> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://neuraltrust-92b43583-develop.mintlify.site/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Model resolution

> How the model field in a client request selects a registry — including auto for load balancing and smart routing — and how to filter models on the consumer in the UI.

A client never names a provider URL — it names a **model** (or uses **`auto`**), and
TrustGate resolves which [registry](/trustgate/concepts/registries) to use.

## What clients send

| Form                   | Example              | Meaning                                                                                                                                                                                      |
| ---------------------- | -------------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| **`auto`**             | `"model": "auto"`    | Used when the consumer has **load balancing** (including [smart routing](/trustgate/routing/smart-routing)). The gateway picks registry and model. Connect snippets show this automatically. |
| **Short name**         | `gpt-4o-mini`        | Sent as-is to the selected registry.                                                                                                                                                         |
| **Provider-qualified** | `@openai/gpt-4o`     | Prefer registries of that provider, then pick.                                                                                                                                               |
| **Explicit model**     | any allowed model id | Required when multiple registries are bound **without** load balancing — the client must specify the model.                                                                                  |

Copy the right form from the consumer **Connect** tab so snippets stay in sync with the
strategy you configured.

## Filter models on the consumer

Model restriction is configured on the **consumer** (or [role](/trustgate/concepts/roles)),
not as a Policies catalog plugin.

On the consumer **Routing** tab (or providers editor), for each registry row:

1. Leave **all models permitted**, or open **Filter by available models** and select a
   subset from that registry's catalog.
2. Set the **default model** when the client omits `model` (must be in the filtered set when
   filtering is on).

A request for a model outside that registry's filter is rejected during resolution, before
it reaches the provider.

Roles can define the same per-registry allow-list and default; consumers that use the role
inherit those model policies.

When [load balancing](/trustgate/routing/load-balancing) is enabled, a member's `models` list
overrides the registry's `allowed` list, and a member's `model` pins the route outright. A
member without `model` uses the policy `default` when that model is one of the member's
`models`, otherwise the first entry of `models`.

## Resolution order

1. Read the `model` value (`auto`, short name, qualified, or empty → consumer/role default).
2. Narrow candidate registries from the consumer's bindings (or smart-routing / LB pool).
3. Apply per-registry model filters — reject disallowed models; fill in the default when none
   was given.
4. Hand candidates to [load balancing](/trustgate/routing/load-balancing) or
   [smart routing](/trustgate/routing/smart-routing), with
   [fallback](/trustgate/routing/fallback) on failure when configured.

## Related

* [Consumers](/trustgate/concepts/consumers) — Routing tab and Connect snippets
* [Roles](/trustgate/concepts/roles) — shared model policies
* [Load balancing](/trustgate/routing/load-balancing) · [Smart routing](/trustgate/routing/smart-routing)
* [Embeddings](/trustgate/endpoints/embeddings) — candidate pool is embeddings-capable registries only
* [Images](/trustgate/endpoints/images) — candidate pool is images-capable registries only; multipart `model` also pins
* [Files](/trustgate/endpoints/files) — candidate pool is files-capable registries only
* [Rerank](/trustgate/endpoints/rerank) — candidate pool is rerank-capable registries only
* [Models](/trustgate/endpoints/models) — gateway-owned `GET /v1/models`, not a pin target