Debug Inference
Diagnose inference as ordinary provider-authorized network traffic. OpenShell no longer supplies a managed inference route, rewrites request shapes, or selects a model. The application calls the provider's native endpoint and owns its base URL, model, request format, and timeout.
Use installed openshell --help output as the authority for command syntax.
Refer to the published provider management guide
and provider profile guide
for current behavior.
Diagnostic Workflow
1. Confirm Gateway and Sandbox Context
openshell status
openshell gateway info
openshell sandbox get <sandbox>
For a host-local model server, host.openshell.internal identifies the machine
running the gateway. It does not identify the operator's laptop when the gateway
is remote. A server listening only on 127.0.0.1 may also be unreachable from a
container; bind it to an address reachable from the gateway runtime.
2. Inspect the Provider and Its Profile
openshell provider get <provider>
openshell profile export <profile-id> -o yaml
Check that the profile:
- Names the exact endpoint host, port, and protocol the client calls.
- Allows the client binary.
- Declares the credential key and intended authentication style.
- Uses narrow HTTP rules when the provider should expose only part of an API.
For a custom or self-hosted OpenAI-compatible endpoint, import an endpoint-bearing profile. A base URL stored only in provider configuration does not authorize a new endpoint.
openshell profile lint -f ./provider-profile.yaml
openshell profile import -f ./provider-profile.yaml
openshell provider create --name <provider> --type <profile-id>
Add the required --credential KEY or --credential KEY=VALUE arguments shown
by the profile. Never broaden endpoint policy merely to silence a credential
binding error.
3. Confirm Attachment
openshell sandbox provider list <sandbox>
openshell sandbox provider attach <sandbox> <provider> --wait --timeout 30
Save the change's receipt_id and use openshell sandbox provider status <sandbox> <provider> --receipt <receipt-id> --wait --timeout 30 to check when it takes effect. Success confirms that the sandbox applied the credentials, policy, and environment for new processes. If the result is pending, failed, withheld, or superseded, inspect its reason before launching the client.
Launch the client after the attachment wait succeeds so it receives the updated environment:
openshell sandbox exec <sandbox> -- <client-command>
After updating an ordinary static provider, wait for that change and launch a new client. An existing process keeps its revision-scoped reference; readiness does not make the old reference resolve the replacement value. Diagnose managed-refresh credentials according to their own lifecycle.
Keep credentials and issued references out of diagnostic output. Acknowledged detach revokes future credential resolution and removes the reference from future process environments. Requests already forwarded may still finish:
openshell sandbox provider detach <sandbox> <provider> --wait --timeout 30
4. Verify Native Client Configuration
The application must use the real upstream contract:
- Native provider base URL, not the retired managed virtual endpoint.
- Real model ID, not a placeholder that OpenShell used to rewrite.
- Native OpenAI, Anthropic, Vertex, or other provider request shape.
- Application-owned timeout and retry settings.
- The credential environment variable declared by the attached profile.
Probe the exact endpoint from a newly launched sandbox process. Start with a non-secret discovery endpoint when the provider offers one, then send a minimal inference request using the provider's documented API shape.
5. Interpret Common Failures
| Symptom | Likely cause | Fix |
|---|---|---|
credential_placeholder_in_request_body |
A body reference is invalid/revoked, or classification metadata is unavailable | Check the controlled denial reason; remove the reference from conversation history or restore provider access. Do not enable body credential rewriting or bypass flags to send tool output. Unknown literals and valid issued placeholders pass unchanged, including the model provider’s own placeholder. Header resolution does not enable body rewriting. |
| A retired managed endpoint fails DNS resolution | Client still uses the removed managed endpoint | Configure the provider's native base URL and attach an endpoint-bearing provider profile |
| Direct request is denied | Missing attachment, endpoint policy, HTTP rule, or binary authorization | Inspect the attached provider profile and sandbox effective policy |
credential_endpoint_mismatch |
Credential profile does not authorize the request recipient | Correct the host/port/path or import a narrowly scoped profile for the intended endpoint |
credential_placement_mismatch |
A placeholder is outside declared placement or the metadata-free Authorization default |
Match the profile placement. For other headers, query parameters, or path slots, update the imported profile and upgrade the gateway before the supervisor; explicit body/WebSocket rewrite policies remain supported. |
request_authority_mismatch |
HTTP authority differs from the CONNECT destination | Use the same host and effective port in both authorities |
| Credential variable is absent | Provider was not attached when this process launched, profiles collide on a key, or credential delivery failed | Check provider readiness, then launch a new process; resolve duplicate keys explicitly. Missing placement metadata or an older component alone does not withhold credentials. |
| Upstream rejects the model or body | Client relied on removed model/request rewriting | Configure the real model and provider-native request format in the application |
127.0.0.1 works on the host but not in the sandbox |
Loopback refers to different runtime | Use host.openshell.internal or another gateway-reachable endpoint and profile |
| Host-local request times out | Server bind address, gateway topology, or host firewall blocks container-to-host traffic | Verify the listener and permit only the required gateway network path and port |
Host-Local Inference Checklist
For Ollama, LM Studio, vLLM, SGLang, TRT-LLM, and local NIM deployments:
- Verify the engine from the gateway host.
- Verify it listens on an address reachable from the gateway runtime.
- Import a custom profile naming
host.openshell.internaland the actual port. - Restrict the profile to the intended binaries and API paths.
- Create and attach the provider.
- Configure the application's base URL, model, and timeout.
- Probe the native endpoint from a newly launched sandbox process.
Reporting
Report:
- The active gateway and whether topology contributes to the failure.
- The provider, profile, attachment, endpoint, and client binary involved.
- The exact failed host, port, path, and request authority without secrets.
- Whether the client still relies on removed managed-routing behavior.
- The narrowest profile, attachment, or application configuration change that resolves the problem.