Guide new users at the model picker, No Git badge, and version env

apps/server/src/cli/config.test.ts

@@ -707,7 +707,7 @@
     Effect.gen(function* () {
       const { join } = yield* Path.Path;
       const baseDir = join(NodeOS.tmpdir(), "threadlines-cli-config-loopback-base");
       const derivedPaths = yield* deriveServerPaths(baseDir, undefined);
 
       const resolved = yield* resolveServerConfig(
         {
@@ -785,6 +785,11 @@
 
       const productionServer = yield* resolveWith({});
       expect(productionServer.appVersion).toBe(packageJson.version);
+
+      // A bare APP_VERSION belongs to whatever tool happens to set it, so the
+      // server must ignore it rather than report someone else's version.
+      const genericVersion = yield* resolveWith({ APP_VERSION: "6.6.6" });
+      expect(genericVersion.appVersion).toBe(packageJson.version);
     }),
   );
 });

apps/server/src/cli/config.ts

@@ -113,23 +113,14 @@ const aliasedConfigWithDefault = <A>(
   );
 
 const EnvServerConfig = Config.all({
-  appVersion: Config.all({
-    threadlines: Config.nonEmptyString("THREADLINES_APP_VERSION").pipe(Config.option),
-    badcode: Config.nonEmptyString("BADCODE_APP_VERSION").pipe(Config.option),
-    legacyT3Code: Config.nonEmptyString("T3CODE_APP_VERSION").pipe(Config.option),
-    generic: Config.nonEmptyString("APP_VERSION").pipe(Config.option),
-  }).pipe(
-    Config.map(({ threadlines, badcode, legacyT3Code, generic }) =>
-      Option.getOrUndefined(
-        Option.isSome(threadlines)
-          ? threadlines
-          : Option.isSome(badcode)
-            ? badcode
-            : Option.isSome(legacyT3Code)
-              ? legacyT3Code
-              : generic,
-      ),
-    ),
+  // Only the namespaced aliases are honored. A bare `APP_VERSION` is a
+  // common ambient variable that any unrelated tool can set, and trusting
+  // it made the server misreport its own version; the desktop shell always
+  // sets `THREADLINES_APP_VERSION` alongside it.
+  appVersion: aliasedConfigOption(
+    Config.nonEmptyString("THREADLINES_APP_VERSION"),
+    Config.nonEmptyString("BADCODE_APP_VERSION"),
+    Config.nonEmptyString("T3CODE_APP_VERSION"),
   ),
   logLevel: aliasedConfigWithDefault(
     Config.logLevel("THREADLINES_LOG_LEVEL"),

apps/web/src/components/chat/ChatHeader.tsx

@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ import {
 import { Badge } from "../ui/badge";
 import { Button } from "../ui/button";
 import { Group } from "../ui/group";
-import { Tooltip, TooltipPopup, TooltipTrigger } from "../ui/tooltip";
+import { Tooltip, TooltipPopup, TooltipTrigger, TooltipWrapper } from "../ui/tooltip";
 import ProjectScriptsControl, { type NewProjectScriptInput } from "../ProjectScriptsControl";
 import { Toggle } from "../ui/toggle";
 import { SidebarOpenTrigger } from "../ui/sidebar";
@@ -214,9 +214,14 @@ export const ChatHeader = memo(function ChatHeader({
           </button>
         ) : null}
         {activeProjectName && !isGitRepo && sourceControlAvailable && (
-          <Badge variant="outline" className="shrink-0 text-[10px] leading-none text-amber-700/90">
-            No Git
-          </Badge>
+          <TooltipWrapper tooltip="This folder isn't a git repository. Chat works; source control, diffs, and refs need git. Run git init to enable them.">
+            <Badge
+              variant="outline"
+              className="shrink-0 text-[10px] leading-none text-amber-700/90"
+            >
+              No Git
+            </Badge>
+          </TooltipWrapper>
         )}
       </div>
       <div className="flex shrink-0 items-center justify-end gap-2 @3xl/header-actions:gap-3">

apps/web/src/components/chat/ModelPickerContent.tsx

@@ -14,9 +14,11 @@ import {
   useLayoutEffect,
   useRef,
 } from "react";
+import { Link } from "@tanstack/react-router";
 import { SearchIcon, StarIcon, XIcon } from "lucide-react";
 import { cn } from "~/lib/utils";
 import { ModelListRow } from "./ModelListRow";
+import { resolveModelPickerEmptyState } from "./modelPickerEmptyState";
 import { buildModelPickerSearchText, scoreModelPickerSearch } from "./modelPickerSearch";
 import { Combobox, ComboboxEmpty, ComboboxInput, ComboboxListVirtualized } from "../ui/combobox";
 import { ModelEsque, PROVIDER_ICON_BY_PROVIDER } from "./providerIconUtils";
@@ -404,7 +406,12 @@ export const ModelPickerContent = memo(function ModelPickerContent(props: {
     ];
   }, [favoriteModels, isLocked, providerTabs, showTabList]);
 
-  const defaultActiveTabId = activeModelIsFavorite ? "favorites" : props.activeInstanceId;
+  // Favorites only earns the opening tab when it has something to show. A
+  // fresh install has no favorites (and a stale favorite can point at an
+  // instance that is no longer ready), so falling through to the provider
+  // tab keeps the picker from opening on an empty pane.
+  const defaultActiveTabId =
+    activeModelIsFavorite && favoriteModels.length > 0 ? "favorites" : props.activeInstanceId;
   const activeTab = useMemo(() => {
     if (!showTabList) {
       return null;
@@ -471,11 +478,15 @@ export const ModelPickerContent = memo(function ModelPickerContent(props: {
     [activeTabModels, isSearching, searchGroups],
   );
 
-  const emptyMessage = isSearching
-    ? "No models match"
-    : activeTab?.kind === "favorites"
-      ? "No favorite models"
-      : "No models available";
+  const emptyState = useMemo(
+    () =>
+      resolveModelPickerEmptyState({
+        searchQuery: normalizedSearchQuery,
+        activeTabKind: activeTab?.kind ?? null,
+        providers: instanceEntries,
+      }),
+    [activeTab?.kind, instanceEntries, normalizedSearchQuery],
+  );
 
   const tabModelCountLabel = (count: number) => `${count} ${count === 1 ? "model" : "models"}`;
 
@@ -863,8 +874,21 @@ export const ModelPickerContent = memo(function ModelPickerContent(props: {
                     })()
                   : orderedModels.map((model, modelIndex) => renderModelRow(model, modelIndex))}
               </ComboboxListVirtualized>
-              <ComboboxEmpty className="not-empty:flex not-empty:flex-1 not-empty:items-center not-empty:justify-center not-empty:p-6 empty:h-0 text-xs font-normal leading-snug">
-                {emptyMessage}
+              <ComboboxEmpty className="not-empty:flex not-empty:flex-1 not-empty:flex-col not-empty:items-center not-empty:justify-center not-empty:gap-1.5 not-empty:p-6 empty:h-0 text-xs font-normal leading-snug">
+                {emptyState.lines.map((line) => (
+                  <span key={line} className="max-w-72 text-balance">
+                    {line}
+                  </span>
+                ))}
+                {emptyState.showSettingsAction ? (
+                  <Link
+                    to="/settings/providers"
+                    className="cursor-pointer font-medium text-foreground underline-offset-2 transition-colors hover:underline focus-ring"
+                    onClick={() => props.onRequestClose?.()}
+                  >
+                    Open Settings
+                  </Link>
+                ) : null}
               </ComboboxEmpty>
             </div>
           </div>

apps/web/src/components/chat/ProviderModelPicker.browser.tsx

@@ -5,6 +5,14 @@ import {
 } from "@threadlines/contracts";
 import { EnvironmentId } from "@threadlines/contracts";
 import { createModelCapabilities } from "@threadlines/shared/model";
+import {
+  RouterProvider,
+  createMemoryHistory,
+  createRootRoute,
+  createRoute,
+  createRouter,
+} from "@tanstack/react-router";
+import type { ReactNode } from "react";
 import { page, userEvent } from "vite-plus/test/browser";
 import { afterEach, beforeEach, describe, expect, it, vi } from "vite-plus/test";
 import { render } from "vitest-browser-react";
@@ -238,6 +246,26 @@ function buildCodexProvider(models: ServerProvider["models"]): ServerProvider {
   };
 }
 
+/**
+ * The picker's empty state links to provider settings, so the component
+ * needs a router in context. Mount every case through the same throwaway
+ * memory router rather than special-casing one test.
+ */
+function renderWithTestRouter(children: ReactNode, container: HTMLElement) {
+  const rootRoute = createRootRoute({ component: () => children });
+  const indexRoute = createRoute({ getParentRoute: () => rootRoute, path: "/" });
+  const providersRoute = createRoute({
+    getParentRoute: () => rootRoute,
+    path: "/settings/providers",
+  });
+  const router = createRouter({
+    routeTree: rootRoute.addChildren([indexRoute, providersRoute]),
+    history: createMemoryHistory({ initialEntries: ["/"] }),
+  });
+
+  return render(<RouterProvider router={router} />, { container });
+}
+
 async function mountPicker(props: {
   activeInstanceId?: ProviderInstanceId;
   model: string;
@@ -261,7 +289,7 @@ async function mountPicker(props: {
     activeInstanceId,
     props.model,
   );
-  const screen = await render(
+  const screen = await renderWithTestRouter(
     <ProviderModelPicker
       activeInstanceId={activeInstanceId}
       model={props.model}
@@ -272,7 +300,7 @@ async function mountPicker(props: {
       triggerVariant={props.triggerVariant}
       onInstanceModelChange={onInstanceModelChange}
     />,
-    { container: host },
+    host,
   );
 
   return {
@@ -1519,6 +1547,80 @@ describe("ProviderModelPicker", () => {
     }
   });
 
+  it("explains an uninstalled provider instead of a bare no-match message", async () => {
+    const providers: ReadonlyArray<ServerProvider> = [
+      TEST_PROVIDERS[0]!,
+      {
+        ...TEST_PROVIDERS[1]!,
+        installed: false,
+        status: "warning",
+        auth: { status: "unknown" },
+        models: [],
+      },
+    ];
+
+    const mounted = await mountPicker({
+      model: "gpt-5-codex",
+      lockedProvider: null,
+      providers,
+    });
+
+    try {
+      await openModelPicker();
+      await fillModelPickerSearch("claude");
+
+      await vi.waitFor(() => {
+        expect(getModelPickerListText()).toContain(
+          "Claude isn't installed. Install it and sign in from Settings.",
+        );
+        expect(
+          document.querySelector<HTMLAnchorElement>('a[href="/settings/providers"]'),
+        ).not.toBeNull();
+      });
+    } finally {
+      await mounted.cleanup();
+    }
+  });
+
+  it("opens a provider tab when a favorited model is no longer selectable", async () => {
+    localStorage.setItem(
+      CLIENT_SETTINGS_STORAGE_KEY,
+      JSON.stringify({
+        ...DEFAULT_CLIENT_SETTINGS,
+        favorites: [{ provider: "claudeAgent", model: "claude-opus-4-6" }],
+      }),
+    );
+    const providers: ReadonlyArray<ServerProvider> = [
+      TEST_PROVIDERS[0]!,
+      {
+        ...TEST_PROVIDERS[1]!,
+        installed: false,
+        status: "warning",
+        auth: { status: "unknown" },
+      },
+    ];
+
+    const mounted = await mountPicker({
+      activeInstanceId: CLAUDE_INSTANCE_ID,
+      model: "claude-opus-4-6",
+      lockedProvider: null,
+      providers,
+    });
+
+    try {
+      await openModelPicker();
+
+      await vi.waitFor(() => {
+        expect(getModelPickerTabOrder()).toEqual(["favorites", "codex"]);
+        expect(getVisibleModelNames()).toEqual(["GPT-5 Codex", "GPT-5.3 Codex"]);
+        expect(getModelPickerListText()).not.toContain("No favorite models");
+      });
+    } finally {
+      await mounted.cleanup();
+      localStorage.removeItem(CLIENT_SETTINGS_STORAGE_KEY);
+    }
+  });
+
   it("accepts outline trigger styling", async () => {
     const mounted = await mountPicker({
       model: "gpt-5-codex",