diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 30f1c74f5..f9c82a62d 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -75,6 +75,7 @@
 - Agents: skip pre-compaction memory flush when the session workspace is read-only.
 - Auto-reply: allow inline `/status` for allowlisted senders (stripped before the model); unauthorized senders see it as plain text.
 - Auto-reply: include config-only allowlisted models in `/model` even when the catalog is partial.
+- Auto-reply: allow fuzzy `/model` matches (e.g. `/model kimi` or `/model moonshot/kimi`) when unambiguous.
 - Auto-reply: ignore inline `/status` directives unless the message is directive-only.
 - CLI/Configure: enter the selected section immediately, then return to the section picker.
 - Auto-reply: align `/think` default display with model reasoning defaults. (#751) — thanks @gabriel-trigo.
diff --git a/src/agents/model-selection.test.ts b/src/agents/model-selection.test.ts
index da6f30c5a..d3ba3aea1 100644
--- a/src/agents/model-selection.test.ts
+++ b/src/agents/model-selection.test.ts
@@ -62,6 +62,41 @@ describe("buildAllowedModelSet", () => {
       true,
     );
   });
+
+  it("allows explicit custom providers from models.providers", () => {
+    const cfg = {
+      agents: {
+        defaults: {
+          models: {
+            "moonshot/kimi-k2-0905-preview": { alias: "kimi" },
+          },
+        },
+      },
+      models: {
+        mode: "merge",
+        providers: {
+          moonshot: {
+            baseUrl: "https://api.moonshot.ai/v1",
+            apiKey: "x",
+            api: "openai-completions",
+            models: [{ id: "kimi-k2-0905-preview", name: "Kimi" }],
+          },
+        },
+      },
+    } as ClawdbotConfig;
+
+    const allowed = buildAllowedModelSet({
+      cfg,
+      catalog: [],
+      defaultProvider: "anthropic",
+      defaultModel: "claude-opus-4-5",
+    });
+
+    expect(allowed.allowAny).toBe(false);
+    expect(
+      allowed.allowedKeys.has(modelKey("moonshot", "kimi-k2-0905-preview")),
+    ).toBe(true);
+  });
 });
 
 describe("parseModelRef", () => {
diff --git a/src/agents/model-selection.ts b/src/agents/model-selection.ts
index 101804ec6..a66ef7dab 100644
--- a/src/agents/model-selection.ts
+++ b/src/agents/model-selection.ts
@@ -179,14 +179,23 @@ export function buildAllowedModelSet(params: {
   }
 
   const allowedKeys = new Set<string>();
+  const configuredProviders = (params.cfg.models?.providers ?? {}) as Record<
+    string,
+    unknown
+  >;
   for (const raw of rawAllowlist) {
     const parsed = parseModelRef(String(raw), params.defaultProvider);
     if (!parsed) continue;
     const key = modelKey(parsed.provider, parsed.model);
+    const providerKey = normalizeProviderId(parsed.provider);
     if (isCliProvider(parsed.provider, params.cfg)) {
       allowedKeys.add(key);
     } else if (catalogKeys.has(key)) {
       allowedKeys.add(key);
+    } else if (configuredProviders[providerKey] != null) {
+      // Explicitly configured providers should be allowlist-able even when
+      // they don't exist in the curated model catalog.
+      allowedKeys.add(key);
     }
   }
 
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply.directive.test.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply.directive.test.ts
index 7c6502624..b445c18a4 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply.directive.test.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply.directive.test.ts
@@ -1698,6 +1698,94 @@ describe("directive behavior", () => {
     });
   });
 
+  it("supports fuzzy model matches on /model directive", async () => {
+    await withTempHome(async (home) => {
+      vi.mocked(runEmbeddedPiAgent).mockReset();
+      const storePath = path.join(home, "sessions.json");
+
+      const res = await getReplyFromConfig(
+        { Body: "/model kimi", From: "+1222", To: "+1222" },
+        {},
+        {
+          agents: {
+            defaults: {
+              model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-5" },
+              workspace: path.join(home, "clawd"),
+              models: {
+                "anthropic/claude-opus-4-5": {},
+                "moonshot/kimi-k2-0905-preview": {},
+              },
+            },
+          },
+          models: {
+            mode: "merge",
+            providers: {
+              moonshot: {
+                baseUrl: "https://api.moonshot.ai/v1",
+                apiKey: "sk-test",
+                api: "openai-completions",
+                models: [{ id: "kimi-k2-0905-preview", name: "Kimi K2" }],
+              },
+            },
+          },
+          session: { store: storePath },
+        },
+      );
+
+      const text = Array.isArray(res) ? res[0]?.text : res?.text;
+      expect(text).toContain("Model set to moonshot/kimi-k2-0905-preview");
+      const store = loadSessionStore(storePath);
+      const entry = store["agent:main:main"];
+      expect(entry.modelOverride).toBe("kimi-k2-0905-preview");
+      expect(entry.providerOverride).toBe("moonshot");
+      expect(runEmbeddedPiAgent).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+
+  it("supports fuzzy matches within a provider on /model provider/model", async () => {
+    await withTempHome(async (home) => {
+      vi.mocked(runEmbeddedPiAgent).mockReset();
+      const storePath = path.join(home, "sessions.json");
+
+      const res = await getReplyFromConfig(
+        { Body: "/model moonshot/kimi", From: "+1222", To: "+1222" },
+        {},
+        {
+          agents: {
+            defaults: {
+              model: { primary: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-5" },
+              workspace: path.join(home, "clawd"),
+              models: {
+                "anthropic/claude-opus-4-5": {},
+                "moonshot/kimi-k2-0905-preview": {},
+              },
+            },
+          },
+          models: {
+            mode: "merge",
+            providers: {
+              moonshot: {
+                baseUrl: "https://api.moonshot.ai/v1",
+                apiKey: "sk-test",
+                api: "openai-completions",
+                models: [{ id: "kimi-k2-0905-preview", name: "Kimi K2" }],
+              },
+            },
+          },
+          session: { store: storePath },
+        },
+      );
+
+      const text = Array.isArray(res) ? res[0]?.text : res?.text;
+      expect(text).toContain("Model set to moonshot/kimi-k2-0905-preview");
+      const store = loadSessionStore(storePath);
+      const entry = store["agent:main:main"];
+      expect(entry.modelOverride).toBe("kimi-k2-0905-preview");
+      expect(entry.providerOverride).toBe("moonshot");
+      expect(runEmbeddedPiAgent).not.toHaveBeenCalled();
+    });
+  });
+
   it("stores auth profile overrides on /model directive", async () => {
     await withTempHome(async (home) => {
       vi.mocked(runEmbeddedPiAgent).mockReset();
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/directive-handling.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/directive-handling.ts
index d1e4f4e45..715715157 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/directive-handling.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/directive-handling.ts
@@ -960,9 +960,21 @@ export async function handleDirectiveOnly(params: {
         defaultModel,
       });
       const pickerCatalog: ModelPickerCatalogEntry[] = (() => {
-        if (allowedModelCatalog.length > 0) return allowedModelCatalog;
         const keys = new Set<string>();
         const out: ModelPickerCatalogEntry[] = [];
+
+        const push = (entry: ModelPickerCatalogEntry) => {
+          const provider = normalizeProviderId(entry.provider);
+          const id = String(entry.id ?? "").trim();
+          if (!provider || !id) return;
+          const key = modelKey(provider, id);
+          if (keys.has(key)) return;
+          keys.add(key);
+          out.push({ provider, id, name: entry.name });
+        };
+
+        for (const entry of allowedModelCatalog) push(entry);
+
         for (const rawKey of Object.keys(
           params.cfg.agents?.defaults?.models ?? {},
         )) {
@@ -972,19 +984,14 @@ export async function handleDirectiveOnly(params: {
             aliasIndex,
           });
           if (!resolved) continue;
-          const key = modelKey(resolved.ref.provider, resolved.ref.model);
-          if (keys.has(key)) continue;
-          keys.add(key);
-          out.push({
+          push({
             provider: resolved.ref.provider,
             id: resolved.ref.model,
             name: resolved.ref.model,
           });
         }
-        if (out.length === 0 && resolvedDefault.model) {
-          const key = modelKey(resolvedDefault.provider, resolvedDefault.model);
-          keys.add(key);
-          out.push({
+        if (resolvedDefault.model) {
+          push({
             provider: resolvedDefault.provider,
             id: resolvedDefault.model,
             name: resolvedDefault.model,
diff --git a/src/auto-reply/reply/model-selection.ts b/src/auto-reply/reply/model-selection.ts
index d0733e273..c449809cd 100644
--- a/src/auto-reply/reply/model-selection.ts
+++ b/src/auto-reply/reply/model-selection.ts
@@ -5,6 +5,7 @@ import {
   buildAllowedModelSet,
   type ModelAliasIndex,
   modelKey,
+  normalizeProviderId,
   resolveModelRefFromString,
   resolveThinkingDefault,
 } from "../../agents/model-selection.js";
@@ -175,32 +176,138 @@ export function resolveModelDirectiveSelection(params: {
 }): { selection?: ModelDirectiveSelection; error?: string } {
   const { raw, defaultProvider, defaultModel, aliasIndex, allowedModelKeys } =
     params;
+
+  const rawTrimmed = raw.trim();
+  const rawLower = rawTrimmed.toLowerCase();
+
+  const pickAliasForKey = (
+    provider: string,
+    model: string,
+  ): string | undefined => aliasIndex.byKey.get(modelKey(provider, model))?.[0];
+
+  const buildSelection = (
+    provider: string,
+    model: string,
+  ): ModelDirectiveSelection => {
+    const alias = pickAliasForKey(provider, model);
+    return {
+      provider,
+      model,
+      isDefault: provider === defaultProvider && model === defaultModel,
+      ...(alias ? { alias } : undefined),
+    };
+  };
+
+  const resolveFuzzy = (params: {
+    provider?: string;
+    fragment: string;
+  }): { selection?: ModelDirectiveSelection; error?: string } => {
+    const fragment = params.fragment.trim().toLowerCase();
+    if (!fragment) return {};
+
+    const candidates: Array<{ provider: string; model: string }> = [];
+    for (const key of allowedModelKeys) {
+      const slash = key.indexOf("/");
+      if (slash <= 0) continue;
+      const provider = normalizeProviderId(key.slice(0, slash));
+      const model = key.slice(slash + 1);
+      if (params.provider && provider !== normalizeProviderId(params.provider))
+        continue;
+      const haystack = `${provider}/${model}`.toLowerCase();
+      if (
+        haystack.includes(fragment) ||
+        model.toLowerCase().includes(fragment)
+      ) {
+        candidates.push({ provider, model });
+      }
+    }
+
+    // Also allow partial alias matches when the user didn't specify a provider.
+    if (!params.provider) {
+      const aliasMatches: Array<{ provider: string; model: string }> = [];
+      for (const [aliasKey, entry] of aliasIndex.byAlias.entries()) {
+        if (!aliasKey.includes(fragment)) continue;
+        aliasMatches.push({
+          provider: entry.ref.provider,
+          model: entry.ref.model,
+        });
+      }
+      for (const match of aliasMatches) {
+        const key = modelKey(match.provider, match.model);
+        if (!allowedModelKeys.has(key)) continue;
+        if (
+          !candidates.some(
+            (c) => c.provider === match.provider && c.model === match.model,
+          )
+        ) {
+          candidates.push(match);
+        }
+      }
+    }
+
+    if (candidates.length === 1) {
+      const match = candidates[0];
+      if (!match) return {};
+      return { selection: buildSelection(match.provider, match.model) };
+    }
+    if (candidates.length > 1) {
+      const shown = candidates
+        .slice(0, 5)
+        .map((c) => `${c.provider}/${c.model}`)
+        .join(", ");
+      const more =
+        candidates.length > 5 ? ` (+${candidates.length - 5} more)` : "";
+      return {
+        error: `Ambiguous model "${rawTrimmed}". Matches: ${shown}${more}. Use /model to list or specify provider/model.`,
+      };
+    }
+    return {};
+  };
+
   const resolved = resolveModelRefFromString({
-    raw,
+    raw: rawTrimmed,
     defaultProvider,
     aliasIndex,
   });
+
   if (!resolved) {
+    const fuzzy = resolveFuzzy({ fragment: rawTrimmed });
+    if (fuzzy.selection || fuzzy.error) return fuzzy;
     return {
-      error: `Unrecognized model "${raw}". Use /model to list available models.`,
+      error: `Unrecognized model "${rawTrimmed}". Use /model to list available models.`,
     };
   }
-  const key = modelKey(resolved.ref.provider, resolved.ref.model);
-  if (allowedModelKeys.size > 0 && !allowedModelKeys.has(key)) {
+
+  const resolvedKey = modelKey(resolved.ref.provider, resolved.ref.model);
+  if (allowedModelKeys.size === 0 || allowedModelKeys.has(resolvedKey)) {
     return {
-      error: `Model "${resolved.ref.provider}/${resolved.ref.model}" is not allowed. Use /model to list available models.`,
+      selection: {
+        provider: resolved.ref.provider,
+        model: resolved.ref.model,
+        isDefault:
+          resolved.ref.provider === defaultProvider &&
+          resolved.ref.model === defaultModel,
+        alias: resolved.alias,
+      },
     };
   }
-  const isDefault =
-    resolved.ref.provider === defaultProvider &&
-    resolved.ref.model === defaultModel;
+
+  // If the user specified a provider/model but the exact model isn't allowed,
+  // attempt a fuzzy match within that provider.
+  if (rawLower.includes("/")) {
+    const slash = rawTrimmed.indexOf("/");
+    const provider = normalizeProviderId(rawTrimmed.slice(0, slash).trim());
+    const fragment = rawTrimmed.slice(slash + 1).trim();
+    const fuzzy = resolveFuzzy({ provider, fragment });
+    if (fuzzy.selection || fuzzy.error) return fuzzy;
+  }
+
+  // Otherwise, try fuzzy matching across allowlisted models.
+  const fuzzy = resolveFuzzy({ fragment: rawTrimmed });
+  if (fuzzy.selection || fuzzy.error) return fuzzy;
+
   return {
-    selection: {
-      provider: resolved.ref.provider,
-      model: resolved.ref.model,
-      isDefault,
-      alias: resolved.alias,
-    },
+    error: `Model "${resolved.ref.provider}/${resolved.ref.model}" is not allowed. Use /model to list available models.`,
   };
 }