diff --git a/.changeset/brave-laws-exist.md b/.changeset/brave-laws-exist.md
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..4d0c0face
--- /dev/null
+++ b/.changeset/brave-laws-exist.md
@@ -0,0 +1,7 @@
+---
+"@assistant-ui/react-playground": patch
+"@assistant-ui/react-ai-sdk": patch
+"@assistant-ui/react": patch
+---
+
+feat(runtime): BranchPicker feature detection
diff --git a/packages/react-ai-sdk/src/ui/use-assistant/VercelUseAssistantThreadRuntime.tsx b/packages/react-ai-sdk/src/ui/use-assistant/VercelUseAssistantThreadRuntime.tsx
index 664b0b462..8806d8a6d 100644
--- a/packages/react-ai-sdk/src/ui/use-assistant/VercelUseAssistantThreadRuntime.tsx
+++ b/packages/react-ai-sdk/src/ui/use-assistant/VercelUseAssistantThreadRuntime.tsx
@@ -13,6 +13,7 @@ import { hasUpcomingMessage } from "./VercelUseAssistantRuntime";
 const EMPTY_BRANCHES: readonly string[] = Object.freeze([]);
 
 const CAPABILITIES = Object.freeze({
+  switchToBranch: false,
   edit: false,
   reload: false,
   cancel: false,
diff --git a/packages/react-ai-sdk/src/ui/use-chat/VercelUseChatThreadRuntime.tsx b/packages/react-ai-sdk/src/ui/use-chat/VercelUseChatThreadRuntime.tsx
index 10384516d..571ee7148 100644
--- a/packages/react-ai-sdk/src/ui/use-chat/VercelUseChatThreadRuntime.tsx
+++ b/packages/react-ai-sdk/src/ui/use-chat/VercelUseChatThreadRuntime.tsx
@@ -24,6 +24,7 @@ export const hasUpcomingMessage = (
 };
 
 const CAPABILITIES = Object.freeze({
+  switchToBranch: true,
   edit: true,
   reload: true,
   cancel: true,
diff --git a/packages/react-playground/src/lib/playground-runtime.ts b/packages/react-playground/src/lib/playground-runtime.ts
index 992f2d583..64114e598 100644
--- a/packages/react-playground/src/lib/playground-runtime.ts
+++ b/packages/react-playground/src/lib/playground-runtime.ts
@@ -73,6 +73,7 @@ class PlaygroundRuntime
 }
 
 const CAPABILITIES = Object.freeze({
+  switchToBranch: false,
   edit: false,
   reload: false,
   cancel: true,
diff --git a/packages/react/src/context/stores/ThreadActions.ts b/packages/react/src/context/stores/ThreadActions.ts
index a2faac0f4..4b690c890 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/context/stores/ThreadActions.ts
+++ b/packages/react/src/context/stores/ThreadActions.ts
@@ -9,13 +9,17 @@ export type AddToolResultOptions = {
   result: any;
 };
 
+export type RuntimeCapabilities = {
+  switchToBranch: boolean;
+  edit: boolean;
+  reload: boolean;
+  cancel: boolean;
+  copy: boolean;
+};
+
 export type ThreadActionsState = Readonly<{
-  capabilities: Readonly<{
-    edit: boolean;
-    reload: boolean;
-    cancel: boolean;
-    copy: boolean;
-  }>;
+  capabilities: Readonly<RuntimeCapabilities>;
+
   getBranches: (messageId: string) => readonly string[];
   switchToBranch: (branchId: string) => void;
 
diff --git a/packages/react/src/runtimes/external-store/ExternalStoreThreadRuntime.tsx b/packages/react/src/runtimes/external-store/ExternalStoreThreadRuntime.tsx
index 154a8e7ba..0033dbf3e 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/runtimes/external-store/ExternalStoreThreadRuntime.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/runtimes/external-store/ExternalStoreThreadRuntime.tsx
@@ -25,6 +25,7 @@ export class ExternalStoreThreadRuntime implements ReactThreadRuntime {
 
   public get capabilities() {
     return {
+      switchToBranch: this.store.setMessages !== undefined,
       edit: this.store.onEdit !== undefined,
       reload: this.store.onReload !== undefined,
       cancel: this.store.onCancel !== undefined,
@@ -46,6 +47,9 @@ export class ExternalStoreThreadRuntime implements ReactThreadRuntime {
   }
 
   public switchToBranch(branchId: string): void {
+    if (!this.store.setMessages)
+      throw new Error("Runtime does not support switching branches.");
+
     this.repository.switchToBranch(branchId);
     this.updateMessages(this.repository.getMessages());
   }
diff --git a/packages/react/src/runtimes/local/LocalThreadRuntime.tsx b/packages/react/src/runtimes/local/LocalThreadRuntime.tsx
index d5be43e1a..d915050a5 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/runtimes/local/LocalThreadRuntime.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/runtimes/local/LocalThreadRuntime.tsx
@@ -15,6 +15,7 @@ import { shouldContinue } from "./shouldContinue";
 import { LocalRuntimeOptions } from "./LocalRuntimeOptions";
 
 const CAPABILITIES = Object.freeze({
+  switchToBranch: true,
   edit: true,
   reload: true,
   cancel: true,
diff --git a/packages/react/src/ui/branch-picker.tsx b/packages/react/src/ui/branch-picker.tsx
index ac2cdad6f..3f10ca2af 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/ui/branch-picker.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/ui/branch-picker.tsx
@@ -10,8 +10,18 @@ import {
 import { withDefaults } from "./utils/withDefaults";
 import { useThreadConfig } from "./thread-config";
 import { BranchPickerPrimitive } from "../primitives";
+import { useThreadContext } from "../context";
+
+const useAllowBranchPicker = () => {
+  const { branchPicker: { allowBranchPicker = true } = {} } = useThreadConfig();
+  const { useThreadActions } = useThreadContext();
+  const branchPickerSupported = useThreadActions((t) => t.capabilities.edit);
+  return branchPickerSupported && allowBranchPicker;
+};
 
 const BranchPicker: FC = () => {
+  const allowBranchPicker = useAllowBranchPicker();
+  if (!allowBranchPicker) return null;
   return (
     <BranchPickerRoot hideWhenSingleBranch>
       <BranchPickerPrevious />
diff --git a/packages/react/src/ui/thread-config.tsx b/packages/react/src/ui/thread-config.tsx
index c939bd60a..251b7530f 100644
--- a/packages/react/src/ui/thread-config.tsx
+++ b/packages/react/src/ui/thread-config.tsx
@@ -37,6 +37,10 @@ export type AssistantMessageConfig = {
     | undefined;
 };
 
+export type BranchPickerConfig = {
+  allowBranchPicker?: boolean | undefined;
+};
+
 export type StringsConfig = {
   assistantModal?: {
     open: {
@@ -119,6 +123,8 @@ export type ThreadConfig = {
   assistantMessage?: AssistantMessageConfig;
   userMessage?: UserMessageConfig;
 
+  branchPicker?: BranchPickerConfig;
+
   strings?: StringsConfig;
 };