Fix chat readiness for picker model override

lat.md/model-selection.md

@@ -4,6 +4,8 @@ The in-chat (bottom) model picker selects a model for the **current conversation
 
 The override is held in renderer state on each `<Chat>` run ([[src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/Chat.tsx]]), persisted by session id, and sent with every message; it is cleared when the conversation is cleared/reset and is absent on a fresh chat, so new conversations start on the global default. This is distinct from the persisted [[model-context]] default that non-chat surfaces read.
 
+Pre-send readiness uses the same active override. [[src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/Chat.tsx#Chat]] passes the current picker `{provider, model, baseUrl}` into [[src/main/validation.ts#validateChatReadiness]], so a session-scoped pick does not keep showing "No model selected" just because the global `config.yaml` default is empty.
+
 ## Full identity, not just the model name
 
 The override is a `SessionModelOverride` (`{provider, model, baseUrl}`), not a bare model string — because switching across providers must change routing, not only the `model` field.

src/main/ipc/register.ts

@@ -850,9 +850,13 @@ export function registerIpcHandlers(context: IpcContext): void {
   // Pre-send chat readiness — answers "if Send is clicked right now,
   // will it work?". Fail-open semantics: any uncertain state returns
   // `ok: true`, so the renderer never false-blocks a Send.
-  ipcMain.handle("validate-chat-readiness", (_event, profile?: string) => {
-    return validateChatReadiness(profile);
-  });
+  type ChatReadinessOverride = Parameters<typeof validateChatReadiness>[1];
+  ipcMain.handle(
+    "validate-chat-readiness",
+    (_event, profile?: string, override?: ChatReadinessOverride) => {
+      return validateChatReadiness(profile, override);
+    },
+  );
 
   // Config-health audit + per-issue auto-fix. The renderer renders a
   // dismissible banner above the chat input and a full report in the

src/main/validation.ts

@@ -45,6 +45,12 @@ export interface ChatReadiness {
   expectedEnvKey?: string;
 }
 
+export interface ChatReadinessModelConfig {
+  provider?: string;
+  model?: string;
+  baseUrl?: string;
+}
+
 const OK: ChatReadiness = { ok: true };
 
 // Provider ids that authenticate ONLY via interactive OAuth login —
@@ -79,14 +85,20 @@ const NO_KEY_PROVIDERS = new Set(["auto"]);
  * Synchronous readiness check against the desktop's own config —
  * no network calls. Fast (single readEnv + getModelConfig).
  *
- * `profile` defaults to the active profile.
+ * `profile` defaults to the active profile. `override` is the chat-local model
+ * picker selection; when present it is the model that will actually be sent.
  */
-export function validateChatReadiness(profile?: string): ChatReadiness {
+export function validateChatReadiness(
+  profile?: string,
+  override?: ChatReadinessModelConfig,
+): ChatReadiness {
   try {
     const mc = getModelConfig(profile);
-    const provider = (mc.provider || "").trim().toLowerCase();
-    const model = (mc.model || "").trim();
-    const baseUrl = (mc.baseUrl || "").trim();
+    const provider = (override?.provider ?? mc.provider ?? "")
+      .trim()
+      .toLowerCase();
+    const model = (override?.model ?? mc.model ?? "").trim();
+    const baseUrl = (override?.baseUrl ?? mc.baseUrl ?? "").trim();
 
     // Provider="auto" lets hermes-agent pick a model at runtime based
     // on whatever keys are present in .env. No key-presence check

src/preload/index.d.ts

@@ -283,7 +283,10 @@ interface HermesAPI {
   // Configuration (profile-aware)
   getEnv: (profile?: string) => Promise<Record<string, string>>;
   setEnv: (key: string, value: string, profile?: string) => Promise<boolean>;
-  validateChatReadiness: (profile?: string) => Promise<{
+  validateChatReadiness: (
+    profile?: string,
+    override?: { provider?: string; model?: string; baseUrl?: string },
+  ) => Promise<{
     ok: boolean;
     code?:
       | "NO_ACTIVE_MODEL"

src/preload/index.ts

@@ -234,6 +234,7 @@ const hermesAPI = {
 
   validateChatReadiness: (
     profile?: string,
+    override?: { provider?: string; model?: string; baseUrl?: string },
   ): Promise<{
     ok: boolean;
     code?:
@@ -245,7 +246,7 @@ const hermesAPI = {
     message?: string;
     fixLocation?: "providers" | "models" | "gateway" | "setup";
     expectedEnvKey?: string;
-  }> => ipcRenderer.invoke("validate-chat-readiness", profile),
+  }> => ipcRenderer.invoke("validate-chat-readiness", profile, override),
 
   getConfigHealth: (profile?: string): Promise<unknown> =>
     ipcRenderer.invoke("get-config-health", profile),

src/renderer/src/screens/Chat/Chat.tsx

@@ -365,7 +365,11 @@ function Chat({
     let cancelled = false;
     (async (): Promise<void> => {
       try {
-        const r = await window.hermesAPI.validateChatReadiness(profile);
+        const r = await window.hermesAPI.validateChatReadiness(profile, {
+          provider: chatCurrentProvider,
+          model: chatCurrentModel,
+          baseUrl: chatCurrentBaseUrl,
+        });
         if (!cancelled) setReadiness(r);
       } catch {
         // Fail open on IPC error — never block Send on validation failure

tests/validation.test.ts

@@ -84,6 +84,28 @@ describe("validateChatReadiness", () => {
     expect(validateChatReadiness()).toEqual({ ok: true });
   });
 
+  it("uses the chat picker model override instead of blocking on an empty persisted model", async () => {
+    writeConfig(
+      [
+        "model:",
+        "  provider: alibaba",
+        "  default: ''",
+        "  base_url: https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1",
+        "",
+      ].join("\n"),
+    );
+    writeEnv("DASHSCOPE_API_KEY=sk-dashscope-test\n");
+    const { validateChatReadiness } = await freshValidation(TEST_DIR);
+
+    expect(
+      validateChatReadiness(undefined, {
+        provider: "alibaba",
+        model: "qwen3.7-plus",
+        baseUrl: "https://dashscope.aliyuncs.com/compatible-mode/v1",
+      }),
+    ).toEqual({ ok: true });
+  });
+
   it("treats whitespace-only key value as missing", async () => {
     writeConfig(
       [