Perplexity API leaks Claude Opus 4.6 and Thinking variants

Anthropic is working on next-gen Opus and Sonnet AI models; among these, the Claude Opus 4.6 has appeared on the Perplexity API. Well-known AI insider @synthwavedd shared a screenshot showing Claude Opus 4.6 and a new “Thinking” variant listed in Perplexity’s API configuration.

Anthropic Claude Opus 4.6 leaked on Perplexity API (Source – @synthwavedd/X)

It suggested the model could soon come online, possibly that same day, while noting Sonnet 5 might arrive later. Perplexity, a search tool powered by AI, often gets early access to new models through partnerships with labs like Anthropic.

This allows the AI firm to prepare integrations ahead of public launches. Similar early detections have happened with past Claude releases, building excitement among users. This update follows Claude Opus 4.5, released earlier.

AI community described it as reliable for complex programming, with better handling of edge cases and real-world problems compared to previous versions. Some shared examples of it outperforming rivals in speed and accuracy on benchmarks like SWE-Bench. The timing adds interest because of ongoing rumors about Claude Sonnet 5.

Many of these AI insiders predicted that the new AI model would drop soon. It could be faster and cheaper than Opus 4.5, with a large 1 million token context window and major coding gains. Features like an agentic “Dev Team” mode appeared in leaks.

On the other hand, users cited deployment issues, high error rates during rollout attempts, and unexpected technical problems. Some said the launch was pushed from earlier dates due to these challenges. One popular post joked about dramatic reasons for postponements, while others shared what they called insider information pointing to a release later in the week or early next.

It’s expected that the Opus 4.6 could debut first, which could perform better on certain metrics, making it a priority. Ultimately, no official announcement has come from Anthropic yet. However, we’ll keep you posted on the latest developments.