gsd-oc-select-model

name	gsd-oc-select-model
description	Interactive model selection workflow with paginated navigation. Use when users want to select a model interactively - guides them through provider selection then model selection using the question tool with pagination support for large lists.

Select Model skill

Interactive workflow to select an AI model from opencode's available providers and models.

Script Location

The script is bundled with this skill at:

scripts/select-models.cjs

Run with:

node <skill-dir>/scripts/select-models.cjs [options]

Where <skill-dir> is the installation directory of this skill.

Workflow

Step 1: Get Providers

Run the script with --providers-only to get the list of providers:

node <skill-dir>/scripts/select-models.cjs --providers-only

Returns JSON:

{
  "provider_count": N,
  "providers": [
    {"name": "...", "model_count": N, "sample_models": "...", "has_sub_providers": true|false}
  ]
}

Key field: has_sub_providers - indicates if this provider has a hierarchical structure (3-level) or flat structure (2-level).

Step 2: Ask User to Select Provider (with Pagination)

Use the question tool with paginated options. Show 10 providers per page.

Pagination pattern:

• For each page, include navigation options as needed:
  • "→ Next" - to go to next page (include when not on last page)
  • "← Previous" - to go to previous page (include when not on first page)
• Track current page index (0-based)
• Label the provider options clearly: show name and model count

Example for page 0 (first 10 providers):

question: "Select a provider (page 1/N, showing 1-10 of M):"
Options:
- "google (28 models)"
- "google-vertex (27 models)"
- ...
- "→ Next"

When user selects "→ Next":

• Increment page index
• Call question tool again with next 10 providers

When user selects "← Previous":

• Decrement page index
• Call question tool again with previous 10 providers

When user selects a provider:

• Save the selected provider name
• Save has_sub_providers flag from the provider data
• Proceed to Step 3

Step 3: Check Provider Hierarchy

After provider selection, run the script to check if the provider has sub-providers:

node <skill-dir>/scripts/select-models.cjs --provider "provider-name"

Returns one of two JSON structures:

A. For flat providers (2-level flow):

{
  "provider": "openai",
  "model_count": 5,
  "models": ["gpt-4", "gpt-3.5-turbo", ...]
}

• models array present → Proceed to Step 5 (2-level flow)

B. For hierarchical providers (3-level flow):

{
  "provider": "synthetic",
  "has_sub_providers": true,
  "sub_provider_count": 3,
  "sub_providers": [
    {"name": "deepseek-ai", "model_count": 5, "sample_models": "..."},
    {"name": "nvidia", "model_count": 4, "sample_models": "..."},
    ...
  ]
}

• has_sub_providers: true → Proceed to Step 4 (3-level flow)
• Save the sub_providers array for the next step

Step 4: Sub-Provider Selection (3-level flow only)

Only for hierarchical providers. Use the question tool with paginated options. Show 10 sub-providers per page.

Breadcrumb format: Provider: {name} > Select a sub-provider (page X/Y, showing A-B of M)

Example for page 0:

question: "Provider: synthetic > Select a sub-provider (page 1/1, showing 1-3 of 3):"
Options:
- "deepseek-ai (5 models)"
- "nvidia (4 models)"
- "perplexity-ai (3 models)"
- "← Back"

Navigation:

• "→ Next" / "← Previous" - standard pagination
• "← Back" - returns to provider selection (Step 2), preserves provider_page

When user selects a sub-provider:

• Save the selected sub-provider name
• Proceed to Step 5

Step 5: Model Selection

For 2-level flow: Use models from Step 3 response

For 3-level flow: Run the script with both provider and sub-provider:

node <skill-dir>/scripts/select-models.cjs --provider "provider-name" --sub-provider "sub-provider-name"

Returns JSON:

{
  "provider": "synthetic",
  "sub_provider": "deepseek-ai",
  "model_count": 5,
  "models": ["DeepSeek-R1", "DeepSeek-V3", ...]
}

Pagination: Show 15 models per page.

Breadcrumb format varies by flow:

• 2-level: Provider: {name} > Select a model (page X/Y, showing A-B of M)
• 3-level: Provider: {p} > Sub-provider: {sp} > Select a model (page X/Y, showing A-B of M)

Example for 2-level flow (page 0):

question: "Provider: openai > Select a model (page 1/1, showing 1-5 of 5):"
Options:
- "gpt-4"
- "gpt-3.5-turbo"
- "..."
- "← Back"

Example for 3-level flow (page 0):

question: "Provider: synthetic > Sub-provider: deepseek-ai > Select a model (page 1/1, showing 1-5 of 5):"
Options:
- "DeepSeek-R1"
- "DeepSeek-V3"
- "..."
- "← Back"

Navigation:

• "→ Next" / "← Previous" - standard pagination
• "← Back" - returns to provider selection (2-level) or sub-provider selection (3-level)

When user selects a model:

• Return the full model ID:
  • 2-level: provider/model-name
  • 3-level: provider/sub-provider/model-name

Breadcrumb Navigation

Breadcrumbs appear in the question header to orient the user at each selection level.

Breadcrumb Formats

Level	Format	Example
Provider selection	Select a provider (page X/Y, showing A-B of M)	"Select a provider (page 1/3, showing 1-10 of 25)"
Sub-provider selection (3-level)	Provider: {name} > Select a sub-provider (page X/Y, showing A-B of M)	"Provider: synthetic > Select a sub-provider (page 1/2, showing 1-10 of 15)"
Model selection (2-level)	Provider: {name} > Select a model (page X/Y, showing A-B of M)	"Provider: openai > Select a model (page 1/1, showing 1-5 of 5)"
Model selection (3-level)	Provider: {p} > Sub-provider: {sp} > Select a model (page X/Y, showing A-B of M)	"Provider: synthetic > Sub-provider: deepseek-ai > Select a model (page 1/1, showing 1-5 of 5)"

Implementation Notes

• Separator: Use " > " (space-angle-space) between levels for readability
• Current context: Always show the selected provider/sub-provider name to orient the user
• Page info: Include (page X/Y, showing A-B of M) at the end of the breadcrumb
• Internal vs display: Page indices are 0-based internally, displayed as 1-based to users

Navigation and State Management

"← Back" Navigation

The "← Back" option allows users to return to previous levels:

Current Level	"← Back" Goes To	State Preserved
Sub-provider selection	Provider selection	provider_page
Model selection (2-level)	Provider selection	provider_page
Model selection (3-level)	Sub-provider selection	sub_provider_page, provider_page

State Variables to Track

Maintain these variables at the conversation level:

Variable	Type	Description
provider_page	number (0-based)	Current provider page index
sub_provider_page	number (0-based)	Current sub-provider page index (3-level only)
model_page	number (0-based)	Current model page index
selected_provider	string	Name of the selected provider (for breadcrumbs)
selected_sub_provider	string	Name of the selected sub-provider (3-level only)
has_sub_providers	boolean	Whether the selected provider is hierarchical

Pagination State Preservation

When navigating back, preserve the page index so the user returns to the same page they were on:

• Sub-provider → Provider: provider_page is preserved; user sees the same provider list page
• Models → Sub-provider (3-level): sub_provider_page is preserved; user sees the same sub-provider list page
• Models → Provider (2-level): provider_page is preserved; user sees the same provider list page

Implementation: Store page indices before navigating to the next level, restore when user selects "← Back".

Implementation Notes

• Page size: 10 for providers/sub-providers, 15 for models
• Navigation options: Always show "→ Next" and/or "← Previous" at the end of the option list (before "← Back" in 3-level flows)
• Page info: Include (page X/Y, showing A-B of M) in the question header for orientation
• State persistence: Page indices and selections persist at conversation level
• Back option: "← Back" appears as the last option in the question list when not at the top level
• Type your own: The question tool adds a "Type your own answer" option automatically - users can use this to jump to a specific provider/model by name
• Return formats:
  • 2-level: provider/model (e.g., xai/grok-2)
  • 3-level: provider/sub-provider/model (e.g., synthetic/deepseek-ai/DeepSeek-R1)
• Dependencies: The script has no external dependencies (self-contained Node.js)
• Indices: Page indices are 0-based internally, displayed as 1-based to users

Example Flows

Example 1: 2-Level Flow (Flat Provider)

This is the standard flow for providers without sub-providers (e.g., openai, xai, google).

1. LLM: Run select-models --providers-only
2. LLM: question: "Select a provider (page 1/2, showing 1-10 of 15):"
   Options: [google, google-vertex, ..., → Next]
3. User: Selects "→ Next"
4. LLM: question: "Select a provider (page 2/2, showing 11-15 of 15):"
   Options: [← Previous, vercel, xai, zai-coding-plan]
5. User: Selects "xai (22 models)"
6. LLM: Run select-models --provider xai
   Response: {"provider": "xai", "model_count": 22, "models": [...]}
7. LLM: question: "Provider: xai > Select a model (page 1/2, showing 1-15 of 22):"
   Options: [grok-2, grok-2-1212, ..., → Next, ← Back]
8. User: Selects "grok-2"
9. LLM: Returns "Selected model: xai/grok-2"

Example 2: 3-Level Flow (Hierarchical Provider) with Back Navigation

This flow demonstrates hierarchical provider selection with back navigation (e.g., synthetic).

State tracking:

• provider_page = 0, selected_provider = "synthetic"
• sub_provider_page = 0, selected_sub_provider = "deepseek-ai"
• model_page = 0

1. LLM: Run select-models --providers-only
   Response includes: {"name": "synthetic", "model_count": 100, "has_sub_providers": true, ...}
2. LLM: question: "Select a provider (page 1/3, showing 1-10 of 25):"
   Options: [google, synthetic (100 models, 12 sub-providers), ..., → Next]
3. User: Selects "synthetic"
   State: provider_page = 0, selected_provider = "synthetic", has_sub_providers = true
4. LLM: Run select-models --provider synthetic
   Response: {"provider": "synthetic", "has_sub_providers": true, "sub_providers": [...]}
5. LLM: question: "Provider: synthetic > Select a sub-provider (page 1/2, showing 1-10 of 12):"
   Options: [deepseek-ai (5 models), nvidia (4 models), ..., → Next, ← Back]
6. User: Selects "deepseek-ai"
   State: sub_provider_page = 0, selected_sub_provider = "deepseek-ai"
7. LLM: Run select-models --provider synthetic --sub-provider deepseek-ai
   Response: {"provider": "synthetic", "sub_provider": "deepseek-ai", "model_count": 5, "models": [...]}
8. LLM: question: "Provider: synthetic > Sub-provider: deepseek-ai > Select a model (page 1/1, showing 1-5 of 5):"
   Options: [DeepSeek-R1, DeepSeek-V3, ..., ← Back]
9. User: Selects "← Back" (wants to choose different sub-provider)
10. LLM: question: "Provider: synthetic > Select a sub-provider (page 1/2, showing 1-10 of 12):"
    Options: [deepseek-ai (5 models), nvidia (4 models), ..., → Next, ← Back]
    (Note: Returns to same page due to preserved sub_provider_page = 0)
11. User: Selects "nvidia"
    State: sub_provider_page = 0 (preserved), selected_sub_provider = "nvidia"
12. LLM: Run select-models --provider synthetic --sub-provider nvidia
13. LLM: question: "Provider: synthetic > Sub-provider: nvidia > Select a model (page 1/1, showing 1-4 of 4):"
    Options: [Llama-3.1-8B, ..., ← Back]
14. User: Selects "Llama-3.1-8B"
15. LLM: Returns "Selected model: synthetic/nvidia/Llama-3.1-8B"

Example 3: Back Navigation from Models to Providers (2-Level)

Demonstrates state preservation when navigating back in a 2-level flow.

1. LLM: Run select-models --providers-only
2. LLM: question: "Select a provider (page 1/3, showing 1-10 of 28):"
   Options: [google, ..., → Next]
3. User: Selects "→ Next" (twice) to reach page 3
4. LLM: question: "Select a provider (page 3/3, showing 21-28 of 28):"
   Options: [← Previous, xai, zai-coding-plan]
   State: provider_page = 2
5. User: Selects "xai"
6. LLM: Run select-models --provider xai
7. LLM: question: "Provider: xai > Select a model (page 1/2, showing 1-15 of 22):"
   Options: [grok-2, ..., → Next, ← Back]
8. User: Selects "← Back" (wants to choose different provider)
9. LLM: question: "Select a provider (page 3/3, showing 21-28 of 28):"
   Options: [← Previous, xai, zai-coding-plan]
   (Note: Returns to page 3 due to preserved provider_page = 2)
10. User: Selects "zai-coding-plan"
11. LLM: Run select-models --provider zai-coding-plan
12. LLM: Returns "Selected model: zai-coding-plan/plan-1"