feat(models): add per-model generation parameter defaults

- Add modelSettings config section for attaching generation params
  (temperature, topP, topK, frequencyPenalty, presencePenalty,
  maxTokens, stopSequences, thinkingLevel) to any model by
  provider/model key
- Add params field to customModels definitions for inline defaults
- Change BuildProviderConfig and SetModel to use viper.IsSet so
  unset params remain nil, allowing model-level defaults to apply
- Wire ApplyModelSettings into CreateProvider with priority order:
  CLI flags > global config > modelSettings > customModels params
- Add GenerationParams to ModelInfo in the registry
- Update default config template with modelSettings and customModels
  params examples

internal/config/config.go

@@ -157,6 +157,20 @@ type Theme struct {
 	Markdown MarkdownThemeConfig `json:"markdown,omitzero" yaml:"markdown,omitempty"`
 }
 
+// GenerationParams defines generation parameter defaults that can be attached
+// to individual models. These act as model-level defaults — CLI flags and
+// global config values take precedence when explicitly set.
+type GenerationParams struct {
+	MaxTokens        *int     `json:"maxTokens,omitempty" yaml:"maxTokens,omitempty"`
+	Temperature      *float32 `json:"temperature,omitempty" yaml:"temperature,omitempty"`
+	TopP             *float32 `json:"topP,omitempty" yaml:"topP,omitempty"`
+	TopK             *int32   `json:"topK,omitempty" yaml:"topK,omitempty"`
+	FrequencyPenalty *float32 `json:"frequencyPenalty,omitempty" yaml:"frequencyPenalty,omitempty"`
+	PresencePenalty  *float32 `json:"presencePenalty,omitempty" yaml:"presencePenalty,omitempty"`
+	StopSequences    []string `json:"stopSequences,omitempty" yaml:"stopSequences,omitempty"`
+	ThinkingLevel    string   `json:"thinkingLevel,omitempty" yaml:"thinkingLevel,omitempty"`
+}
+
 // CustomModelConfig defines a custom model that can be used with custom/custom
 // or other custom/ prefixed models. These models are loaded from the config file
 // and merged into the custom provider in the model registry.
@@ -171,6 +185,11 @@ type CustomModelConfig struct {
 	Knowledge   string      `json:"knowledge,omitempty" yaml:"knowledge,omitempty"`
 	Cost        CostConfig  `json:"cost" yaml:"cost"`
 	Limit       LimitConfig `json:"limit" yaml:"limit"`
+
+	// Generation parameter defaults for this model.
+	// These are applied when the user hasn't explicitly set the corresponding
+	// CLI flag or global config value.
+	Params GenerationParams `json:"params,omitzero" yaml:"params,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // CostConfig defines the pricing for a custom model.
@@ -219,6 +238,12 @@ type Config struct {
 
 	// Custom model definitions (under custom/ provider)
 	CustomModels map[string]CustomModelConfig `json:"customModels,omitempty" yaml:"customModels,omitempty"`
+
+	// Per-model generation parameter overrides. Keys are "provider/model" strings
+	// (e.g. "anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929", "openai/gpt-4o"). These
+	// settings act as model-level defaults — CLI flags and global config values
+	// take precedence when explicitly set.
+	ModelSettings map[string]GenerationParams `json:"modelSettings,omitempty" yaml:"modelSettings,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // GetTransportType returns the transport type for the server config, mapping
@@ -367,7 +392,7 @@ mcpServers:
 # debug: false                                 # Enable debug logging
 # system-prompt: "/path/to/system-prompt.txt" # System prompt text file
 
-# Model generation parameters (all optional)
+# Model generation parameters (all optional, apply globally to all models)
 # max-tokens: 4096                             # Maximum tokens in response
 # temperature: 0.7                             # Randomness (0.0-1.0)
 # top-p: 0.95                                  # Nucleus sampling (0.0-1.0)
@@ -376,9 +401,44 @@ mcpServers:
 # presence-penalty: 0.0                         # Penalize present tokens (0.0-2.0)
 # stop-sequences: ["Human:", "Assistant:"]     # Custom stop sequences
 
+# Per-model generation parameter overrides (apply to specific models)
+# These act as model-level defaults — CLI flags and global settings above take precedence.
+# Keys are "provider/model" strings matching the model you use.
+# modelSettings:
+#   anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-5-20250929:
+#     temperature: 0.3
+#     maxTokens: 8192
+#   openai/gpt-4o:
+#     temperature: 0.7
+#     topP: 0.95
+#     topK: 40
+#     frequencyPenalty: 0.1
+#     presencePenalty: 0.1
+#   anthropic/claude-opus-4-6:
+#     thinkingLevel: "high"
+#     maxTokens: 16384
+
 # API Configuration (can also use environment variables)
 # provider-api-key: "your-api-key"         # API key for OpenAI, Anthropic, or Google
 # provider-url: "https://api.openai.com/v1" # Base URL for OpenAI, Anthropic, or Ollama
+
+# Custom model definitions (under custom/ provider)
+# customModels:
+#   my-local-llama:
+#     name: "Local Llama 3"
+#     baseUrl: "http://localhost:8080/v1"
+#     family: "llama"
+#     temperature: true
+#     cost:
+#       input: 0.0
+#       output: 0.0
+#     limit:
+#       context: 131072
+#       output: 8192
+#     params:                              # Generation parameter defaults for this model
+#       temperature: 0.8
+#       topP: 0.95
+#       topK: 40
 `
 
 	_, err = file.WriteString(content)

internal/kitsetup/setup.go

@@ -82,36 +82,55 @@ type AgentSetupResult struct {
 
 // BuildProviderConfig creates a *models.ProviderConfig from the current viper
 // state. All entry points (root, script, SDK) converge through this function.
+//
+// Generation parameter pointers (Temperature, TopP, etc.) are only set when
+// the user has explicitly configured them via CLI flag, environment variable,
+// or global config file. This allows per-model defaults from modelSettings
+// and customModels to fill in unset parameters downstream.
 func BuildProviderConfig() (*models.ProviderConfig, string, error) {
 	systemPrompt, err := config.LoadSystemPrompt(viper.GetString("system-prompt"))
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("failed to load system prompt: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	temperature := float32(viper.GetFloat64("temperature"))
-	topP := float32(viper.GetFloat64("top-p"))
-	topK := int32(viper.GetInt("top-k"))
-	frequencyPenalty := float32(viper.GetFloat64("frequency-penalty"))
-	presencePenalty := float32(viper.GetFloat64("presence-penalty"))
 	numGPU := int32(viper.GetInt("num-gpu-layers"))
 	mainGPU := int32(viper.GetInt("main-gpu"))
 
 	cfg := &models.ProviderConfig{
-		ModelString:      viper.GetString("model"),
-		SystemPrompt:     systemPrompt,
-		ProviderAPIKey:   viper.GetString("provider-api-key"),
-		ProviderURL:      viper.GetString("provider-url"),
-		MaxTokens:        viper.GetInt("max-tokens"),
-		Temperature:      &temperature,
-		TopP:             &topP,
-		TopK:             &topK,
-		FrequencyPenalty: &frequencyPenalty,
-		PresencePenalty:  &presencePenalty,
-		StopSequences:    viper.GetStringSlice("stop-sequences"),
-		NumGPU:           &numGPU,
-		MainGPU:          &mainGPU,
-		TLSSkipVerify:    viper.GetBool("tls-skip-verify"),
-		ThinkingLevel:    models.ParseThinkingLevel(viper.GetString("thinking-level")),
+		ModelString:    viper.GetString("model"),
+		SystemPrompt:   systemPrompt,
+		ProviderAPIKey: viper.GetString("provider-api-key"),
+		ProviderURL:    viper.GetString("provider-url"),
+		MaxTokens:      viper.GetInt("max-tokens"),
+		StopSequences:  viper.GetStringSlice("stop-sequences"),
+		NumGPU:         &numGPU,
+		MainGPU:        &mainGPU,
+		TLSSkipVerify:  viper.GetBool("tls-skip-verify"),
+		ThinkingLevel:  models.ParseThinkingLevel(viper.GetString("thinking-level")),
+	}
+
+	// Only set generation parameter pointers when the user has explicitly
+	// provided a value. This leaves nil pointers for unset params, allowing
+	// per-model defaults (modelSettings / customModels params) to apply.
+	if viper.IsSet("temperature") {
+		v := float32(viper.GetFloat64("temperature"))
+		cfg.Temperature = &v
+	}
+	if viper.IsSet("top-p") {
+		v := float32(viper.GetFloat64("top-p"))
+		cfg.TopP = &v
+	}
+	if viper.IsSet("top-k") {
+		v := int32(viper.GetInt("top-k"))
+		cfg.TopK = &v
+	}
+	if viper.IsSet("frequency-penalty") {
+		v := float32(viper.GetFloat64("frequency-penalty"))
+		cfg.FrequencyPenalty = &v
+	}
+	if viper.IsSet("presence-penalty") {
+		v := float32(viper.GetFloat64("presence-penalty"))
+		cfg.PresencePenalty = &v
 	}
 
 	return cfg, systemPrompt, nil

internal/models/custom.go

@@ -31,7 +31,7 @@ func loadCustomModelsFromConfig() map[string]ModelInfo {
 
 // modelConfigToModelInfo converts a CustomModelConfig to a ModelInfo.
 func modelConfigToModelInfo(modelID string, cfg CustomModelConfig) ModelInfo {
-	return ModelInfo{
+	info := ModelInfo{
 		ID:          modelID,
 		Name:        cfg.Name,
 		Attachment:  cfg.Attachment,
@@ -48,21 +48,210 @@ func modelConfigToModelInfo(modelID string, cfg CustomModelConfig) ModelInfo {
 			Output:  cfg.Limit.Output,
 		},
 	}
+
+	// Convert custom model generation params if any are set.
+	if p := convertGenerationParams(cfg.Params); p != nil {
+		info.Params = p
+	}
+
+	return info
+}
+
+// loadModelSettingsFromConfig loads per-model generation parameter overrides
+// from the config file. Keys are "provider/model" strings. Returns nil if
+// no model settings are configured.
+func loadModelSettingsFromConfig() map[string]*GenerationParams {
+	if !viper.IsSet("modelSettings") {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	var settings map[string]GenerationParamsConfig
+	if err := viper.UnmarshalKey("modelSettings", &settings); err != nil {
+		log.Printf("Warning: Failed to parse modelSettings: %v", err)
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	result := make(map[string]*GenerationParams, len(settings))
+	for modelKey, cfg := range settings {
+		if p := convertGenerationParams(cfg); p != nil {
+			result[modelKey] = p
+		}
+	}
+
+	return result
+}
+
+// convertGenerationParams converts a GenerationParamsConfig to a GenerationParams.
+// Returns nil if no parameters are set.
+func convertGenerationParams(cfg GenerationParamsConfig) *GenerationParams {
+	p := &GenerationParams{}
+	any := false
+
+	if cfg.MaxTokens != nil {
+		p.MaxTokens = cfg.MaxTokens
+		any = true
+	}
+	if cfg.Temperature != nil {
+		p.Temperature = cfg.Temperature
+		any = true
+	}
+	if cfg.TopP != nil {
+		p.TopP = cfg.TopP
+		any = true
+	}
+	if cfg.TopK != nil {
+		p.TopK = cfg.TopK
+		any = true
+	}
+	if cfg.FrequencyPenalty != nil {
+		p.FrequencyPenalty = cfg.FrequencyPenalty
+		any = true
+	}
+	if cfg.PresencePenalty != nil {
+		p.PresencePenalty = cfg.PresencePenalty
+		any = true
+	}
+	if len(cfg.StopSequences) > 0 {
+		p.StopSequences = cfg.StopSequences
+		any = true
+	}
+	if cfg.ThinkingLevel != "" {
+		p.ThinkingLevel = ParseThinkingLevel(cfg.ThinkingLevel)
+		any = true
+	}
+
+	if !any {
+		return nil
+	}
+	return p
+}
+
+// ApplyModelSettings merges per-model generation parameter defaults from the
+// registry into a ProviderConfig. Model-level params are only applied for
+// fields where the user has not explicitly set a value (i.e., the
+// corresponding viper key is not set via CLI flag or global config).
+//
+// The lookup order is:
+//  1. modelSettings["provider/model"] from config (highest model-level priority)
+//  2. ModelInfo.Params from custom model definitions
+//
+// Both are overridden by explicit CLI flags / global config values.
+func ApplyModelSettings(config *ProviderConfig, modelInfo *ModelInfo) {
+	provider, modelName, err := ParseModelString(config.ModelString)
+	if err != nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Collect model-level params: modelSettings override > custom model params.
+	// modelSettings takes priority because it's the more specific/intentional config.
+	var params *GenerationParams
+
+	// First check modelSettings from config.
+	if settings := loadModelSettingsFromConfig(); settings != nil {
+		modelKey := provider + "/" + modelName
+		if p, ok := settings[modelKey]; ok {
+			params = p
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Fall back to ModelInfo.Params (from custom model definitions).
+	if params == nil && modelInfo != nil && modelInfo.Params != nil {
+		params = modelInfo.Params
+	}
+
+	if params == nil {
+		return
+	}
+
+	// Apply each parameter only when the user hasn't explicitly set it.
+	// We check viper.IsSet() which returns true only when the key was
+	// set via CLI flag, environment variable, or config file global section.
+
+	if params.MaxTokens != nil && !isExplicitlySet("max-tokens") {
+		config.MaxTokens = *params.MaxTokens
+	}
+	if params.Temperature != nil && !isExplicitlySet("temperature") {
+		config.Temperature = params.Temperature
+	}
+	if params.TopP != nil && !isExplicitlySet("top-p") {
+		config.TopP = params.TopP
+	}
+	if params.TopK != nil && !isExplicitlySet("top-k") {
+		config.TopK = params.TopK
+	}
+	if params.FrequencyPenalty != nil && !isExplicitlySet("frequency-penalty") {
+		config.FrequencyPenalty = params.FrequencyPenalty
+	}
+	if params.PresencePenalty != nil && !isExplicitlySet("presence-penalty") {
+		config.PresencePenalty = params.PresencePenalty
+	}
+	if len(params.StopSequences) > 0 && !isExplicitlySet("stop-sequences") {
+		config.StopSequences = params.StopSequences
+	}
+	if params.ThinkingLevel != "" && !isExplicitlySet("thinking-level") {
+		config.ThinkingLevel = params.ThinkingLevel
+	}
+}
+
+// isExplicitlySet returns true when the user has explicitly set a config key
+// via CLI flag, environment variable, or the global section of the config file.
+// Model-level defaults should not override explicitly set values.
+func isExplicitlySet(key string) bool {
+	// viper.IsSet returns true if the key has been set in any of the
+	// data stores (flag, env, config file, default). We need to check
+	// whether the value was set at the global config level (not just
+	// as a default). For generation params, the global config keys use
+	// hyphenated names (e.g. "max-tokens", "top-p").
+	//
+	// Since viper merges all sources, IsSet returns true even for config
+	// file values. This means global config file values (e.g.
+	// temperature: 0.7 at the top level) will correctly take precedence
+	// over model-level defaults, which is the desired behavior.
+	return viper.IsSet(key)
+}
+
+// GenerationParams holds per-model generation parameter defaults.
+// These are stored on ModelInfo and applied during provider creation.
+// Nil pointer fields mean "no model-level default" — the global config
+// or CLI flag value (if any) will be used instead.
+type GenerationParams struct {
+	MaxTokens        *int
+	Temperature      *float32
+	TopP             *float32
+	TopK             *int32
+	FrequencyPenalty *float32
+	PresencePenalty  *float32
+	StopSequences    []string
+	ThinkingLevel    ThinkingLevel
 }
 
 // CustomModelConfig defines a custom model configuration loaded from the config file.
 // This is a duplicate here to avoid circular dependencies with internal/config.
 type CustomModelConfig struct {
-	Name        string      `json:"name" yaml:"name"`
-	BaseURL     string      `json:"baseUrl,omitempty" yaml:"baseUrl,omitempty"`
-	APIKey      string      `json:"apiKey,omitempty" yaml:"apiKey,omitempty"`
-	Family      string      `json:"family,omitempty" yaml:"family,omitempty"`
-	Attachment  bool        `json:"attachment,omitempty" yaml:"attachment,omitempty"`
-	Reasoning   bool        `json:"reasoning,omitempty" yaml:"reasoning,omitempty"`
-	Temperature bool        `json:"temperature,omitempty" yaml:"temperature,omitempty"`
-	Knowledge   string      `json:"knowledge,omitempty" yaml:"knowledge,omitempty"`
-	Cost        CostConfig  `json:"cost" yaml:"cost"`
-	Limit       LimitConfig `json:"limit" yaml:"limit"`
+	Name        string                 `json:"name" yaml:"name"`
+	BaseURL     string                 `json:"baseUrl,omitempty" yaml:"baseUrl,omitempty"`
+	APIKey      string                 `json:"apiKey,omitempty" yaml:"apiKey,omitempty"`
+	Family      string                 `json:"family,omitempty" yaml:"family,omitempty"`
+	Attachment  bool                   `json:"attachment,omitempty" yaml:"attachment,omitempty"`
+	Reasoning   bool                   `json:"reasoning,omitempty" yaml:"reasoning,omitempty"`
+	Temperature bool                   `json:"temperature,omitempty" yaml:"temperature,omitempty"`
+	Knowledge   string                 `json:"knowledge,omitempty" yaml:"knowledge,omitempty"`
+	Cost        CostConfig             `json:"cost" yaml:"cost"`
+	Limit       LimitConfig            `json:"limit" yaml:"limit"`
+	Params      GenerationParamsConfig `json:"params,omitzero" yaml:"params,omitempty"`
+}
+
+// GenerationParamsConfig is the JSON/YAML-serializable form of generation
+// parameter defaults. Used in both customModels[].params and modelSettings[].
+type GenerationParamsConfig struct {
+	MaxTokens        *int     `json:"maxTokens,omitempty" yaml:"maxTokens,omitempty"`
+	Temperature      *float32 `json:"temperature,omitempty" yaml:"temperature,omitempty"`
+	TopP             *float32 `json:"topP,omitempty" yaml:"topP,omitempty"`
+	TopK             *int32   `json:"topK,omitempty" yaml:"topK,omitempty"`
+	FrequencyPenalty *float32 `json:"frequencyPenalty,omitempty" yaml:"frequencyPenalty,omitempty"`
+	PresencePenalty  *float32 `json:"presencePenalty,omitempty" yaml:"presencePenalty,omitempty"`
+	StopSequences    []string `json:"stopSequences,omitempty" yaml:"stopSequences,omitempty"`
+	ThinkingLevel    string   `json:"thinkingLevel,omitempty" yaml:"thinkingLevel,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // CostConfig defines the pricing for a custom model.

internal/models/custom_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,307 @@
+package models
+
+import (
+	"testing"
+
+	"github.com/spf13/viper"
+)
+
+func TestConvertGenerationParams(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("empty config returns nil", func(t *testing.T) {
+		cfg := GenerationParamsConfig{}
+		p := convertGenerationParams(cfg)
+		if p != nil {
+			t.Errorf("expected nil, got %+v", p)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("temperature only", func(t *testing.T) {
+		temp := float32(0.7)
+		cfg := GenerationParamsConfig{Temperature: &temp}
+		p := convertGenerationParams(cfg)
+		if p == nil {
+			t.Fatal("expected non-nil")
+		}
+		if p.Temperature == nil || *p.Temperature != 0.7 {
+			t.Errorf("expected temperature 0.7, got %v", p.Temperature)
+		}
+		if p.TopP != nil {
+			t.Errorf("expected nil TopP, got %v", p.TopP)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("all params set", func(t *testing.T) {
+		maxTokens := 8192
+		temp := float32(0.5)
+		topP := float32(0.9)
+		topK := int32(50)
+		freqPenalty := float32(0.1)
+		presPenalty := float32(0.2)
+		cfg := GenerationParamsConfig{
+			MaxTokens:        &maxTokens,
+			Temperature:      &temp,
+			TopP:             &topP,
+			TopK:             &topK,
+			FrequencyPenalty: &freqPenalty,
+			PresencePenalty:  &presPenalty,
+			StopSequences:    []string{"STOP"},
+			ThinkingLevel:    "high",
+		}
+		p := convertGenerationParams(cfg)
+		if p == nil {
+			t.Fatal("expected non-nil")
+		}
+		if p.MaxTokens == nil || *p.MaxTokens != 8192 {
+			t.Errorf("expected maxTokens 8192, got %v", p.MaxTokens)
+		}
+		if p.Temperature == nil || *p.Temperature != 0.5 {
+			t.Errorf("expected temperature 0.5, got %v", p.Temperature)
+		}
+		if p.TopP == nil || *p.TopP != 0.9 {
+			t.Errorf("expected topP 0.9, got %v", p.TopP)
+		}
+		if p.TopK == nil || *p.TopK != 50 {
+			t.Errorf("expected topK 50, got %v", p.TopK)
+		}
+		if p.FrequencyPenalty == nil || *p.FrequencyPenalty != 0.1 {
+			t.Errorf("expected frequencyPenalty 0.1, got %v", p.FrequencyPenalty)
+		}
+		if p.PresencePenalty == nil || *p.PresencePenalty != 0.2 {
+			t.Errorf("expected presencePenalty 0.2, got %v", p.PresencePenalty)
+		}
+		if len(p.StopSequences) != 1 || p.StopSequences[0] != "STOP" {
+			t.Errorf("expected stop sequences [STOP], got %v", p.StopSequences)
+		}
+		if p.ThinkingLevel != ThinkingHigh {
+			t.Errorf("expected thinking level high, got %v", p.ThinkingLevel)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("thinking level parsing", func(t *testing.T) {
+		cfg := GenerationParamsConfig{ThinkingLevel: "medium"}
+		p := convertGenerationParams(cfg)
+		if p == nil {
+			t.Fatal("expected non-nil")
+		}
+		if p.ThinkingLevel != ThinkingMedium {
+			t.Errorf("expected thinking level medium, got %v", p.ThinkingLevel)
+		}
+	})
+}
+
+func TestModelConfigToModelInfoWithParams(t *testing.T) {
+	temp := float32(0.8)
+	topP := float32(0.95)
+	cfg := CustomModelConfig{
+		Name:        "Test Model",
+		BaseURL:     "http://localhost:8080/v1",
+		Temperature: true,
+		Params: GenerationParamsConfig{
+			Temperature: &temp,
+			TopP:        &topP,
+		},
+	}
+
+	info := modelConfigToModelInfo("test-model", cfg)
+
+	if info.Params == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected non-nil Params")
+	}
+	if info.Params.Temperature == nil || *info.Params.Temperature != 0.8 {
+		t.Errorf("expected temperature 0.8, got %v", info.Params.Temperature)
+	}
+	if info.Params.TopP == nil || *info.Params.TopP != 0.95 {
+		t.Errorf("expected topP 0.95, got %v", info.Params.TopP)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestModelConfigToModelInfoWithoutParams(t *testing.T) {
+	cfg := CustomModelConfig{
+		Name:    "Test Model",
+		BaseURL: "http://localhost:8080/v1",
+	}
+
+	info := modelConfigToModelInfo("test-model", cfg)
+
+	if info.Params != nil {
+		t.Errorf("expected nil Params, got %+v", info.Params)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestApplyModelSettings(t *testing.T) {
+	// Save and restore viper state.
+	originalViper := viper.AllSettings()
+	defer func() {
+		viper.Reset()
+		for k, v := range originalViper {
+			viper.Set(k, v)
+		}
+	}()
+
+	t.Run("applies model params when not explicitly set", func(t *testing.T) {
+		viper.Reset()
+
+		temp := float32(0.8)
+		topK := int32(50)
+		maxTokens := 4096
+		modelInfo := &ModelInfo{
+			ID: "test-model",
+			Params: &GenerationParams{
+				Temperature: &temp,
+				TopK:        &topK,
+				MaxTokens:   &maxTokens,
+			},
+		}
+
+		config := &ProviderConfig{
+			ModelString: "custom/test-model",
+		}
+
+		ApplyModelSettings(config, modelInfo)
+
+		if config.Temperature == nil || *config.Temperature != 0.8 {
+			t.Errorf("expected temperature 0.8, got %v", config.Temperature)
+		}
+		if config.TopK == nil || *config.TopK != 50 {
+			t.Errorf("expected topK 50, got %v", config.TopK)
+		}
+		if config.MaxTokens != 4096 {
+			t.Errorf("expected maxTokens 4096, got %d", config.MaxTokens)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("explicit viper values take precedence", func(t *testing.T) {
+		viper.Reset()
+		viper.Set("temperature", 0.3)
+
+		temp := float32(0.8)
+		modelInfo := &ModelInfo{
+			ID: "test-model",
+			Params: &GenerationParams{
+				Temperature: &temp,
+			},
+		}
+
+		explicitTemp := float32(0.3)
+		config := &ProviderConfig{
+			ModelString: "custom/test-model",
+			Temperature: &explicitTemp,
+		}
+
+		ApplyModelSettings(config, modelInfo)
+
+		// Temperature should NOT be overridden because it's explicitly set in viper
+		if config.Temperature == nil || *config.Temperature != 0.3 {
+			t.Errorf("expected temperature 0.3 (explicit), got %v", config.Temperature)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("nil model info is safe", func(t *testing.T) {
+		viper.Reset()
+
+		config := &ProviderConfig{
+			ModelString: "custom/test-model",
+		}
+
+		// Should not panic
+		ApplyModelSettings(config, nil)
+
+		if config.Temperature != nil {
+			t.Errorf("expected nil temperature, got %v", config.Temperature)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("model info without params is safe", func(t *testing.T) {
+		viper.Reset()
+
+		modelInfo := &ModelInfo{ID: "test-model"}
+		config := &ProviderConfig{
+			ModelString: "custom/test-model",
+		}
+
+		ApplyModelSettings(config, modelInfo)
+
+		if config.Temperature != nil {
+			t.Errorf("expected nil temperature, got %v", config.Temperature)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("modelSettings from viper takes priority over ModelInfo.Params", func(t *testing.T) {
+		viper.Reset()
+
+		// Set up modelSettings in viper (simulating config file)
+		viper.Set("modelSettings", map[string]any{
+			"custom/test-model": map[string]any{
+				"temperature": 0.5,
+				"topK":        30,
+			},
+		})
+
+		// ModelInfo has different params
+		temp := float32(0.8)
+		topK := int32(50)
+		modelInfo := &ModelInfo{
+			ID: "test-model",
+			Params: &GenerationParams{
+				Temperature: &temp,
+				TopK:        &topK,
+			},
+		}
+
+		config := &ProviderConfig{
+			ModelString: "custom/test-model",
+		}
+
+		ApplyModelSettings(config, modelInfo)
+
+		// modelSettings should win over ModelInfo.Params
+		if config.Temperature == nil || *config.Temperature != 0.5 {
+			t.Errorf("expected temperature 0.5 (from modelSettings), got %v", config.Temperature)
+		}
+		if config.TopK == nil || *config.TopK != 30 {
+			t.Errorf("expected topK 30 (from modelSettings), got %v", config.TopK)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("stop sequences applied from model params", func(t *testing.T) {
+		viper.Reset()
+
+		modelInfo := &ModelInfo{
+			ID: "test-model",
+			Params: &GenerationParams{
+				StopSequences: []string{"STOP", "END"},
+			},
+		}
+
+		config := &ProviderConfig{
+			ModelString: "custom/test-model",
+		}
+
+		ApplyModelSettings(config, modelInfo)
+
+		if len(config.StopSequences) != 2 || config.StopSequences[0] != "STOP" {
+			t.Errorf("expected stop sequences [STOP END], got %v", config.StopSequences)
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("thinking level applied from model params", func(t *testing.T) {
+		viper.Reset()
+
+		modelInfo := &ModelInfo{
+			ID: "test-model",
+			Params: &GenerationParams{
+				ThinkingLevel: ThinkingHigh,
+			},
+		}
+
+		config := &ProviderConfig{
+			ModelString: "custom/test-model",
+		}
+
+		ApplyModelSettings(config, modelInfo)
+
+		if config.ThinkingLevel != ThinkingHigh {
+			t.Errorf("expected thinking level high, got %v", config.ThinkingLevel)
+		}
+	})
+}

internal/models/providers.go

@@ -241,6 +241,11 @@ func CreateProvider(ctx context.Context, config *ProviderConfig) (*ProviderResul
 		validateModelConfig(config, modelInfo)
 	}
 
+	// Apply per-model generation parameter defaults. Model-level params are
+	// only applied for fields where the user hasn't explicitly set a value
+	// via CLI flag or global config.
+	ApplyModelSettings(config, modelInfo)
+
 	// Create the base provider
 	var result *ProviderResult
 	var createErr error

internal/models/registry.go

@@ -26,6 +26,11 @@ type ModelInfo struct {
 	ProviderNPM string // Model-specific provider npm override (e.g. "@ai-sdk/anthropic")
 	BaseURL     string // Per-model base URL override (custom models only)
 	APIKey      string // Per-model API key override (custom models only)
+
+	// Params holds per-model generation parameter defaults. These are applied
+	// when the user hasn't explicitly set the corresponding CLI flag or global
+	// config value. Nil pointer fields mean "no model-level default".
+	Params *GenerationParams
 }
 
 // SupportsCaching returns true if this model family supports prompt caching.

pkg/kit/kit.go

@@ -239,7 +239,7 @@ func (m *Kit) SetModel(ctx context.Context, modelString string) error {
 
 	// With message-level caching, thinking and caching can work together.
 	// No need to disable caching when thinking is enabled.
-	config := &models.ProviderConfig{
+	cfg := &models.ProviderConfig{
 		ModelString:    modelString,
 		SystemPrompt:   systemPrompt,
 		ProviderAPIKey: viper.GetString("provider-api-key"),
@@ -249,18 +249,32 @@ func (m *Kit) SetModel(ctx context.Context, modelString string) error {
 		ThinkingLevel:  thinkingLevel,
 		DisableCaching: false, // Caching enabled by default, works with thinking
 	}
-	temperature := float32(viper.GetFloat64("temperature"))
-	config.Temperature = &temperature
-	topP := float32(viper.GetFloat64("top-p"))
-	config.TopP = &topP
-	topK := int32(viper.GetInt("top-k"))
-	config.TopK = &topK
-	frequencyPenalty := float32(viper.GetFloat64("frequency-penalty"))
-	config.FrequencyPenalty = &frequencyPenalty
-	presencePenalty := float32(viper.GetFloat64("presence-penalty"))
-	config.PresencePenalty = &presencePenalty
 
-	if err := m.agent.SetModel(ctx, config); err != nil {
+	// Only set generation parameter pointers when the user has explicitly
+	// provided a value. This leaves nil pointers for unset params, allowing
+	// per-model defaults (modelSettings / customModels params) to apply.
+	if viper.IsSet("temperature") {
+		v := float32(viper.GetFloat64("temperature"))
+		cfg.Temperature = &v
+	}
+	if viper.IsSet("top-p") {
+		v := float32(viper.GetFloat64("top-p"))
+		cfg.TopP = &v
+	}
+	if viper.IsSet("top-k") {
+		v := int32(viper.GetInt("top-k"))
+		cfg.TopK = &v
+	}
+	if viper.IsSet("frequency-penalty") {
+		v := float32(viper.GetFloat64("frequency-penalty"))
+		cfg.FrequencyPenalty = &v
+	}
+	if viper.IsSet("presence-penalty") {
+		v := float32(viper.GetFloat64("presence-penalty"))
+		cfg.PresencePenalty = &v
+	}
+
+	if err := m.agent.SetModel(ctx, cfg); err != nil {
 		return err
 	}