sigoden/aichat · error

Unknown model

Error message

Unknown {model_type} model '{model_id}'

What it means

`retrieve_model` (src/client/model.rs:88) bails when no configured model matches the given model_id and model_type for any known client — including fallbacks by client name and by model-type match. The requested model simply is not configured in this library instance.

Solutions

1. Add the model to the client configuration (re-run create_config or edit config to include the model entry).
2. Verify the exact model id with the provider's /v1/models and fix typos.
3. Use the fully qualified client:model form if supported.
4. If no model_id is needed, pass None so the default model is used instead.

Example fix

// before
let m = retrieve_model(config, Some("llama3.1"), ModelType::Chat)?; // not configured
// after: add llama3.1 to client models in config, or use a configured model
let m = retrieve_model(config, Some("llama3.3"), ModelType::Chat)?;

// confirm the model exists before retrieve_model
let exists = config.clients.iter().any(|c| c.models.iter().any(|m| m.name == model_id));
if !exists { anyhow::bail!("model '{}' not configured; add it to config", model_id); }

fn model_exists(model_id: &str, config: &Config) -> bool {
    config.clients.iter().any(|c| c.models.iter().any(|m| m.name == model_id))
}

match retrieve_model(config, Some(id), ModelType::Chat, ...) {
    Err(e) if e.to_string().starts_with("Unknown") => add_model_to_config(id).await?,
    other => other,
}

When it happens

Trigger: Calling retrieve_model(config, Some("model-x"), ModelType::Chat, ...) where model-x is absent from all clients' configured models and no client_name/model_type fallback matched.

Common situations: Model never added during client configuration; typo in model id; config file edited by hand and model entry removed; using a model from a different machine's config; provider catalog changed after upgrade.

Understand the failure class

Background: 'Could not be found', 'does not exist', 'not found in database': the resource-not-found family when an ID, slug, key, or URI lookup comes back empty — this error's family across 20 libraries.

Related errors

• No models
• Unknown client
• {error}
• {message}
• Invalid response data

AI-assisted analysis of sigoden/aichat@82976d349a (2026-09-09). Data as JSON: /api/errors/85f20e53bd0d634d. Report an issue: GitHub.

Appendix: source

Thrown at src/client/model.rs:88

                    .into_iter()
                    .any(|v| *v == client_name)
                    && model_type.can_create_from_name()
                {
                    let mut new_model = Self::new(client_name, model_name);
                    new_model.data.model_type = model_type.to_string();
                    return Ok(new_model);
                }
            }
            None => {
                if let Some(found) = models
                    .iter()
                    .find(|v| v.client_name == client_name && v.model_type() == model_type)
                {
                    return Ok((*found).clone());
                }
            }
        };
        bail!("Unknown {model_type} model '{model_id}'")
    }

    pub fn id(&self) -> String {
        if self.data.name.is_empty() {
            self.client_name.to_string()
        } else {
            format!("{}:{}", self.client_name, self.data.name)
        }
    }

    pub fn client_name(&self) -> &str {
        &self.client_name
    }

    pub fn name(&self) -> &str {
        &self.data.name
    }

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