diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto-model-selection.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto-model-selection.ts
index 7929f94be..c79ab55b2 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto-model-selection.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto-model-selection.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@
  * and fallback chains.
  */
 
+import type { Api, Model } from "@gsd/pi-ai";
 import type { ExtensionAPI, ExtensionContext } from "@gsd/pi-coding-agent";
 import type { GSDPreferences } from "./preferences.js";
 import { resolveModelWithFallbacksForUnit, resolveDynamicRoutingConfig } from "./preferences.js";
@@ -16,6 +17,8 @@ import { unitPhaseLabel } from "./auto-dashboard.js";
 export interface ModelSelectionResult {
   /** Routing metadata for metrics recording */
   routing: { tier: string; modelDowngraded: boolean } | null;
+  /** Concrete model applied before dispatch so it can be restored after a fresh session. */
+  appliedModel: Model<Api> | null;
 }
 
 export function resolvePreferredModelConfig(
@@ -58,6 +61,7 @@ export async function selectAndApplyModel(
 ): Promise<ModelSelectionResult> {
   const modelConfig = resolvePreferredModelConfig(unitType, autoModeStartModel);
   let routing: { tier: string; modelDowngraded: boolean } | null = null;
+  let appliedModel: Model<Api> | null = null;
 
   if (modelConfig) {
     const availableModels = ctx.modelRegistry.getAvailable();
@@ -146,6 +150,7 @@ export async function selectAndApplyModel(
 
       const ok = await pi.setModel(model, { persist: false });
       if (ok) {
+        appliedModel = model;
         const fallbackNote = modelId === effectiveModelConfig.primary
           ? ""
           : ` (fallback from ${effectiveModelConfig.primary})`;
@@ -172,12 +177,17 @@ export async function selectAndApplyModel(
       const ok = await pi.setModel(startModel, { persist: false });
       if (!ok) {
         const byId = availableModels.find(m => m.id === autoModeStartModel.id);
-        if (byId) await pi.setModel(byId, { persist: false });
+        if (byId) {
+          const fallbackOk = await pi.setModel(byId, { persist: false });
+          if (fallbackOk) appliedModel = byId;
+        }
+      } else {
+        appliedModel = startModel;
       }
     }
   }
 
-  return { routing };
+  return { routing, appliedModel };
 }
 
 /**
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/loop-deps.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/loop-deps.ts
index 6a9ae6eae..565dde5a3 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/loop-deps.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/loop-deps.ts
@@ -209,7 +209,10 @@ export interface LoopDeps {
     verbose: boolean,
     startModel: { provider: string; id: string } | null,
     retryContext?: { isRetry: boolean; previousTier?: string },
-  ) => Promise<{ routing: { tier: string; modelDowngraded: boolean } | null }>;
+  ) => Promise<{
+    routing: { tier: string; modelDowngraded: boolean } | null;
+    appliedModel: { provider: string; id: string } | null;
+  }>;
   resolveModelId: <T extends { id: string; provider: string }>(
     modelId: string,
     availableModels: T[],
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/phases.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/phases.ts
index c8297ee3c..06778ff1b 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/phases.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/phases.ts
@@ -1015,6 +1015,8 @@ export async function runUnitPhase(
   );
   s.currentUnitRouting =
     modelResult.routing as AutoSession["currentUnitRouting"];
+  s.currentUnitModel =
+    modelResult.appliedModel as AutoSession["currentUnitModel"];
 
   // Apply sidecar/pre-dispatch hook model override (takes priority over standard model selection)
   const hookModelOverride = sidecarItem?.model ?? iterData.hookModelOverride;
@@ -1024,6 +1026,7 @@ export async function runUnitPhase(
     if (match) {
       const ok = await pi.setModel(match, { persist: false });
       if (ok) {
+        s.currentUnitModel = match as AutoSession["currentUnitModel"];
         ctx.ui.notify(`Hook model override: ${match.provider}/${match.id}`, "info");
       } else {
         ctx.ui.notify(
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/run-unit.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/run-unit.ts
index 47512d395..c9e740171 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/run-unit.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/run-unit.ts
@@ -71,6 +71,16 @@ export async function runUnit(
     return { status: "cancelled" };
   }
 
+  if (s.currentUnitModel && typeof pi.setModel === "function") {
+    const restored = await pi.setModel(s.currentUnitModel, { persist: false });
+    if (!restored) {
+      ctx.ui.notify(
+        `Failed to restore ${s.currentUnitModel.provider}/${s.currentUnitModel.id} after session creation. Using session default.`,
+        "warning",
+      );
+    }
+  }
+
   // ── Create the agent_end promise (per-unit one-shot) ──
   // This happens after newSession completes so session-switch agent_end events
   // from the previous session cannot resolve the new unit.
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/session.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/session.ts
index 9ca66a963..9d11545e3 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/session.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/auto/session.ts
@@ -16,6 +16,7 @@
  * `let` or `var` declarations.
  */
 
+import type { Api, Model } from "@gsd/pi-ai";
 import type { ExtensionCommandContext } from "@gsd/pi-coding-agent";
 import type { GitServiceImpl } from "../git-service.js";
 import type { CaptureEntry } from "../captures.js";
@@ -103,6 +104,7 @@ export class AutoSession {
 
   // ── Model state ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
   autoModeStartModel: StartModel | null = null;
+  currentUnitModel: Model<Api> | null = null;
   originalModelId: string | null = null;
   originalModelProvider: string | null = null;
   lastBudgetAlertLevel: BudgetAlertLevel = 0;
@@ -190,6 +192,7 @@ export class AutoSession {
 
     // Model
     this.autoModeStartModel = null;
+    this.currentUnitModel = null;
     this.originalModelId = null;
     this.originalModelProvider = null;
     this.lastBudgetAlertLevel = 0;
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/auto-loop.test.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/auto-loop.test.ts
index af3fda5ca..007e358c2 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/auto-loop.test.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/auto-loop.test.ts
@@ -79,11 +79,17 @@ function makeMockCtx() {
  */
 function makeMockPi() {
   const calls: unknown[] = [];
+  const setModelCalls: unknown[] = [];
   return {
     sendMessage: (...args: unknown[]) => {
       calls.push(args);
     },
+    setModel: async (...args: unknown[]) => {
+      setModelCalls.push(args);
+      return true;
+    },
     calls,
+    setModelCalls,
   } as any;
 }
 
@@ -227,6 +233,38 @@ test("runUnit only arms resolve after newSession completes", async () => {
   assert.equal(pi.calls.length, 1);
 });
 
+test("runUnit re-applies the selected unit model after newSession before dispatch", async () => {
+  _resetPendingResolve();
+
+  const callOrder: string[] = [];
+  const ctx = makeMockCtx();
+  const pi = makeMockPi();
+  pi.setModel = async (...args: unknown[]) => {
+    callOrder.push("setModel");
+    pi.setModelCalls.push(args);
+    return true;
+  };
+  pi.sendMessage = (...args: unknown[]) => {
+    callOrder.push("sendMessage");
+    pi.calls.push(args);
+  };
+
+  const s = makeMockSession();
+  s.currentUnitModel = { provider: "anthropic", id: "claude-opus-4-6" };
+
+  const resultPromise = runUnit(ctx, pi, s, "task", "T01", "prompt");
+
+  await new Promise((r) => setTimeout(r, 10));
+  resolveAgentEnd(makeEvent());
+
+  const result = await resultPromise;
+  assert.equal(result.status, "completed");
+  assert.deepEqual(callOrder, ["setModel", "sendMessage"]);
+  assert.equal(pi.setModelCalls.length, 1);
+  assert.deepEqual(pi.setModelCalls[0][0], s.currentUnitModel);
+  assert.equal(pi.calls.length, 1);
+});
+
 // ─── Structural assertions ───────────────────────────────────────────────────
 
 test("auto-loop.ts exports autoLoop, runUnit, resolveAgentEnd", async () => {
@@ -372,7 +410,7 @@ function makeMockDeps(
     captureAvailableSkills: () => {},
     ensurePreconditions: () => {},
     updateSliceProgressCache: () => {},
-    selectAndApplyModel: async () => ({ routing: null }),
+    selectAndApplyModel: async () => ({ routing: null, appliedModel: null }),
     startUnitSupervision: () => {},
     getDeepDiagnostic: () => null,
     isDbAvailable: () => false,
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/custom-engine-loop-integration.test.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/custom-engine-loop-integration.test.ts
index 29e82ac59..0bfa91ed2 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/custom-engine-loop-integration.test.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/custom-engine-loop-integration.test.ts
@@ -200,7 +200,7 @@ function makeMockDeps(overrides?: Partial<LoopDeps>): LoopDeps & { callLog: stri
     captureAvailableSkills: () => {},
     ensurePreconditions: () => {},
     updateSliceProgressCache: () => {},
-    selectAndApplyModel: async () => ({ routing: null }),
+    selectAndApplyModel: async () => ({ routing: null, appliedModel: null }),
     resolveModelId: () => undefined,
     startUnitSupervision: () => {},
     getDeepDiagnostic: () => null,
diff --git a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/journal-integration.test.ts b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/journal-integration.test.ts
index 8447019ce..846982e26 100644
--- a/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/journal-integration.test.ts
+++ b/src/resources/extensions/gsd/tests/journal-integration.test.ts
@@ -97,7 +97,7 @@ function makeMockDeps(
     captureAvailableSkills: () => {},
     ensurePreconditions: () => {},
     updateSliceProgressCache: () => {},
-    selectAndApplyModel: async () => ({ routing: null }),
+    selectAndApplyModel: async () => ({ routing: null, appliedModel: null }),
     startUnitSupervision: () => {},
     getDeepDiagnostic: () => null,
     isDbAvailable: () => false,