Summary

src/agents/model-selection.ts (170 LOC) has live H9-attested functions but should be gutted per the Middleware Boundary Principle: model selection is owned by CLI runtimes (Claude, Gemini, Codex, OpenCode), not by RemoteClaw middleware.

Evidence

• File header: // Gutted in RemoteClaw fork (Middleware Boundary Principle) — gutting intent declared
• File body: Full implementations of resolveConfiguredModelRef, resolveDefaultModelForAgent, buildModelAliasIndex, resolveModelRefFromString (functional, not stubs)
• H9 attestations: MODULE_ATTESTATIONS declares these as "live" — matching reality
• Zombie-import gate (post-H3): flags 13 callsites across src/auto-reply/, src/commands/, src/config/, src/cron/, src/gateway/, src/telegram/

Live callsites (13 tracked in #2355 allowlist)

src/auto-reply/reply/agent-runner.ts:5
src/auto-reply/reply/directive-handling.model-picker.ts:1
src/auto-reply/reply/directive-handling.ts:9
src/commands/agent.test.ts:6
src/commands/agent/session-store.ts:4
src/commands/status.summary.ts:3
src/config/defaults.ts:2
src/cron/isolated-agent/run.test-harness.ts:71
src/gateway/gateway-cli-backend.live.test.ts:7
src/gateway/server-methods/chat.ts:4
src/gateway/session-utils.ts:16
src/telegram/sticker-cache.ts:4
src/plugin-sdk/mattermost.ts (verify)

Gutting plan

1. For each caller: migrate to CLI-runtime model resolution OR eliminate the model reference entirely
2. Once all 13 callers are migrated: delete src/agents/model-selection.ts (and re-export file src/agents/provider-utils.ts if appropriate)
3. Remove "agents/model-selection" from fallbackDeadModulePatterns in scripts/check-no-zombie-imports.mjs
4. Remove 13 entries from scripts/data/zombie-import-allowlist.json
5. Decrement .zombie-import-allowlist-baseline by 13

Context

Discovered during #2355 (H3 gate restoration). The broad agents/model-selection gate pattern was KEPT despite the file having live code, precisely because the functions are tracked-for-gutting — the allowlist is the explicit reminder to gut this file.

Acceptance criteria

• All 13 callers migrated to CLI-runtime model resolution or eliminated
• src/agents/model-selection.ts deleted
• Zombie-import gate passes with allowlist decremented by 13 and agents/model-selection removed from fallback patterns

References

• Sibling gut PRs (pattern): gut(discord): delete orphaned src/discord/monitor/model-picker + native-command (~3.4k LoC dead code) #2414 (Discord model-picker gut), gut(mattermost): remove model-picker slash-http + monitor handlers (parallel to #2414) #2449 (Mattermost model-picker gut), gut(mattermost): remove dead model-picker UI — CLI agents own model selection (#2449) #2451 (Mattermost ship)
• Middleware Boundary Principle: product/strategy.md (HQ-internal)
• H9 attestations: src/agents/model-selection.ts § MODULE_ATTESTATIONS
• Surfaced in refactor(ci): restore zombie-import gate + narrow acp/runtime pattern + rebaseline (#2355) #2454 (H3 restoration)