The reported bug (2026-09-28): every chat ran glm-5.3-flash regardless of
any pick, while composer and settings UIs agreed with each other and lied
about the run. Root cause: a fossil default-settings record (settings.json
chat section, frozen pre-slots-wave) was stamped verbatim into every new
chat at birth by the new-session flow, and resolveConversationSpec prefers
the per-chat record over the strong slot forever.
Owner redesign — models are per session, always; the strong slot is the
new-session default:
- POST /api/chats stamps the newborn verbatim from the strong slot
(model + thinking level); no client settings PUT on create anymore
- the composer control is dual-bound: in-session it reads/writes the
session's own record (GET /api/chats/:id, PUT .../settings); on the
draft surfaces it binds the strong slot (picking there = changing the
default)
- thinking levels follow the identical mechanics (confirmed by owner)
- the zombie default-settings system dies whole: useDefaultSettings,
/api/settings/defaults, src/store/default-settings.ts, the chat
section of UserSettings (sanitizer strips fossil copies), the legacy
default-settings.json fold, and DEFAULT_SETTINGS_FILE
- catalogDefaultsFor collapses to the strong slot alone
- thinking display for a legacy unstamped session resolves exactly like
the engine (session ?? strong ?? model ladder)
Tests: new chat-birth-stamp suite pins the stamp, the unconfigured boot,
the unset level, and the copy-not-live-view regression; defaults pins
rewritten strong-only; legacy-migration suite deleted.
Owner ruling (2026-09-23, amendment to 04e336d): no hardcoded fallback
exists anywhere. contextWindow(record, limits) resolves the denominator
ONLY from the live index (provider:id -> contextWindow straight from
pi's catalog); a model missing from it (historical session, package
update, failed fetch) reads limit null and the meter renders
usage-only — the honest-render precedent, never a fake window.
- src/core/prices.ts: the 1354-entry CONTEXT_LIMITS table (65KB) and its
generation apparatus deleted; the fold returns limit: number | null.
PRICES untouched (regen verified byte-identical via the reworked
sync-pricing script).
- scripts/sync-pricing.ts: generates PRICES only; contextWindow leaves
the priced map, the guard, and the template.
- The dock meter's owner-selected treatment: the activity feed carries
the limit server-side. catalogContextLimits() (server/model-catalog.ts)
builds the index over the same keyed providers the picker federates;
activityFeed() joins it onto every running job (ActivityJob.contextLimit,
null when the model is missing — the dock reads it off the feed, no
client-side table, no regression while the UI's catalog-join chunk lands).
- components/activity-dock.tsx: toBlobs reads job.contextLimit (import
of CONTEXT_LIMITS gone); stats-bar renders usage-only on null limit
(mechanical interim — UI stream's join chunk follows).
- tests: usage.test.ts pins the no-fallback contract (index hit / absent
/ empty / missing-model -> null); activity-feed.test.ts pins the
server join (catalog model -> 1048576, unknown -> null, no-usage ->
null); render pins updated to the interim usage-only render.
Part 1 — the ledger + remnants interlude (master-dispatched, owner ruling
2026-09-23: nothing configures the graph beyond chat models):
- The embedding ledger surface is gone: readEmbeddings/writeEmbeddings
ports, the EmbeddingsLedger contract, EMBEDDINGS_FILE (config, store
impls, graphRevision source list), and graph-deletion's vector-pruning
step. On-disk data files stay untouched (inert history).
- The extraction embedder seam dies wholesale: ExtractionPipelineDeps
drops the embedder dep (chat-handler + backfill/import-notes stubs go
with it), the 'embedding' phase leaves ExtractionPhase, the usage
capture/persist helpers die, and stages.embedding leaves
ExtractionRunUsage (historical records keep their shape — reads are
lenient). Extraction is two stages again, like the local-embedder era.
- Consumer-less remnants: latestQuizOutcomes + QUIZ_EVENT_KINDS,
clusterContentId, matchClusterLabelings + Community + ClusterLabeling,
the readClusterLabels/appendClusterLabel port seams + store impls +
LEDGER_FILES.clusterLabels. NamingRunUsage/readNamingRuns STAY
(standing ruling — the cost pill renders historical naming spend);
clusterHue + MIN_CLUSTER_SIZE stay (live).
- The 'labeler' role dies: BACKGROUND_MODEL_ROLES, ROLE_SLOT, ModelRole,
the catalog pin projections, and the UI roster strings. RolePins keys
shrink with the union.
The notes birth fallback (owner-approved 2026-09-23, surfaced by the
interlude's live smoke: production notes imports create provenance-EMPTY
nodes (importNotes passes messages: null — the file's anchor is the
mapping line), so the provenance-only birth rule left every imported
file unclustered and invisible to the prober's session list, against the
locked file-birth ruling. A provenance-empty node now births under its
FIRST mapping line's chatId (ledger order); only notes-born nodes ever
hit the fallback (chat nodes always carry provenance; a re-encountered
node's link-append re-opens the provenance rule). Deletion-safe: mapping
lines of deleted chats are stripped alongside their provenance.
Live-verified on port 3004: a fresh notes import clusters under its
src_ id with the file path as the label, end to end with no embedder.
845/845 tests, typecheck/lint/build green.
EOF
)
Fix 1 — clamp, never reject (owner ruling, interlude 2026-09-22): a
model swap with a pinned thinking level must JUST WORK. The owner hit
the write-side 400 live (Claude Fable 5.1/xhigh → GLM 5.3 flash:
"z-ai/glm-5.3-flash does not support thinking level xhigh"). The
supported-level verdicts in validateChatSettings and
validateModelsSettings are DEAD — the WRITE clamps the pin to the new
model's nearest supported level (pi's clampThinkingLevel, the same
translation piEngineForSpec applies at runtime) and stores the clamped
result; the server is the truth — the record shows the clamped level
after write.
New pure helpers in model-catalog.ts, applied by ALL THREE write
routes (section, defaults, per-chat — one verdict seam, so every
surface that used the old 400 gets the clamp uniformly):
- clampModelsLevels: every slot's level clamps against the SLOT'S OWN
model (the parser already requires a model on each slot write).
- clampChatLevel: the body's own model, else the record's resolved
strong slot (the chain's fallback); no model anywhere → rides
unchecked (runtime clamps at engine build; the turn gate refuses
the model-less chat anyway).
Fix 2 — DEFAULT_THINKING_ORDER moves from config.ts to core/settings
(core barrel, AUTH_KEYS precedent — one source of truth, no drift).
The UI imports it to auto-populate a thinking level on FRESH model
picks; the ordering has no other client role. Legacy unset records
keep the runtime defaultThinkingLevel fallback at engine build
untouched. Import sites updated: agent/models.ts, tests.
Verified live on 3004: the owner's exact case stores max (not 400);
a bare chat-level write clamps to low against the strong slot's glm;
unknown provider/model still 400s with the provider list.
Tests: the level-verdict suites became clamp suites (the owner's case
pinned verbatim: xhigh→max, minimal→low, off→low, supported
pass-through, level-less slots ride); the machine-aware
expectBareLevelVerdict chain is retired — clampChatLevel takes the
strong slot as an explicit param, so the tests are pure again.
Gates: typecheck, lint, 839/839, build.
Owner decision 2026-09-22: 'it doesn't make sense to have any default
model configured anywhere; the application is bring your own keys.'
config.ts: MODELS deleted; ModelRole becomes an explicit 9-role union;
DEFAULT_THINKING_ORDER (medium, low, high, minimal, xhigh, max) bakes
the unset-level default — first entry the model supports; explicitly
set levels keep pi's native nearest-clamp.
core/settings-resolution: the factory layer dissolves — the chain is
role override → slot → NOTHING. resolveSettings(record) takes no
factory. Empty chains resolve to null/undefined; a thinkingLevel-only
slot is inert (stored, never run). resolveConversationSpec: chat.model
override over the strong slot, null when both empty. resolveRoleSpec
spans all nine roles for the job/extraction engines.
Refusal envelope (core/settings.ts): modelsNotConfigured(missing) —
{error, code: 'models_not_configured', missing: [slot tiers]} +
ModelsNotConfiguredError with .envelope. Per-need gates, each honest:
- chat-handler: universal turn gate (new + continuing turns) returns
503 before beginTurn — no liveness, no write-ahead persist, no graph
trigger before the gate fires.
- runner.runJob: unresolvable engine lands the job as error with the
envelope wording; no phantom loop, no result steer.
- extraction: refuseIfStagesUnconfigured throws before any stage
(turn-service info-skips so coverage retries next turn; the import
route surfaces per-file code+missing); labeler-less runs skip
cluster naming with a console line and still merge.
Write side: slot entries must carry a model — level-only slot writes
are 400s (absent slot key = clear). piEngineForSpec resolves unset
thinking levels via DEFAULT_THINKING_ORDER; piEngineFor now throws
honestly; thinkingLevelFor/modelIdFor deleted; teacher-agent, pi-run,
visual-maker, pdf-reader all read engine.level.
model-catalog: defaults/slots/rolePins null when the chain is empty
(contracts nullable) — no phantom ids in payloads. Stores drop
MODEL_PINS entirely.
Tests: pin-leaners converted to explicit injection (per-chat model
pins on scripted chats — exactly what the setup flow writes; faux
engines for agent-construction tests). New coverage: the 503 gate
envelope, the runner refusal, the extraction refusal + labeler skip.
Gates: typecheck, lint, 815/815, build.
Item 1 — no Default in the slot selectors (owner, fix wave): a
"default" model is not a thing in this app. Picking Default used to
delete the slot and re-arm the first-run gate — incoherent. Now the
model menus carry NO clear row at all (a slot holds a pick or reads
"—"), the thinking menus carry a "—" row (menu-none) that clears only
the thinking pin, and the hint line is the roster only — the resolved
factory pin is never named. Master's amendment confirmed: the
factory-pin hint is SUPERSEDED entirely (Platform removes the pins).
Item 2 — the composer control IS the strong slot (owner: "one and the
same"): ModelControl (model-picker.tsx) reads the raw models section
(GET /api/settings) and the federated catalog, and writes
PUT /api/settings/models via composeSlotModel — the same seam the
settings Agent section and SetupDialog use. Props retired: chatId,
settings, onSaved, fallbackModelId, noDefaultModel — the control is
self-sufficient and identical on every surface (composer, home dock,
/chat/new). The per-chat model PUT is gone from the UI; legacy
per-chat overrides keep resolving server-side. StatsBar/DockOverlay
plumbing slimmed accordingly; chat.tsx drops its per-chat settings
state and initialSettings prop.
Item 3 — the composer catalog cache no longer freezes per page load:
fetchCatalog(force) invalidates, and every model-menu open revalidates
in the background (stale-while-revalidate — cached list shows
instantly, the fresh federation swaps in). Owner's repro verified live:
a key saved mid-session widens the menu without a reload.
Item 4 — stale doc comments fixed: model-catalog.ts's "OpenRouter
catalog"/"multi-provider future" (Platform's file — mechanical,
flagged for review) and model-picker's retired "config-pinned"/
per-chat-PUT narrative.
Live-verified on 3001: unpicked slots read "—" everywhere; model
menus have no clear row; the "—" thinking row clears the pin but
keeps the model; composer pick writes strong and preserves cheap/
vision siblings; thinking pill writes strong.thinkingLevel; groq key
added mid-session appears in the open menu without reload. Caught in
live verification: the record fetch was mapping the WHOLE settings
record into the models section (picks never wrote) — fixed to read
body.settings.models.
Gates: typecheck, lint, 807/807, build.
Model slots wave (2026-09-20), chunk B:
- settings: new `models` section {strong, cheap, vision} slots (each
field independent, same shape as a role override); ROLE_SLOT maps all
nine roles to tiers (strong=prober+teacher, cheap=researcher/
demoBuilder/extractor/auditor/labeler, vision=visualMaker+pdfReader);
resolution chain per role: override → slot → factory pin.
- config: ModelSpec gains provider (all pins openrouter, the BYOK
default); MODEL_PINS in stores.ts now spans all nine roles (the strong
slot's factory rep IS the prober pin).
- engine: piModels() registers EVERY builtin provider catalog;
piEngineForSpec(resolved spec) is the new engine factory (pi-ai
resolves per-provider keys from env itself); piEngineFor stays as the
config-pin fallback. chat-handler resolves the conversation chain
(chat override → strong slot → pin) and injects engineFor into the job
runner, closing the old gap where per-role overrides never reached
job engines.
- /api/models: models federate ONLY keyed providers (providers surface
with keyPresent, env-wins, fresh per call); slots (resolved tier pins)
join rolePins; catalogDefaultsFor inherits the strong slot; the models
settings section gets the same catalog gate as chat.
- pricing: PRICES/CONTEXT_LIMITS uniformly keyed provider:id
(regenerated from ALL pi-ai catalogs, 1354 keys); usage stamps
(TurnUsage, JobUsage, extraction stages) switch to provider:id —
owner decision: no legacy compat, old stamps render unpriced.
Settings interlude (owner request, 2026-09-19): the route now also returns
rolePins: Record<BackgroundModelRole, {model: {provider, id},
thinkingLevel}> — the six background roles' RESOLVED models (the user's
agent-models override falling back to the config.ts MODELS pin), so the
settings UI shows each role row's 'Default: <actual pinned model>' instead
of a generic config caption. Same resolution the agent factories use
(effectiveSettings), so the caption can never drift from what runs.
Pure projection (rolePinsFor) + the fs wrapper (catalogRolePins); pins
tested against config defaults and model/thinkingLevel-only overrides.
BACKGROUND_MODEL_PINS exported from stores.ts for the test (was local).
The model-control wave (user-decided design, 2026-09-12): ONE controller
for the conversation agents (prober/teacher are functionally one agent);
background sub-agents stay config-pinned. pi-ai owns the registry — the
shipped 366-model OpenRouter catalog (cost, context, modality,
thinkingLevelMap), getSupportedThinkingLevels/clampThinkingLevel for the
per-model thinking truth, and streamSimple's automatic clamp. No second
registry to drift out of sync.
Seams:
- config.ts: ReasoningEffort retired for pi's ThinkingLevel
(off|minimal|low|medium|high|xhigh|max). GLM roles go honest at "low" —
pi's catalog says GLM-5.3-flash accepts exactly low|high|max, and the old
"minimal" was silently clamped to low by streamSimple since the swap;
nothing changes behaviorally. visualMaker → qwen/qwen3.8-flash (fixes
the dead qwen/qwen3.8-max slug — the catalog only ships -0902; also the
user's cost pick, 0.15/0.47 per-1M).
- src/agent/models.ts: piEngineFor(role, settings?) — provider+id resolved
from the catalog, thinking level from settings ?? config, CLAMPED to the
model's supported list (a settings change between models can never send
an invalid level). PiEngine gains `level` (observability/tests).
- ChatRecord.settings {model?: {provider, id}, thinkingLevel?} — written
by PUT /api/chats/[id]/settings (replace-whole, no updatedAt churn),
read by chat-handler at turn composition: agents are stateless per turn,
so the change is next-turn-effective by construction. The turns log
still records the ACTUAL billed model (the honest witness).
- GET /api/models: the configured-provider catalog as client-safe DTOs
(core/contracts/models.ts) + config defaults; a second provider joins
the picker by registering it in piModels() — nothing else changes.
- PUT settings validation gate (src/server/model-catalog.ts): unknown
provider/model or unsupported level → 400 carrying the supported list,
never a silent clamp.
- scripts/sync-pricing.ts: regenerated PRICES/CONTEXT_LIMITS from pi-ai's
shipped openrouter.json (offline; same source as the engine + picker).
All 366 models priced; glm's stale 0.15/0.5 → pi's 0.075/0.25, limit
1310720 → 1048576 — cost is inferred at read time, so history re-prices.
- UI (components/model-picker.tsx): stats-bar right side becomes model +
thinking buttons; menus open ABOVE; fuzzy search over "provider id
name" (core/fuzzy.ts — pi's /model pattern); model rows show name/id/
price/context; the thinking menu lists exactly the chosen model's
supported levels (GLM: low|high|max — no dead options, no "off").
Model switch drops an incompatible pinned level (falls back to config,
which clamps honestly) rather than carrying a 400.
Tests (350/350, +15): catalog projection + defaults, the settings gate,
pi thinking truth pinned against upgrades (glm low|high|max; minimal→low;
off→low — GLM cannot disable thinking), the engine factory's
override/fallback/clamp/throw matrix, fuzzy ranking, store round-trip,
and the re-priced folds (usage, stats bar, activity dock).
Live smoke (disposable driver, deleted): catalog route 366 + defaults;
glm+minimal → 400 + supported; turn 1 billed qwen/qwen3.8-flash under
the override; mid-session switch flipped turn 2 to glm; clear-overrides
restored the config pin. ALL CHECKS PASS on real OpenRouter.
sorokin.oleg.edu
amosblomqvist