debug-inference

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 If the result is pending, failed, withheld, or superseded, inspect its reason before launching the client.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
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, or profiles collide on a key	Attach the provider and launch a new process; resolve duplicate keys explicitly
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:

1. Verify the engine from the gateway host.
2. Verify it listens on an address reachable from the gateway runtime.
3. Import a custom profile naming host.openshell.internal and the actual port.
4. Restrict the profile to the intended binaries and API paths.
5. Create and attach the provider.
6. Configure the application's base URL, model, and timeout.
7. Probe the native endpoint from a newly launched sandbox process.

Reporting

Report:

1. The active gateway and whether topology contributes to the failure.
2. The provider, profile, attachment, endpoint, and client binary involved.
3. The exact failed host, port, path, and request authority without secrets.
4. Whether the client still relies on removed managed-routing behavior.
5. The narrowest profile, attachment, or application configuration change that resolves the problem.