diff --git a/cli.py b/cli.py
index 3421dd6a1..9e8ee21c3 100755
--- a/cli.py
+++ b/cli.py
@@ -2034,11 +2034,15 @@ class HermesCLI:
                 except Exception:
                     provider_for_validation = self.provider or self.requested_provider
 
-                validation = validate_requested_model(
-                    new_model,
-                    provider_for_validation,
-                    base_url=self.base_url,
-                )
+                try:
+                    validation = validate_requested_model(
+                        new_model,
+                        provider_for_validation,
+                        base_url=self.base_url,
+                    )
+                except Exception:
+                    # Validation itself failed — fall back to old behavior (accept + save)
+                    validation = {"accepted": True, "persist": True, "recognized": False, "message": None}
 
                 if not validation.get("accepted"):
                     print(f"(^_^) Warning: {validation.get('message')}")
diff --git a/tests/hermes_cli/test_model_validation.py b/tests/hermes_cli/test_model_validation.py
index 7b1bd9bba..4c0e9a505 100644
--- a/tests/hermes_cli/test_model_validation.py
+++ b/tests/hermes_cli/test_model_validation.py
@@ -1,15 +1,57 @@
-"""Tests for provider-aware `/model` validation."""
+"""Tests for provider-aware `/model` validation in hermes_cli.models."""
 
-import os
-import sys
+from hermes_cli.models import (
+    normalize_provider,
+    provider_model_ids,
+    validate_requested_model,
+)
 
-sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), "..", ".."))
 
-from hermes_cli.models import validate_requested_model
+class TestNormalizeProvider:
+    def test_defaults_to_openrouter(self):
+        assert normalize_provider(None) == "openrouter"
+        assert normalize_provider("") == "openrouter"
+
+    def test_known_aliases(self):
+        assert normalize_provider("glm") == "zai"
+        assert normalize_provider("z-ai") == "zai"
+        assert normalize_provider("z.ai") == "zai"
+        assert normalize_provider("zhipu") == "zai"
+        assert normalize_provider("kimi") == "kimi-coding"
+        assert normalize_provider("moonshot") == "kimi-coding"
+        assert normalize_provider("minimax-china") == "minimax-cn"
+
+    def test_canonical_ids_pass_through(self):
+        assert normalize_provider("openrouter") == "openrouter"
+        assert normalize_provider("nous") == "nous"
+        assert normalize_provider("openai-codex") == "openai-codex"
+
+    def test_case_insensitive(self):
+        assert normalize_provider("OpenRouter") == "openrouter"
+        assert normalize_provider("GLM") == "zai"
+
+
+class TestProviderModelIds:
+    def test_openrouter_returns_curated_list(self):
+        ids = provider_model_ids("openrouter")
+        assert len(ids) > 0
+        assert all("/" in mid for mid in ids)
+
+    def test_unknown_provider_returns_empty(self):
+        assert provider_model_ids("some-unknown-provider") == []
+
+    def test_zai_returns_glm_models(self):
+        ids = provider_model_ids("zai")
+        assert "glm-5" in ids
+
+    def test_alias_resolves_correctly(self):
+        assert provider_model_ids("glm") == provider_model_ids("zai")
 
 
 class TestValidateRequestedModel:
-    def test_known_openrouter_model_can_be_saved(self):
+    # -- known models (happy path) ---------------------------------------
+
+    def test_known_openrouter_model_accepted_and_persisted(self):
         result = validate_requested_model("anthropic/claude-opus-4.6", "openrouter")
 
         assert result["accepted"] is True
@@ -17,13 +59,97 @@ class TestValidateRequestedModel:
         assert result["recognized"] is True
         assert result["message"] is None
 
-    def test_openrouter_requires_provider_model_format(self):
+    # -- empty / whitespace ----------------------------------------------
+
+    def test_empty_model_rejected(self):
+        result = validate_requested_model("", "openrouter")
+        assert result["accepted"] is False
+        assert "empty" in result["message"]
+
+    def test_whitespace_only_rejected(self):
+        result = validate_requested_model("   ", "openrouter")
+        assert result["accepted"] is False
+        assert "empty" in result["message"]
+
+    def test_model_with_spaces_rejected(self):
+        result = validate_requested_model("anthropic/ claude-opus", "openrouter")
+        assert result["accepted"] is False
+        assert "spaces" in result["message"].lower()
+
+    # -- OpenRouter format validation ------------------------------------
+
+    def test_openrouter_requires_slash(self):
         result = validate_requested_model("claude-opus-4.6", "openrouter")
 
         assert result["accepted"] is False
         assert result["persist"] is False
         assert "provider/model" in result["message"]
 
+    def test_openrouter_rejects_leading_slash(self):
+        result = validate_requested_model("/claude-opus-4.6", "openrouter")
+        assert result["accepted"] is False
+
+    def test_openrouter_rejects_trailing_slash(self):
+        result = validate_requested_model("anthropic/", "openrouter")
+        assert result["accepted"] is False
+
+    def test_openrouter_unknown_but_plausible_is_session_only(self):
+        result = validate_requested_model("anthropic/claude-next-gen", "openrouter")
+
+        assert result["accepted"] is True
+        assert result["persist"] is False
+        assert result["recognized"] is False
+        assert "session only" in result["message"].lower()
+
+    # -- custom endpoint -------------------------------------------------
+
+    def test_custom_base_url_accepts_anything(self):
+        result = validate_requested_model(
+            "my-local-model",
+            "openrouter",
+            base_url="http://localhost:11434/v1",
+        )
+
+        assert result["accepted"] is True
+        assert result["persist"] is True
+        assert result["message"] is None
+
+    # -- nous provider ---------------------------------------------------
+
+    def test_nous_provider_is_session_only(self):
+        result = validate_requested_model("hermes-3", "nous")
+
+        assert result["accepted"] is True
+        assert result["persist"] is False
+        assert "Nous Portal" in result["message"]
+
+    # -- other providers with catalogs -----------------------------------
+
+    def test_known_zai_model_accepted_and_persisted(self):
+        result = validate_requested_model("glm-5", "zai")
+
+        assert result["accepted"] is True
+        assert result["persist"] is True
+        assert result["recognized"] is True
+
+    def test_unknown_zai_model_is_session_only(self):
+        result = validate_requested_model("glm-99", "zai")
+
+        assert result["accepted"] is True
+        assert result["persist"] is False
+        assert "Z.AI" in result["message"]
+
+    # -- provider with no catalog ----------------------------------------
+
+    def test_unknown_provider_is_session_only(self):
+        result = validate_requested_model("some-model", "totally-unknown")
+
+        assert result["accepted"] is True
+        assert result["persist"] is False
+        assert result["message"] is not None
+
+    # -- codex provider --------------------------------------------------
+
     def test_unknown_codex_model_is_session_only(self):
         result = validate_requested_model("totally-made-up", "openai-codex")
 
@@ -31,13 +157,11 @@ class TestValidateRequestedModel:
         assert result["persist"] is False
         assert "OpenAI Codex" in result["message"]
 
-    def test_custom_endpoint_allows_plain_model_ids(self):
-        result = validate_requested_model(
-            "gpt-4",
-            "openrouter",
-            base_url="http://localhost:11434/v1",
-        )
+    # -- fuzzy suggestions -----------------------------------------------
 
+    def test_close_match_gets_suggestion(self):
+        # Typo of a known model — should get a suggestion in the message
+        result = validate_requested_model("anthropic/claude-opus-4.5", "openrouter")
+        # May or may not match depending on cutoff, but should be session-only
         assert result["accepted"] is True
-        assert result["persist"] is True
-        assert result["message"] is None
+        assert result["persist"] is False
diff --git a/tests/test_cli_model_command.py b/tests/test_cli_model_command.py
index 7bcef1281..977c233d2 100644
--- a/tests/test_cli_model_command.py
+++ b/tests/test_cli_model_command.py
@@ -1,11 +1,7 @@
-"""Regression tests for the `/model` slash command."""
+"""Regression tests for the `/model` slash command in the interactive CLI."""
 
-import os
-import sys
 from unittest.mock import patch
 
-sys.path.insert(0, os.path.join(os.path.dirname(__file__), ".."))
-
 from cli import HermesCLI
 
 
@@ -58,3 +54,44 @@ class TestModelCommand:
         assert cli_obj.model == "anthropic/claude-sonnet-next"
         assert cli_obj.agent is None
         save_mock.assert_not_called()
+
+    def test_known_model_is_saved_to_config(self, capsys):
+        cli_obj = self._make_cli()
+
+        with patch("hermes_cli.auth.resolve_provider", return_value="openrouter"), \
+             patch("hermes_cli.models.validate_requested_model", return_value={
+                 "accepted": True,
+                 "persist": True,
+                 "recognized": True,
+                 "message": None,
+             }), \
+             patch("cli.save_config_value", return_value=True) as save_mock:
+            cli_obj.process_command("/model anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5")
+
+        output = capsys.readouterr().out
+        assert "saved to config" in output
+        assert cli_obj.model == "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
+        assert cli_obj.agent is None
+        save_mock.assert_called_once_with("model.default", "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5")
+
+    def test_validation_crash_falls_back_to_save(self, capsys):
+        """If validate_requested_model throws, /model should still work (old behavior)."""
+        cli_obj = self._make_cli()
+
+        with patch("hermes_cli.auth.resolve_provider", return_value="openrouter"), \
+             patch("hermes_cli.models.validate_requested_model", side_effect=RuntimeError("boom")), \
+             patch("cli.save_config_value", return_value=True) as save_mock:
+            cli_obj.process_command("/model anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5")
+
+        output = capsys.readouterr().out
+        assert "saved to config" in output
+        assert cli_obj.model == "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4.5"
+        save_mock.assert_called_once()
+
+    def test_show_model_when_no_argument(self, capsys):
+        cli_obj = self._make_cli()
+        cli_obj.process_command("/model")
+
+        output = capsys.readouterr().out
+        assert "anthropic/claude-opus-4.6" in output
+        assert "Usage" in output