my-pal-mcp-server/docs/tools/listmodels.md

ListModels Tool - List Available Models

Display all available AI models organized by provider

The listmodels tool shows which providers are configured, available models, their aliases, context windows, and capabilities. This is useful for understanding what models can be used and their characteristics.

Usage

"Use zen to list available models"

Key Features

• Provider organization: Shows all configured providers and their status
• Model capabilities: Context windows, thinking mode support, and special features
• Alias mapping: Shows shorthand names and their full model mappings
• Configuration status: Indicates which providers are available based on API keys
• Context window information: Helps you choose models based on your content size needs
• Capability overview: Understanding which models support extended thinking, vision, etc.

Output Information

The tool displays:

Provider Status:

• Which providers are configured and available
• API key status (without revealing the actual keys)
• Provider priority order

Model Details:

• Full model names and their aliases
• Context window sizes (tokens)
• Special capabilities (thinking modes, vision support, etc.)
• Provider-specific features

Capability Summary:

• Which models support extended thinking
• Vision-capable models for image analysis
• Models with largest context windows
• Fastest models for quick tasks

Example Output

📋 Available Models by Provider

🔹 Google (Gemini) - ✅ Configured
  • pro (gemini-2.5-pro-preview-06-05) - 1M context, thinking modes
  • flash (gemini-2.0-flash-experimental) - 1M context, ultra-fast

🔹 OpenAI - ✅ Configured  
  • o3 (o3) - 200K context, strong reasoning
  • o3-mini (o3-mini) - 200K context, balanced
  • o4-mini (o4-mini) - 200K context, latest reasoning

🔹 Custom/Local - ✅ Configured
  • local-llama (llama3.2) - 128K context, local inference
  • Available at: http://localhost:11434/v1

🔹 OpenRouter - ❌ Not configured
  Set OPENROUTER_API_KEY to enable access to Claude, GPT-4, and more models

When to Use ListModels

• Model selection: When you're unsure which models are available
• Capability checking: To verify what features each model supports
• Configuration validation: To confirm your API keys are working
• Context planning: To choose models based on content size requirements
• Performance optimization: To select the right model for speed vs quality trade-offs

Configuration Dependencies

The available models depend on your configuration:

API Keys Required:

• GEMINI_API_KEY - Enables Gemini Pro and Flash models
• OPENAI_API_KEY - Enables OpenAI O3, O4-mini, and GPT models
• OPENROUTER_API_KEY - Enables access to multiple providers through OpenRouter
• CUSTOM_API_URL - Enables local/custom models (Ollama, vLLM, etc.)

Model Restrictions: If you've set model usage restrictions via environment variables, the tool will show:

• Which models are allowed vs restricted
• Active restriction policies
• How to modify restrictions

Tool Parameters

This tool requires no parameters - it simply queries the server configuration and displays all available information.

Best Practices

• Check before planning: Use this tool to understand your options before starting complex tasks
• Verify configuration: Confirm your API keys are working as expected
• Choose appropriate models: Match model capabilities to your specific needs
• Understand limits: Be aware of context windows when working with large files

When to Use ListModels vs Other Tools

• Use listmodels for: Understanding available options and model capabilities
• Use chat for: General discussions about which model to use for specific tasks
• Use version for: Server configuration and version information
• Use other tools for: Actual analysis, debugging, or development work