diff --git a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.test.js b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.test.js
index 8106a68d..9e088bcf 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.test.js
+++ b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.test.js
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import { useProjectsStore } from '@/stores/useProjectsStore';
 import { useDirectoryStore } from '@/stores/useDirectoryStore';
 import { useSessionWorktreeStore } from './session-worktree-store';
 import { expandSlashCommandGoalObjective, routeMessage, useSessionUIStore } from './session-ui-store';
+import { useSelectionStore } from './selection-store';
 import { setActionRefs, setOptimisticRefs } from './session-actions';
 import { useSkillsStore } from '@/stores/useSkillsStore';
 import { useCommandsStore } from '@/stores/useCommandsStore';
@@ -352,6 +353,100 @@ describe('sendMessage captured target', () => {
   });
 });
 
+describe('sendMessage effort recording', () => {
+  let originalSendMessage;
+  const calls = [];
+
+  beforeEach(() => {
+    calls.length = 0;
+    const childStore = {
+      getState: () => ({ session: [], message: {}, part: {}, session_status: {} }),
+      setState: () => {},
+    };
+    const childStores = {
+      children: new Map(),
+      ensureChild: () => childStore,
+      getChild: () => childStore,
+    };
+    setActionRefs(opencodeClient, childStores, () => '/current/project');
+    setOptimisticRefs(() => {}, () => {});
+    useConfigStore.setState({ isConnected: true });
+    useSessionUIStore.setState({
+      currentSessionId: 'session-current',
+      currentSessionDirectory: '/current/project',
+      newSessionDraft: { open: false, directoryOverride: null, parentID: null },
+    });
+
+    originalSendMessage = opencodeClient.sendMessage;
+    opencodeClient.sendMessage = async (params) => {
+      calls.push(params);
+      return 'msg';
+    };
+  });
+
+  afterEach(() => {
+    opencodeClient.sendMessage = originalSendMessage;
+  });
+
+  const sendWithVariant = (variant, sessionId) => useSessionUIStore.getState().sendMessage(
+    'hello',
+    'provider-a',
+    'model-a',
+    'plan',
+    undefined,
+    undefined,
+    undefined,
+    variant,
+    'normal',
+    { target: { runtimeKey: getRuntimeKey(), sessionId, directory: '/current/project' } },
+  );
+
+  test('does not pin an inherited effort as the session choice', async () => {
+    useConfigStore.setState({
+      currentProviderId: 'provider-a',
+      currentModelId: 'model-a',
+      currentAgentName: 'plan',
+      currentVariant: 'low',
+      currentVariantSelection: { override: undefined, inherited: 'low' },
+    });
+
+    await sendWithVariant('low', 'session-current');
+
+    // The send still carries the inherited effort; it is just not recorded
+    // as this session's explicit choice.
+    expect(calls[0].variant).toBe('low');
+    expect(useSelectionStore.getState().getAgentModelVariantForSession('session-current', 'plan', 'provider-a', 'model-a')).toBe(undefined);
+  });
+
+  test('records an explicit effort choice with the send', async () => {
+    useConfigStore.setState({
+      currentProviderId: 'provider-a',
+      currentModelId: 'model-a',
+      currentAgentName: 'plan',
+      currentVariant: 'high',
+      currentVariantSelection: { override: 'high', inherited: 'low' },
+    });
+
+    await sendWithVariant('high', 'session-current');
+
+    expect(useSelectionStore.getState().getAgentModelVariantForSession('session-current', 'plan', 'provider-a', 'model-a')).toBe('high');
+  });
+
+  test('keeps the captured variant for a send targeting another session', async () => {
+    useConfigStore.setState({
+      currentProviderId: 'provider-a',
+      currentModelId: 'model-a',
+      currentAgentName: 'plan',
+      currentVariant: 'low',
+      currentVariantSelection: { override: undefined, inherited: 'low' },
+    });
+
+    await sendWithVariant('low', 'session-other');
+
+    expect(useSelectionStore.getState().getAgentModelVariantForSession('session-other', 'plan', 'provider-a', 'model-a')).toBe('low');
+  });
+});
+
 describe('slash-command goal objectives', () => {
   test('expands every $ARGUMENTS reference from the authoritative command template', () => {
     expect(expandSlashCommandGoalObjective('/issue--to-pr LIN-123 --draft', [{
diff --git a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.ts b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.ts
index 61ecc534..2f31b09a 100644
--- a/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.ts
+++ b/packages/ui/src/sync/session-ui-store.ts
@@ -1707,7 +1707,21 @@ export const useSessionUIStore = create<SessionUIState>()((set, get) => ({
     if (targetSessionId && effectiveAgent) {
       useSelectionStore.getState().saveSessionAgentSelection(targetSessionId, effectiveAgent)
       useSelectionStore.getState().saveAgentModelForSession(targetSessionId, effectiveAgent, providerID, modelID)
-      useSelectionStore.getState().saveAgentModelVariantForSession(targetSessionId, effectiveAgent, providerID, modelID, variant)
+      // `variant` is the effective effort, inherited defaults included.
+      // Recording it verbatim would pin the inherited default as this
+      // session's explicit choice, so the picker jumps from "Default" to
+      // that effort after the send. When the send reflects the live picker
+      // selection, record only an explicit override; sends carrying a
+      // captured configuration for another context keep their variant.
+      const configState = useConfigStore.getState()
+      const reflectsLiveSelection = targetSessionId === get().currentSessionId
+        && configState.currentProviderId === providerID
+        && configState.currentModelId === modelID
+        && configState.currentAgentName === effectiveAgent
+      const variantToRecord = reflectsLiveSelection
+        ? configState.currentVariantSelection.override ?? undefined
+        : variant
+      useSelectionStore.getState().saveAgentModelVariantForSession(targetSessionId, effectiveAgent, providerID, modelID, variantToRecord)
     }
 
     if (targetSessionId) {