`molecule_runtime.config.load_config` read the `MODEL_PROVIDER` env var as
the *picked model id* — despite the name, it never carried the provider
(that's `LLM_PROVIDER` / the YAML `provider:` field). So `claude-code`,
`minimax`, and `opus` were all "valid" values for a var named
MODEL_PROVIDER. That footgun bit the dev-team rollout (2026-05-10): the
lead persona env files set `MODEL=claude-opus-4-7` (the intended model)
*and* `MODEL_PROVIDER=claude-code` (mistaking it for "the runtime"); the
loader picked up MODEL_PROVIDER → the claude CLI got `--model claude-code`
→ 404 on every turn, surfaced only as "Command failed with exit code 1"
with empty stderr (the real error is in the stream-json stdout, swallowed
by the SDK's placeholder). The 22 IC workspaces "worked" only because
their `MODEL_PROVIDER=minimax` happened to fuzzy-match on MiniMax's side —
they were actually running `--model minimax`, not `MiniMax-M2.7-highspeed`.
New precedence in `_picked_model_from_env`: `MOLECULE_MODEL` (canonical,
unambiguous) > `MODEL` (the obviously-correct name, already plumbed by
workspace-server's applyRuntimeModelEnv) > `MODEL_PROVIDER` (legacy —
still honored so canvas Save+Restart, the secret-mint path, and existing
persona env files keep working, but if it's the only one set we log a
one-time deprecation pointing at the misnomer) > the YAML `model:` field.
Applied at both the top-level `model` and `runtime_config.model`
resolution sites; semantics are otherwise unchanged. Bonus: workspaces
that already set `MODEL` correctly now get exactly that model instead of
whatever fuzzy-match the upstream did with the provider slug.
Tests: 5 new cases in test_config.py (MODEL beats MODEL_PROVIDER;
MOLECULE_MODEL beats MODEL; MODEL overrides YAML; legacy MODEL_PROVIDER
still resolves + warns; no warning when MODEL is set) + an autouse
fixture that clears MODEL*/resets the warn-latch so resolution is
deterministic regardless of the CI env or test order. `pytest
tests/test_config.py` — 66 passed; the config-importing suites
(test_preflight, test_skills_loader) — 129 passed.
Companion: molecule-dev-department PR #10 fixes the six dev-team lead
`workspace.yaml`s from `model: MiniMax-M2.7` to `model: opus`. Follow-ups
(not in scope here): plumb `MOLECULE_MODEL` from applyRuntimeModelEnv and
the canvas; strip `MODEL`/`MODEL_PROVIDER` from the operator-host persona
env files once the org-template `model:` field is authoritative end-to-end.
Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.7 (1M context) <noreply@anthropic.com>
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