model)?.key === model) {
     saveFreebuffModelKeyPreference(model)
   } else {
 
@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ import {
 } from '../../state/freebuff-catalog-store'
 import { useFreebuffChatStore } from '../../state/freebuff-chat-store'
 import {
+  freebuffDefaultModelForSession,
   getEffectiveFreebuffReasoningEffort,
   getSelectedFreebuffModel,
   persistFreebuffModelPick,
@@ -428,14 +429,56 @@ describe('session picks in catalog mode', () => {
   test('an active session re-keyed by the server wins the selection', () => {
     setFreebuffCatalog(CATALOG)
     expect(
-      resolveFreebuffModelSelectionForSession('m-mimo', {
-        status: 'active',
-        model: 'm-flash',
-      } as never),
+      resolveFreebuffModelSelectionForSession(
+        'm-mimo',
+        { status: 'active', model: 'm-flash' } as never,
+        true,
+      ),
     ).toBe('m-flash')
   })
 })
 
+describe('the default for an account with no explicit pick', () => {
+  const FLASH = FREEBUFF_DEEPSEEK_V4_FLASH_MODEL_ID
+  const MIMO = FREEBUFF_MIMO_V25_MODEL_ID
+  const none = (accessTier: 'full' | 'limited', balance = 50) =>
+    ({
+      status: 'none',
+      accessTier,
+      freebucks: { balance, planId: null, prices: { [FLASH]: 15, [MIMO]: 10 } },
+    }) as never
+
+  test('is the Balanced stop: DeepSeek V4.1 Flash at full access, MiMo at limited', () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveFreebuffModelSelectionForSession(MIMO, none('full'), false),
+    ).toBe(FLASH)
+    expect(
+      resolveFreebuffModelSelectionForSession(FLASH, none('limited'), false),
+    ).toBe(MIMO)
+  })
+
+  test('an explicit pick keeps its model', () => {
+    expect(
+      resolveFreebuffModelSelectionForSession(MIMO, none('full'), true),
+    ).toBe(MIMO)
+  })
+
+  test('steps down to the recommendation when the balance cannot start Balanced', () => {
+    expect(freebuffDefaultModelForSession(none('full', 12))).toBe(MIMO)
+  })
+
+  test('names the catalog row in catalog mode', () => {
+    setFreebuffCatalog(CATALOG)
+    expect(freebuffDefaultModelForSession(none('full'))).toBe('m-flash')
+  })
+
+  test('a pick stops the selection following the default', () => {
+    useFreebuffModelStore.setState({ hasExplicitPick: false })
+    persistFreebuffModelPick(MIMO)
+    expect(useFreebuffModelStore.getState().hasExplicitPick).toBe(true)
+  })
+})
+
 describe('reasoning effort per catalog row', () => {
   test('uses the row ladder and default', () => {
     applyFreebuffCatalog(CATALOG)
 
@@ -3833,9 +3833,9 @@ export type SupportedFreebuffModelId =
   (typeof SUPPORTED_FREEBUFF_MODELS)[number]['id']
 export type FreebuffWebModelId = (typeof FREEBUFF_WEB_ALL_MODELS)[number]['id']
 
-/** What new freebuff users see selected in the CLI picker, and the model its
- *  "RECOMMENDED" hero opens on; Desktop starts on freebuffAppDefaultModelIds
- *  and falls back to this. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash as of
+/** A new CLI user's selection until a session response moves it to Balanced,
+ *  and the model the picker's "RECOMMENDED" hero opens on; Desktop starts on
+ *  freebuffAppDefaultModelIds and falls back to this. DeepSeek V4.1 Flash as of
  *  2026-09-02 (unmetered on the Luminal lane; it carries the AI-training
  *  notice, and it is also the limited tier's default). The paragraphs below
  *  were written for the GLM 5.3 Flash default of 2026-08-30 and still hold.