Model Configuration

Models configuration defines how Viben selects and uses AI models. You can set up convenient aliases, configure fallback chains for reliability, and customize model parameters.

Configuration File

Model configuration is stored in ~/.viben/models.yaml:

# ~/.viben/models.yaml
version: 1

# Default model to use
default: claude-sonnet-4-20250514

# Model aliases for quick access
aliases:
  fast: claude-3-5-haiku-latest
  smart: claude-sonnet-4-20250514
  best: claude-opus-4-20250514

# Fallback chain for reliability
fallbacks:
  - claude-sonnet-4-20250514
  - gpt-4-turbo
  - claude-3-5-haiku-latest

# Per-model configuration
model_config:
  claude-sonnet-4-20250514:
    provider: anthropic-main
    max_tokens: 8192
    temperature: 0.7

# Model capabilities (for intelligent selection)
model_capabilities:
  claude-sonnet-4-20250514:
    context_window: 200000
    supports_vision: true
    supports_tools: true

Model Aliases

Aliases provide short, memorable names for commonly used models.

Built-in Alias Suggestions

Alias	Model	Use Case
fast	claude-3-5-haiku-latest	Quick responses, simple tasks
quick	gpt-4o-mini	Low-cost, fast operations
smart	claude-sonnet-4-20250514	Balanced intelligence
balanced	gpt-4o	General purpose
best	claude-opus-4-20250514	Maximum capability
powerful	gpt-4-turbo	Complex reasoning
code	claude-sonnet-4-20250514	Coding tasks
chat	claude-3-5-haiku-latest	Conversational
reasoning	o1-preview	Deep reasoning

Provider-Specific Aliases

Alias	Model
gpt	gpt-4-turbo
claude	claude-sonnet-4-20250514
gemini	gemini-1.5-pro

Alias Configuration

aliases:
  # Speed-optimized
  fast: claude-3-5-haiku-latest
  quick: gpt-4o-mini

  # Intelligence-optimized
  smart: claude-sonnet-4-20250514
  balanced: gpt-4o

  # Maximum capability
  best: claude-opus-4-20250514
  powerful: gpt-4-turbo

  # Task-specific
  code: claude-sonnet-4-20250514
  chat: claude-3-5-haiku-latest
  reasoning: o1-preview

Alias Commands

# List all aliases
viben model aliases list

# Create an alias
viben model aliases create -n fast -f claude-3-5-haiku-latest
viben model aliases create -n smart -f claude-sonnet-4-20250514
viben model aliases create -n best -f claude-opus-4-20250514

# Remove an alias
viben model aliases remove -n fast

Output of viben model aliases list:

Model Aliases:
  fast   → claude-3-5-haiku-latest
  smart  → claude-sonnet-4-20250514
  best   → claude-opus-4-20250514
  gpt    → gpt-4-turbo

Fallback Chains

Fallback chains ensure reliability by trying alternative models when the primary is unavailable.

How Fallbacks Work

1. Viben tries the first model in the chain
2. If unavailable (API error, rate limit, etc.), tries the next
3. Continues until a model succeeds or all fail

Fallback Configuration

fallbacks:
  - claude-sonnet-4-20250514      # Primary choice
  - gpt-4-turbo                    # First fallback
  - claude-3-5-haiku-latest        # Second fallback
  - gpt-4o-mini                    # Last resort

Fallback Commands

# List fallback chain
viben model fallbacks list

# Add model to fallback chain
viben model fallbacks create -n claude-sonnet-4-20250514
viben model fallbacks create -n gpt-4-turbo
viben model fallbacks create -n claude-3-5-haiku-latest

# Remove from fallback chain
viben model fallbacks remove -n gpt-4-turbo

# Clear entire fallback chain
viben model fallbacks clear

Output of viben model fallbacks list:

Fallback Chain:
  1. claude-sonnet-4-20250514   (anthropic-main)
  2. gpt-4-turbo                (openai-main)
  3. claude-3-5-haiku-latest    (anthropic-main)

Model-Specific Configuration

Configure individual models with custom parameters:

model_config:
  # Claude Sonnet 4
  claude-sonnet-4-20250514:
    provider: anthropic-main        # Which provider to use
    max_tokens: 8192                # Maximum output tokens
    temperature: 0.7                # Response randomness (0-1)
    # Optional parameters:
    # top_p: 0.9
    # top_k: 40
    # stop_sequences: ["\n\nHuman:"]

  # Claude Opus 4
  claude-opus-4-20250514:
    provider: anthropic-main
    max_tokens: 4096
    temperature: 0.5                # More deterministic

  # Claude Haiku
  claude-3-5-haiku-latest:
    provider: anthropic-main
    max_tokens: 4096
    temperature: 0.8

  # GPT-4 Turbo
  gpt-4-turbo:
    provider: openai-main
    max_tokens: 4096
    temperature: 0.7

  # GPT-4o
  gpt-4o:
    provider: openai-main
    max_tokens: 4096
    temperature: 0.7

  # GPT-4o Mini
  gpt-4o-mini:
    provider: openai-main
    max_tokens: 4096
    temperature: 0.8

  # Azure GPT-4
  azure-gpt-4:
    provider: azure-gpt4            # Uses Azure provider
    max_tokens: 4096
    temperature: 0.7

  # Gemini 1.5 Pro
  gemini-1.5-pro:
    provider: google-gemini
    max_tokens: 8192
    temperature: 0.7

  # Local Ollama model
  llama3:
    provider: local-ollama
    max_tokens: 4096
    temperature: 0.8

  # DeepSeek
  deepseek-chat:
    provider: deepseek
    max_tokens: 4096
    temperature: 0.7

  # Groq (LLaMA)
  llama-3.1-70b-versatile:
    provider: groq
    max_tokens: 4096
    temperature: 0.7

Model Capabilities

Define model capabilities for intelligent model selection:

model_capabilities:
  claude-sonnet-4-20250514:
    context_window: 200000          # Max input tokens
    supports_vision: true           # Image understanding
    supports_tools: true            # Function calling
    supports_streaming: true        # Streaming responses
    cost_per_1k_input: 0.003        # USD per 1K input tokens
    cost_per_1k_output: 0.015       # USD per 1K output tokens

  claude-opus-4-20250514:
    context_window: 200000
    supports_vision: true
    supports_tools: true
    supports_streaming: true
    cost_per_1k_input: 0.015
    cost_per_1k_output: 0.075

  gpt-4-turbo:
    context_window: 128000
    supports_vision: true
    supports_tools: true
    supports_streaming: true
    cost_per_1k_input: 0.01
    cost_per_1k_output: 0.03

  gpt-4o-mini:
    context_window: 128000
    supports_vision: true
    supports_tools: true
    supports_streaming: true
    cost_per_1k_input: 0.00015
    cost_per_1k_output: 0.0006

Model Commands

List Available Models

viben model list

Output:

Available Models:
  Provider: anthropic-main
    claude-opus-4-20250514        200K context   $15/$75
    claude-sonnet-4-20250514*     200K context   $3/$15
    claude-3-5-haiku-latest       200K context   $0.25/$1.25

  Provider: openai-main
    gpt-4-turbo                   128K context   $10/$30
    gpt-4o                        128K context   $2.5/$10
    gpt-4o-mini                   128K context   $0.15/$0.6

* = default model

Filter by Provider

viben model list --provider anthropic-main

Check Model Status

viben model status

Output:

Model Status:
  Default: claude-sonnet-4-20250514

  claude-sonnet-4-20250514   anthropic-main   ✓ available
  gpt-4-turbo                openai-main      ✓ available
  claude-3-5-haiku-latest    anthropic-main   ✓ available
  local-llama                local-ollama     ✗ provider offline

Set Default Model

viben model set-default -n claude-sonnet-4-20250514

JSON Output

All model commands support --json:

viben model list --json

Output:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "default": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
    "models": [
      {
        "name": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
        "provider": "anthropic-main",
        "context_window": 200000,
        "cost_input": 0.003,
        "cost_output": 0.015
      },
      {
        "name": "gpt-4-turbo",
        "provider": "openai-main",
        "context_window": 128000,
        "cost_input": 0.01,
        "cost_output": 0.03
      }
    ]
  }
}

viben model aliases list --json

Output:

{
  "success": true,
  "data": {
    "aliases": {
      "fast": "claude-3-5-haiku-latest",
      "smart": "claude-sonnet-4-20250514",
      "best": "claude-opus-4-20250514",
      "gpt": "gpt-4-turbo"
    }
  }
}

Quick Setup Examples

Cost-Optimized Setup

default: gpt-4o-mini

aliases:
  default: gpt-4o-mini
  upgrade: claude-sonnet-4-20250514

fallbacks:
  - gpt-4o-mini
  - claude-3-5-haiku-latest

Quality-Optimized Setup

default: claude-opus-4-20250514

aliases:
  default: claude-opus-4-20250514
  fast: claude-sonnet-4-20250514

fallbacks:
  - claude-opus-4-20250514
  - claude-sonnet-4-20250514
  - gpt-4-turbo

Multi-Provider Resilience

default: claude-sonnet-4-20250514

fallbacks:
  - claude-sonnet-4-20250514    # Anthropic primary
  - gpt-4-turbo                  # OpenAI backup
  - gemini-1.5-pro              # Google backup
  - llama3                       # Local fallback

Local-First Development

default: llama3

aliases:
  local: llama3
  cloud: claude-sonnet-4-20250514

fallbacks:
  - llama3
  - claude-3-5-haiku-latest

Troubleshooting

Model Not Available

# Check model status
viben model status -n claude-sonnet-4-20250514

# Verify provider is connected
viben provider status -n anthropic-main

Fallback Not Working

# Check fallback chain
viben model fallbacks list

# Verify all providers in chain are configured
viben provider status

Alias Not Resolving

# List all aliases
viben model aliases list

# Check if alias exists
viben model aliases list --json | jq '.data.aliases.fast'

Next Steps

• Provider Configuration - Configure API providers
• Config Command - General configuration management