fix: generalize local-model validation bypass beyond Ollama tags

ROADMAP.md

@@ -8014,3 +8014,7 @@ Original filing (2026-04-18): the session emitted `SessionStart hook (completed)
 833. **DONE — Native Ollama provider support via `OLLAMA_HOST` env var** — PR #3213 showed the routing gap: local model names like `qwen3:8b` don't match any provider prefix and `OPENAI_BASE_URL` was the only workaround. Ollama users had to set two env vars (`OPENAI_BASE_URL` + `OPENAI_API_KEY`) and unset Anthropic vars. Fix: (1) `OLLAMA_HOST` env var takes priority over all other routing; when set, all models route to the local OpenAI-compatible endpoint; (2) no API key required — placeholder token used for Authorization header; (3) model names with colons/dots bypass strict `provider/model` syntax validation when `OLLAMA_HOST` is set; (4) `detect_provider_kind()` checks `OLLAMA_HOST` first in the routing cascade; (5) `ProviderClient` dispatch uses `from_ollama_env()` when `OLLAMA_HOST` is set; (6) `OLLAMA_CONFIG` constant added to `openai_compat.rs`; (7) `from_ollama_env()` method constructs client from env with no auth requirement; (8) updated `USAGE.md` and `docs/local-openai-compatible-providers.md` to recommend `OLLAMA_HOST` as the preferred env var; (9) added `test_ollama_host_bypasses_model_validation` unit test. Supersedes PR #3213 (which had a duplicate `if let` bug in `mod.rs`). [SCOPE: claw-code]
 
     **Verification.** `cargo fmt --manifest-path rust/Cargo.toml --all -- --check`; `cargo test --manifest-path rust/Cargo.toml -p api -p rusty-claude-cli --bin claw`; `cargo test --manifest-path rust/Cargo.toml -p rusty-claude-cli --test output_format_contract`; dogfooded against mock OpenAI-compatible server with `OLLAMA_HOST=http://127.0.0.1:11434` — `claw --model "qwen3:8b" prompt "Reply exactly: HELLO_WORLD_123"` returned expected output; `claw --output-format json --model "qwen3:8b" prompt "test"` returned parseable JSON; `claw --output-format json doctor` returned `status: warn` (expected, no Anthropic creds); `claw --output-format json --model "qwen3:8b" status` returned `status: ok, model: qwen3:8b`; empty model still rejected with typed error.
+
+834. **DONE — Local-model syntax bypass only covered Ollama-shaped tags, not bare LM Studio/llama.cpp aliases** — follow-up to #833/PR #3213. `is_local_openai_model_syntax()` waived strict `provider/model` syntax under `OPENAI_BASE_URL` only when the model name contained a `.` or `:` (Ollama-tag-shaped). A local server registering a model under a bare alias with none of those characters — for example an LM Studio custom name or a llama.cpp `--alias` value like `mistral` — still failed CLI-parse-time validation unless the user discovered the `local/` prefix workaround. Fix: (1) `is_local_openai_compatible_base_url()` in `openai_compat.rs`, already used to waive the API-key requirement for loopback/private-network base URLs, is now `pub` and re-exported from the `api` crate root; (2) `is_local_openai_model_syntax()` in `rusty-claude-cli`'s `main.rs` calls it against the configured `OPENAI_BASE_URL` and accepts any non-empty model name when the host is local/private, matching the existing `OLLAMA_HOST` bypass; (3) remote/hosted `OPENAI_BASE_URL` gateways keep the stricter dot/colon-tag heuristic so a mistyped bare name doesn't silently route to a paid hosted API; (4) `local/` remains the explicit escape hatch for slash-containing IDs regardless of host; (5) added an LM Studio section and updated routing notes in `docs/local-openai-compatible-providers.md`. [SCOPE: claw-code]
+
+    **Verification.** `scripts/fmt.sh --check`; `cargo clippy --manifest-path rust/Cargo.toml --workspace --all-targets -- -D warnings`; `cargo test --manifest-path rust/Cargo.toml --workspace`; new tests `local_openai_base_url_bypasses_bare_model_names`, `private_network_openai_base_url_bypasses_bare_model_names`, and `remote_openai_base_url_still_requires_provider_model_or_tag_syntax` in `rusty-claude-cli`'s `alias_resolution_tests` module; `is_local_openai_compatible_base_url_is_reachable_via_crate_root` in `api`'s `client.rs` confirming the re-export.

docs/local-openai-compatible-providers.md

@@ -2,7 +2,7 @@
 
 This guide covers two common offline/local workflows:
 
-1. running Claw against an OpenAI-compatible local model server such as Ollama, llama.cpp, or vLLM; and
+1. running Claw against an OpenAI-compatible local model server such as Ollama, LM Studio, llama.cpp, or vLLM; and
 2. installing local skills from disk so Claw can discover them without network access.
 
 ## Claw is not Claude-only
@@ -25,7 +25,8 @@ Routing notes:
 
 - Use the `openai/` prefix for OpenAI-compatible gateways when you need prefix routing to win over ambient Anthropic credentials, for example `--model "openai/gpt-4.1-mini"` with OpenRouter.
 - For local servers, prefer the exact model ID reported by the server (`qwen3:latest`, `llama3.2`, etc.). If your local gateway exposes slash-containing IDs, prefix the exact slug with `local/` so Claw routes through OpenAI-compatible transport while sending the rest verbatim, for example `--model "local/Qwen/Qwen2.5-Coder-7B-Instruct"`.
-- If you have multiple provider keys in your environment, `OPENAI_BASE_URL` plus local-looking tags such as `llama3.2` or `qwen2.5-coder:7b` selects the local OpenAI-compatible route; use `local/` for slash-containing local IDs.
+- When `OPENAI_BASE_URL` points at a loopback or private-network address (`localhost`, `127.0.0.1`, `10.x`, `192.168.x`, `172.16-31.x`), Claw accepts **any** non-empty model name — bare aliases like `mistral` work with no dot, colon, or slash required. This covers LM Studio and llama.cpp server setups that register models under a plain `--alias`, not just Ollama-style tagged names (`llama3.2`, `qwen2.5-coder:7b`). `local/` is still needed only to preserve slash-containing IDs verbatim (e.g. Hugging Face repo IDs for vLLM/mlx-lm).
+- Against a remote/hosted OpenAI-compatible gateway (not local/private), Claw keeps the stricter `provider/model` or dot/colon-tag requirement so a mistyped bare name doesn't silently route to a paid hosted API.
 - Tool workflows need model/server support for OpenAI-compatible tool calls. Plain prompt smoke tests can pass even when slash/tool workflows still fail because the server returns an incompatible tool-call shape.
 
 ## Raw `/v1/chat/completions` smoke test
@@ -81,6 +82,17 @@ export OPENAI_API_KEY="local-dev-token"
 claw --model "qwen2.5-coder" prompt "Reply exactly HELLO_WORLD_123"
 ```
 
+## LM Studio
+
+Start LM Studio's local server (Developer tab → Start Server, default port `1234`), or headless via `lms server start`. LM Studio commonly serves models under a bare alias with no dot or colon (for example `mistral-7b-instruct` or a custom name set in the model settings).
+
+```bash
+export OPENAI_BASE_URL="http://127.0.0.1:1234/v1"
+claw --model "mistral-7b-instruct" prompt "Reply exactly HELLO_WORLD_123"
+```
+
+`OPENAI_API_KEY` can stay unset for LM Studio's default authless local server. Use the exact model identifier LM Studio reports (check `curl $OPENAI_BASE_URL/models`) if the bare alias above doesn't match what you loaded.
+
 ## vLLM or another OpenAI-compatible server
 
 Start vLLM with an OpenAI-compatible API server:

rust/crates/api/src/client.rs

@@ -262,4 +262,21 @@ mod tests {
             other => panic!("Expected ProviderClient::OpenAi for local model, got: {other:?}"),
         }
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn is_local_openai_compatible_base_url_is_reachable_via_crate_root() {
+        // Regression: this helper must stay `pub` and re-exported from the
+        // crate root so `rusty-claude-cli`'s model-syntax validation can
+        // reuse the same local/private-address detection used here to
+        // waive the API-key requirement.
+        assert!(crate::is_local_openai_compatible_base_url(
+            "http://127.0.0.1:1234/v1"
+        ));
+        assert!(crate::is_local_openai_compatible_base_url(
+            "http://192.168.1.50:8000/v1"
+        ));
+        assert!(!crate::is_local_openai_compatible_base_url(
+            "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
+        ));
+    }
 }

rust/crates/api/src/lib.rs

@@ -22,9 +22,9 @@ pub use prompt_cache::{
 pub use providers::anthropic::{AnthropicClient, AnthropicClient as ApiClient, AuthSource};
 pub use providers::openai_compat::{
     build_chat_completion_request, check_request_body_size, estimate_request_body_size,
-    flatten_tool_result_content, is_reasoning_model, model_rejects_is_error_field,
-    model_requires_reasoning_content_in_history, translate_message, OpenAiCompatClient,
-    OpenAiCompatConfig,
+    flatten_tool_result_content, is_local_openai_compatible_base_url, is_reasoning_model,
+    model_rejects_is_error_field, model_requires_reasoning_content_in_history, translate_message,
+    OpenAiCompatClient, OpenAiCompatConfig,
 };
 pub use providers::{
     detect_provider_kind, max_tokens_for_model, max_tokens_for_model_with_override,

rust/crates/api/src/providers/openai_compat.rs

@@ -1027,7 +1027,12 @@ fn url_host(url: &str) -> &str {
     host_port.split(':').next().unwrap_or("")
 }
 
-fn is_local_openai_compatible_base_url(url: &str) -> bool {
+/// Returns true when `url`'s host is loopback or a private-network address
+/// (`localhost`, `127.0.0.1`, `10.x`, `192.168.x`, `172.16-31.x`). Used to
+/// waive auth requirements for local OpenAI-compatible servers (Ollama, LM
+/// Studio, llama.cpp, vLLM) that don't expect a real API key.
+#[must_use]
+pub fn is_local_openai_compatible_base_url(url: &str) -> bool {
     let host = url_host(url.trim());
     if host.eq_ignore_ascii_case("localhost") || host == "::1" {
         return true;

rust/crates/rusty-claude-cli/src/main.rs

@@ -2986,7 +2986,18 @@ fn is_local_openai_model_syntax(model: &str) -> bool {
     if let Some(rest) = model.strip_prefix("local/") {
         return !rest.is_empty() && rest.split('/').all(|segment| !segment.is_empty());
     }
-    std::env::var_os("OPENAI_BASE_URL").is_some() && (model.contains(':') || model.contains('.'))
+    let Ok(base_url) = std::env::var("OPENAI_BASE_URL") else {
+        return false;
+    };
+    // A local/private OPENAI_BASE_URL (Ollama, LM Studio, llama.cpp, vLLM, ...)
+    // is trusted to accept any non-empty model name the server actually
+    // serves, matching the OLLAMA_HOST bypass above. Remote gateways keep the
+    // stricter dot/colon-tag heuristic so a bare typo doesn't silently route
+    // to a paid hosted API.
+    if api::is_local_openai_compatible_base_url(&base_url) {
+        return !model.is_empty();
+    }
+    model.contains(':') || model.contains('.')
 }
 
 fn config_alias_for_current_dir(alias: &str) -> Option<String> {
@@ -19828,4 +19839,37 @@ mod alias_resolution_tests {
         // Empty model still rejected
         assert!(validate_model_syntax("").is_err());
     }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn local_openai_base_url_bypasses_bare_model_names() {
+        let _guard = ollama_env_lock();
+        let _ollama_env = EnvVarGuard::unset("OLLAMA_HOST");
+        // LM Studio's default port; a bare alias with no dot/colon/slash,
+        // as LM Studio and llama.cpp commonly register models under.
+        let _openai_env = EnvVarGuard::set("OPENAI_BASE_URL", "http://127.0.0.1:1234/v1");
+        assert!(validate_model_syntax("mistral").is_ok());
+        assert!(validate_model_syntax("local-7b").is_ok());
+        // Empty model is still rejected even when the base URL is local.
+        assert!(validate_model_syntax("").is_err());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn private_network_openai_base_url_bypasses_bare_model_names() {
+        let _guard = ollama_env_lock();
+        let _ollama_env = EnvVarGuard::unset("OLLAMA_HOST");
+        let _openai_env = EnvVarGuard::set("OPENAI_BASE_URL", "http://192.168.1.50:8000/v1");
+        assert!(validate_model_syntax("mistral").is_ok());
+    }
+
+    #[test]
+    fn remote_openai_base_url_still_requires_provider_model_or_tag_syntax() {
+        let _guard = ollama_env_lock();
+        let _ollama_env = EnvVarGuard::unset("OLLAMA_HOST");
+        let _openai_env = EnvVarGuard::set("OPENAI_BASE_URL", "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1");
+        // A bare name with no dot/colon/slash against a remote gateway must
+        // keep failing so a typo doesn't silently route to a paid hosted API.
+        assert!(validate_model_syntax("mistral").is_err());
+        // The existing dot/colon-tag heuristic still applies for remote hosts.
+        assert!(validate_model_syntax("qwen2.5-coder:7b").is_ok());
+    }
 }