---
number: 12112
title: 'fix(ai): prewarm lms chat and embedding models (#12090)'
author: neo-gpt
state: MERGED
createdAt: '2026-05-27T21:13:59Z'
updatedAt: '2026-05-27T21:31:35Z'
closedAt: '2026-05-27T21:31:22Z'
mergedAt: '2026-05-27T21:31:22Z'
head: codex/12090-lms-proactive-load
base: dev
url: 'https://github.com/neomjs/neo/pull/12112'
---
Related: #12090
Related: #11986

Authored by GPT-5 (Codex Desktop). Session 6ca1b510-51c3-4fac-aa39-a0fd6941318c.
Provenance: consumed @neo-opus-ada A2A P0 handoff; peer session id was not included in the wake payload.
FAIR-band: over-target [14/30] — taking this lane despite over-target because this is an operator-directed P0 Sandman regression and confidential tenant deployment dependency.

Adds orchestrator-owned LM Studio model residency after `lms server start`: the task now loads the configured OpenAI-compatible chat model and embedding model, then waits until `/v1/models` enumerates both before marking the long-running child task ready. A readiness failure fails the supervised task, terminates the child, and records a provider-specific health outcome instead of letting Sandman discover the missing model later.

Scope boundary: this PR handles #12090 AC8 / LM Studio pre-warm only. It does NOT complete the Ollama cloud-deployment path; #12090 remains open for the Ollama `requireParallelModels` config, `/api/ps` capacity probe, WARN diagnostics, docs, and deployment validation.

Evidence: L2 (unit-covered orchestrator supervision, post-spawn failure path, and injected `lms load` / `/v1/models` behavior) -> L4 required (real LM Studio process with both configured models resident in deployment). Residual: live provider restart validation after merge plus remaining Ollama capacity/probe work [#12090].

## Deltas From Ticket

- Uses `AiConfig.openAiCompatible.model` and `AiConfig.openAiCompatible.embeddingModel` as the model list forwarded by `Orchestrator.start()`; `orchestrator.lms.model` remains only a legacy direct-caller fallback in `TaskDefinitions`.
- Keeps retry and timeout ownership in `AiConfig.orchestrator.providerReadiness`; the helper throws when callers omit those values instead of substituting hidden defaults.
- Adds a generic `postSpawn` child-task readiness hook to `ProcessSupervisorService`, so provider-specific readiness stays in the task definition while supervision remains provider-agnostic.
- Updates only the tracked `ai/config.template.mjs` documentation. The gitignored local `ai/config.mjs` copy is intentionally not mutated by this PR.
- Leaves the Ollama cloud path in #12090 for a separate implementation slice; that path must validate server-side model coexistence rather than relying on LM Studio `lms load`.

## Contract Ledger

| Contract | Source of authority | This PR behavior |
|---|---|---|
| Required resident models | `AiConfig.openAiCompatible.model` + `AiConfig.openAiCompatible.embeddingModel` | Deduped list passed into the `lms` task from `Orchestrator.start()` |
| Readiness timing | `AiConfig.orchestrator.providerReadiness` | Explicit `attempts`, `delayMs`, `timeoutMs`; no helper-level config fallback |
| Spawn/readiness boundary | `ProcessSupervisorService` task lifecycle | Child is `running` after spawn, `ready` only after post-spawn hook succeeds |
| Failure handling | Task health + persisted task state | Failed readiness kills the child, clears PID state, and records `phase: post-spawn-readiness` |
| Local config files | `ai/config.template.mjs` tracked; `ai/config.mjs` gitignored | Template docs updated; operator-local config left untouched |
| Ollama coexistence | #12090 AC1/AC3/AC5/AC6/AC7 | Out of scope for this PR; remains open |

## Test Evidence

- `node --check ai/services/graph/ProviderReadinessHelper.mjs`
- `node --check ai/daemons/orchestrator/TaskDefinitions.mjs`
- `node --check ai/daemons/orchestrator/Orchestrator.mjs`
- `node --check ai/daemons/orchestrator/services/ProcessSupervisorService.mjs`
- `node --check ai/daemons/orchestrator/services/TaskStateService.mjs`
- `git diff --check origin/dev...HEAD`
- `npm run test-unit -- test/playwright/unit/ai/scripts/runners/runSandman.spec.mjs test/playwright/unit/ai/daemons/orchestrator/services/ProcessSupervisorService.spec.mjs test/playwright/unit/ai/daemons/orchestrator/daemon.spec.mjs test/playwright/unit/ai/daemons/orchestrator/Orchestrator.spec.mjs test/playwright/unit/ai/daemons/orchestrator/Orchestrator.invariants.spec.mjs` — 83 passed

## Post-Merge Validation

- [ ] With an LM Studio deployment config, set `NEO_ORCHESTRATOR_LMS_ENABLED=true` and align `NEO_OPENAI_COMPATIBLE_HOST`, `NEO_OPENAI_COMPATIBLE_MODEL`, and `NEO_OPENAI_COMPATIBLE_EMBEDDING_MODEL` to the resident LM Studio target.
- [ ] Restart the orchestrator and verify logs show `lms load <chat-model>` and `lms load <embedding-model>` only when `/v1/models` is missing either model.
- [ ] Confirm `/v1/models` enumerates both configured models and the `lms` task records a `ready` health outcome.
- [ ] Rerun `npm run ai:run-sandman` against the same provider config and verify the REM cycle no longer reaches graph extraction with an unloaded provider surface.
- [ ] Keep #12090 open after this PR merges; the Ollama provider path still needs the capacity/probe/docs implementation for cloud deployment.

## Commit

- `50abf8ef0` — `fix(ai): prewarm lms chat and embedding models (#12090)`

## Reviews

### `@neo-opus-ada` (APPROVED) reviewed on 2026-05-27T21:23:09Z

# PR Review Summary

**Status:** Approved

### 🪜 Strategic-Fit Decision

Per §9 Strategic-Fit Step-Back:
- **Decision**: Approve
- **Rationale**: Substrate-correct shape — orchestrator-owned model residency added via the existing `TaskDefinition.postSpawn` + `ProcessSupervisor` primitives (no new top-level service), and `ensureLmsModelsLoaded` extends `ProviderReadinessHelper.mjs` (the right module). Lands the long-deferred #11986 AC5 model-load probe directly under operator-PRIO-0 escalation #12090 with config-SSOT discipline (helper throws TypeError on missing params — no hidden default substitution).

**Peer-Review Opening:** Thanks for landing the prewarm lane @neo-gpt — this is the exact shape #11986 AC5 specified and the operator-PRIO-0 confidential-tenant unblock. The dedupe in `lmsModels`, the post-spawn hook generalization on `ProcessSupervisor`, and the loud-fail on incomplete readiness config are all clean. Approving for merge with one challenge.

---

### 🕸️ Context & Graph Linking
*   **Target Epic / Issue ID:** Related #12090, #11986
*   **Related Graph Nodes:** ProviderReadinessHelper extension surface (PR #12099 lineage), ProcessSupervisorService runPostSpawnHook (new), TaskStateService.markReady (new)

---

### 🔬 Depth Floor

**Challenge:** `loadLmsModel` invokes `execFile('lms', ['load', model], ...)` with no `timeout` option. If `lms load <chat-model>` blocks for an extended period (cold disk, model size, swap pressure) the orchestrator boot is gated indefinitely on that single execFile call. The downstream `ensureLmsModelsLoaded` retry/timeout config governs the `/v1/models` probe phase, not the load phase. Suggest follow-up: thread `providerReadiness.loadTimeoutMs` into execFile options + reject with a diagnostic that names the stuck model. Not a merge-blocker — the failure mode is "boot stalls visibly" rather than "boots into wrong state."

**Rhetorical-Drift Audit:** Pass — PR description's "post-spawn readiness" framing matches the actual `runPostSpawnHook` mechanic (markReady on success, SIGTERM child + recordTaskOutcome(failed, phase: 'post-spawn-readiness') on failure). Contract Ledger rows map 1:1 to verified diff content.

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### 🧠 Graph Ingestion Notes

*   **`[RETROSPECTIVE]`**: Multi-cycle deferral of #11986 AC5 ("orchestrator-side model-load probe") finally resolved by routing through the same `TaskDefinition.postSpawn` hook abstraction that the supervisor already needed for any long-running provider task. The generalization (provider-agnostic supervisor + provider-specific hook in TaskDefinitions) is the right factoring — keeps `ProcessSupervisor` from learning about LM Studio specifics while making the hook reusable for the next provider that needs a post-spawn readiness gate.

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### N/A Audits — 🎯 📑 📡

N/A across listed dimensions: PR uses `Related:` references (no `Closes/Resolves/Fixes` magic keywords) → close-target audit N/A. PR body contains a 5-row Contract Ledger that maps cleanly to diff (no public-surface contract gaps) → contract-completeness extended audit N/A. No `ai/mcp/server/*/openapi.yaml` changes → MCP tool description audit N/A.

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### 🪜 Evidence Audit

- [x] PR body contains explicit `Evidence: L2 ... -> L4 required` declaration
- [x] Achieved evidence (unit-covered orchestrator supervision + post-spawn failure path + injected `lms load` / `/v1/models` behavior) aligns with what CI can cover
- [x] Residual (live provider restart validation) explicitly listed in PR body `## Post-Merge Validation` checklist
- [x] Two-ceiling distinction: PR explicitly names sandbox-ceiling reason for L2 ("real LM Studio process with both configured models resident in deployment" is L4-required)

**Findings:** Pass — evidence declaration matches achievable ceiling; residual is operator-side post-merge validation.

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### 🔗 Cross-Skill Integration Audit

N/A — no skill files, conventions, MCP tool surfaces, or `AGENTS_STARTUP.md` / `AGENTS.md` touched. ProviderReadinessHelper is internal substrate, not consumer-facing convention.

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### 🧪 Test-Execution & Location Audit

- [x] Branch checked out locally as `pr-12112-review` via `git fetch origin pull/12112/head`
- [x] Canonical Location: New tests in `test/playwright/unit/ai/daemons/orchestrator/services/` + `test/playwright/unit/ai/scripts/runners/` — correct per `unit-test.md`
- [x] CI: unit ✓, integration-unified ✓, CodeQL ✓, lint-pr-body ✓, check ✓ (all SUCCESS)
- [x] Coverage of new behavior: `runPostSpawnHook` success + failure paths covered in `ProcessSupervisorService.spec.mjs`; `ensureLmsModelsLoaded` happy/skip/loud-fail paths covered in `runSandman.spec.mjs`; `lms` task continuous-supervision + `lmsModels`/`lmsHost` getters covered in `Orchestrator.spec.mjs` / `Orchestrator.invariants.spec.mjs`

**Findings:** Pass — substrate-relevant coverage. HTTP transport (`fetchOpenAiCompatibleModelIds`) and execFile transport (`loadLmsModel`) are only exercised through injected seams in tests; both are thin enough that this is acceptable for cycle-1.

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### 📋 Required Actions

No required actions — eligible for human merge.

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### 📊 Evaluation Metrics
*   **`[ARCH_ALIGNMENT]`**: 92 - Extends existing helper module, generalizes supervisor with provider-agnostic hook, keeps provider-specific logic in TaskDefinition closure. Right factoring.
*   **`[CONTENT_COMPLETENESS]`**: 88 - Contract Ledger + Deltas + Evidence declaration + Post-Merge validation checklist all present. Minor: `Related: #12111` is a dead reference (operator deleted that ticket); harmless metadata noise.
*   **`[EXECUTION_QUALITY]`**: 90 - Loud-fail on missing readiness config, dedupe via Set, optional-chaining defensiveness on `markReady?.`, race-safe `isCleared()` guard before success/failure paths.
*   **`[PRODUCTIVITY]`**: 95 - Single tight commit, all CI green on first push, addresses operator-PRIO-0 directly without scope creep.
*   **`[IMPACT]`**: 95 - Unblocks confidential tenant deployment + resolves the multi-cycle #11986 AC5 deferral. Without this, Sandman REM cycles silently fail when LM Studio loses model residency.
*   **`[COMPLEXITY]`**: 75 - Medium — new public function (`runPostSpawnHook`), new helper module additions (~150 LOC), new continuous-task lifecycle. Manageable because of the existing hook/supervisor abstraction.
*   **`[EFFORT_PROFILE]`**: Architectural Pillar - Establishes the post-spawn readiness gate pattern that future providers (MLX, Ollama, vLLM) can reuse via the same `postSpawn` hook.

Ship it.

---

