> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.granola.ai/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Understanding model selection in Granola chat
> Choose the right AI model for Granola Chat. Compare standard, advanced, and thinking models for different use cases.
Granola chat lets you choose between different AI models depending on what you’re working on. You can either let Granola automatically pick the best model, or manually select a standard or thinking model for more control.
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# Auto model selection
When model selection is set to Auto, Granola automatically chooses the best model based on your chat context so you don’t have to think about it.
* For single-meeting chats (during or after a specific meeting), Auto uses **GPT‑5.1**
* For multi-meeting or global chats (e.g. homepage chat, folder chats), Auto uses **Claude 4 Sonnet**
This helps you get fast, relevant answers whether you’re focused on one meeting or working across multiple meetings.
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# Standard models
Standard models are general-purpose options designed for everyday tasks where you want quick, high-quality responses.
Standard models in Granola include:
* **Sonnet 4.5 (Anthropic / Claude)**
* Best for fast, general-purpose responses across many topics
* **GPT‑5.1 (OpenAI)**
* Best for quick answers to meeting-specific questions
* **GPT‑4.1 (OpenAI)**
* Best for fast responses on simpler tasks
## When to use standard models
Standard models are ideal when you need:
* Quick questions answered about a meeting
* Action items extracted from a call
* Simple summaries of what was discussed
* Everyday drafting and editing tasks that don’t require deep reasoning
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# Thinking models
Thinking models are advanced reasoning models that provide deeper, step-by-step analysis. They are available on **Business** or **Enterprise** plans only.
Thinking models in Granola include:
* **Sonnet 4.5 Thinking (Anthropic / Claude)**
* Best for complex analysis that benefits from visible, step-by-step reasoning
* **Opus 4.5 (Anthropic / Claude)**
* Best for the most sophisticated reasoning and really complex problems
* **Gemini 3 Pro (Google)**
* Best for deep analysis and nuanced reasoning
* **GPT‑5.1 Thinking (OpenAI)**
* Best for complex reasoning tasks where you want more careful thought
## How thinking models work
Thinking models can show you how they arrived at an answer through an expandable reasoning view.
You’ll see a **“Thought for Xs”** indicator (where X is a number of seconds). This means the model is doing step-by-step reasoning in the background, and you can expand that indicator to view the reasoning process.
This is especially useful when you want to understand or audit how the AI reached its conclusion.
## When to use thinking models
Use thinking models when:
* You’re doing complex analysis or strategy work
* You’re exploring nuanced tradeoffs or scenarios
* You want to see the AI’s reasoning process, not just the final answer
* You’re working on high-stakes or intricate problems where transparency matters
Note: Thinking models require a paid subscription (Business or Enterprise).
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# Usage tips and best practices
This section covers general guidance for choosing the right model in chat.
## General recommendations
In most cases, you don’t need to pick a model manually:
* **Leave model selection on Auto** unless you have a specific reason to choose a particular model
* **Use standard models** for:
* Quick questions
* Action item extraction
* Simple summaries or straightforward tasks
* **Use thinking models** for:
* Complex analysis or strategy questions
* Situations where you care about how the AI reasoned through the answer
## Example use cases
Some common ways to use each model type:
* **Standard models**
* Summarize a single meeting
* Pull out decisions and next steps
* Draft a short follow-up message based on a call
* Answer “what did we say about X?” for a specific meeting
* **Thinking models**
* Compare multiple meetings to derive themes or recommendations
* Plan strategy based on several stakeholder conversations
* Analyze risks, tradeoffs, or options using detailed reasoning
* Understand *why* a particular recommendation is being made
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# Troubleshooting and common questions
This section addresses common issues and what to try.
## I’m not sure which model to pick
* Keep the setting on **Auto** so Granola selects the best model for your context
* Manually switch to a **thinking model** only when you know you need deeper reasoning or visible step-by-step thinking
## I don’t see thinking models as an option
* Thinking models are available only on **Business** or **Enterprise** plans
* If you don’t see them:
* Check which plan your workspace is on
* Contact your admin or account owner about upgrading if needed