# Select an app's model

An app's **Default LLM model** is saved for that app. Creation initially uses your Settings default where available, but the app keeps its own selection afterward. Choose a model supported by the app's actual workflows rather than assuming every model in the general catalog is usable everywhere.

## Choose during creation

The template or blueprint form shows compatible choices. A **recommended** label reflects the relevant workflow capability. Disabled choices include an explanation, such as unavailable workflow routing or unsupported document extraction.

If Strive cannot read your Settings default, choose a model explicitly or retry. A model identifier saved previously can appear as unavailable when it is no longer a supported choice; select a valid alternative before continuing.

## Change an existing app

1. Open the app's **Parameters** section.
2. Review **Default LLM model** and any displayed embedding model.
3. Choose a supported replacement.
4. Choose **Save changes**.
5. Read the resulting state, including **Index update** progress if a retrieval migration is required.

Compatible model changes keep the existing index. A change requiring a different embedding profile builds and verifies the replacement index before changing the active one. The displayed migration status, processed source-chunk count, requested model, and any error explain what is happening.

An index-update failure leaves the active index unchanged. Follow the message to retry by saving the selection again after resolving the cause. Do not interpret a requested model in a queued or failed migration as proof that every active workflow is already using it.

## Model policy and releases

The model choice must satisfy the app's workflow requirements, including extraction where used. A general conversational model preference is only the starting preference at creation.

An immutable release captures its model policy. Changing the editable app's selection does not rewrite an already admitted release-backed run. Publish and activate a new release when the changed model should be part of the fixed deployed experience.

See [Parameters](/docs/apps/parameters), [Releases](/docs/apps/releases), and [Activity](/docs/apps/activity) to verify subsequent runs.