if (report.manualReject) html += '<div class="flc-card flc-wait"><p>' + report.manualReject + '</p></div>';
     _manualRejectMsg = ''; // v-connect-heal-v0.4 item 5: shown once, never lingers
-    if (report.manualQuiet) {
+    if (report.manualQuiet && report.bridgeNoMind) {
+      // v-model-choice-sticks-v0: the Bridge did answer; say that, and what is still missing
+      html += '<div class="flc-card flc-wait"><p><strong>Your Bridge answered on ' + (parseInt(report.port, 10) || 'your port') + ', but no mind is running behind it yet.</strong> Open Ollama on this computer, then tap Look again.</p>';
+      html += '<button type="button" class="flc-btn flc-primary" data-flc-look-again>Look again</button> ';
+      html += '<button type="button" class="flc-btn flc-primary" data-flc-use-auto>Use automatic</button></div>';
+    } else if (report.manualQuiet) {
       html += '<div class="flc-card flc-wait"><p>Nothing answered on ' + (report.wanted || 'your port') + '.</p>';
       html += '<button type="button" class="flc-btn flc-primary" data-flc-look-again>Look again</button> ';
       html += '<button type="button" class="flc-btn flc-primary" data-flc-use-auto>Use automatic</button></div>';
@@ -690,6 +728,7 @@
     hasLocalMind: hasLocalMind,
     hasCloudMind: hasCloudMind,
     remember: remember,
+    markUserChoice: markUserChoice, // v-model-choice-sticks-v0
     open: open,
     mount: mount,
     unmount: unmount,
diff --git a/docs/scripts/smoke-model-choice-sticks.js b/docs/scripts/smoke-model-choice-sticks.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..9ec63a0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/scripts/smoke-model-choice-sticks.js
@@ -0,0 +1,327 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env node
+// v-model-choice-sticks-v0: a model the person taps in Connect is their own choice.
+// It survives a tab change, opening Settings and a reload, and the chat request uses it.
+// The automatic picker only fills in when the chosen model is no longer installed, and says so.
+// Also: Settings button row comes back after Local; a helped Bridge with no mind behind it is
+// named honestly and is not saved as the Ollama door.
+// Runs the REAL code: FLActiveModel + FLAutoModel + FreeLattice.callAI from docs/app.html and
+// docs/modules/fl-connect.js, in vm sandboxes. Layer, never delete. 127.0.0.1 only.
+'use strict';
+
+const assert = require('assert');
+const fs = require('fs');
+const path = require('path');
+const vm = require('vm');
+const { execSync } = require('child_process');
+
+const root = path.join(__dirname, '..');
+const repo = path.join(root, '..');
+const app = fs.readFileSync(path.join(root, 'app.html'), 'utf8');
+const mod = fs.readFileSync(path.join(root, 'modules', 'fl-connect.js'), 'utf8');
+
+function between(src, a, b) {
+  const i = src.indexOf(a);
+  assert.ok(i >= 0, 'missing anchor: ' + a.slice(0, 70));
+  const j = src.indexOf(b, i + a.length);
+  assert.ok(j > i, 'missing end anchor: ' + b.slice(0, 70));
+  return src.slice(i, j);
+}
+const safeSrc = between(app, 'function safeGet(key, fallback) {', '// Safe clipboard');
+const modelSrc = between(app, 'window.FLActiveModel = (function() {', '// RAG Phase 1');
+const callAISrc = between(app, 'window.FreeLattice.callAI = function(systemPrompt, userPrompt, options) {', '\n};\n') + '\n};\n';
+const settingsSrc = between(app, '// v-model-choice-sticks-v0: the Settings button row', 'function settingsSetMode(mode) {');
+
+const MODELS = [{ name: 'llama3.2:latest' }, { name: 'qwen2.5:latest' }];
+const flush = async (n) => { for (let i = 0; i < (n || 30); i++) await new Promise((r) => setImmediate(r)); };
+
+function store0(init) {
+  const s = Object.assign({}, init || {});
+  return {
+    s,
+    ls: {
+      getItem: (k) => (Object.prototype.hasOwnProperty.call(s, k) ? s[k] : null),
+      setItem: (k, v) => { s[k] = String(v); },
+      removeItem: (k) => { delete s[k]; }
+    }
+  };
+}
+
+function fakeEl(tag) {
+  const listeners = {};
+  return {
+    tagName: String(tag || 'div').toUpperCase(), style: {}, dataset: {}, textContent: '', type: '', className: '',
+    children: [], firstChild: null, attrs: {},
+    classList: { _s: new Set(), add(c) { this._s.add(c); }, remove(c) { this._s.delete(c); }, contains(c) { return this._s.has(c); } },
+    setAttribute(k, v) { this.attrs[k] = String(v); }, getAttribute(k) { return this.attrs[k] || null; },
+    addEventListener(t, fn) { (listeners[t] = listeners[t] || []).push(fn); },
+    click() { (listeners.click || []).forEach((fn) => fn({ currentTarget: this, target: this })); },
+    appendChild(c) { this.children.push(c); this.firstChild = this.children[0]; return c; },
+    removeChild(c) { this.children = this.children.filter((x) => x !== c); this.firstChild = this.children[0] || null; }
+  };
+}
+
+// A page-like sandbox: storage, state, fetch spy (127.0.0.1 only), the real model code.
+function page(store, extra) {
+  const calls = [];
+  const posts = [];
+  const els = {};
+  const ctx = Object.assign({
+    localStorage: store.ls,
+    location: { hostname: 'freelattice.com', protocol: 'https:', hash: '', search: '' },
+    navigator: { userAgent: 't' },
+    console: { log() {}, warn() {}, error() {} },
+    JSON, String, parseInt, URL, Date, Math, Promise, Object, Array, Set,
+    AbortSignal: { timeout: () => undefined },
+    setTimeout: () => 1, clearTimeout() {},
+    LatticeEvents: { emit() {}, on() {} },
+    getOllamaBaseUrl: () => 'http://127.0.0.1:11434',
+    toasts: [],
+    showToast(msg) { ctx.toasts.push(String(msg)); },
+    fetch: async (url, opts) => {
+      url = String(url);
+      calls.push(url);
+      assert.ok(/^http:\/\/127\.0\.0\.1:\d+\//.test(url), 'only 127.0.0.1 is asked: ' + url);
+      if (opts && opts.method === 'POST') {
+        posts.push({ url, body: JSON.parse(opts.body) });
+        return { ok: true, status: 200, json: async () => ({ message: { content: 'ok' } }) };
+      }
+      if (/127\.0\.0\.1:11434\/api\/tags$/.test(url)) return { ok: true, status: 200, json: async () => ({ models: ctx.installed.slice() }) };
+      throw new Error('quiet');
+    },
+    installed: MODELS.slice(),
+    document: {
+      hidden: false,
+      documentElement: { getAttribute: () => '', classList: { add() {}, remove() {}, contains() { return false; } } },
+      getElementById: (id) => els[id] || null,
+      querySelector: () => null,
+      querySelectorAll: () => [],
+      createElement: (t) => fakeEl(t),
+      head: { appendChild() {} },
+      body: { contains: () => true, classList: { add() {}, remove() {} } },
+      addEventListener() {}, removeEventListener() {}
+    }
+  }, extra || {});
+  ctx.window = ctx;
+  ctx._els = els;
+  ctx._calls = calls;
+  ctx._posts = posts;
+  // Boot, like app.html: state from storage (loadSettings), then FLActiveModel.init()
+  ctx.state = {
+    isLocal: store.ls.getItem('fl_isLocal') === 'true',
+    provider: store.ls.getItem('fl_provider') || 'groq',
+    ollamaModel: store.ls.getItem('fl_ollamaModel') || 'llama3.2',
+    apiKey: null
+  };
+  vm.runInNewContext(safeSrc + '\n' + modelSrc + '\nwindow.FreeLattice = window.FreeLattice || {};\n' + callAISrc, ctx);
+  ctx.FLActiveModel.init();
+  vm.runInNewContext(mod, ctx);
+  return ctx;
+}
+
+// Connect host whose innerHTML turns .flc-models lists into fake lists (like the browser would).
+function connectHost() {
+  const host = { hidden: false, lists: [], _html: '', scrollIntoView() {} };
+  Object.defineProperty(host, 'innerHTML', {
+    get() { return this._html; },
+    set(v) {
+      this._html = String(v);
+      this.lists = [];
+      const re = /class="flc-models"[^>]*?data-flc-names="([^"]*)"/g;
+      let m;
+      while ((m = re.exec(this._html))) {
+        const json = m[1].replace(/&quot;/g, '"').replace(/&amp;/g, '&');
+        const list = fakeEl('div');
+        list.attrs['data-flc-names'] = json;
+        this.lists.push(list);
+      }
+    }
+  });
+  host.querySelectorAll = (sel) => (sel === '.flc-models' ? host.lists : []);
+  return host;
+}
+
+(async () => {
+  assert.ok(/v-model-choice-sticks-v0/.test(mod), 'marker in fl-connect.js');
+  assert.ok(/v-model-choice-sticks-v0/.test(app), 'marker in app.html');
+
+  // ── 1. Connect: tap the SECOND model
+  const store = store0();
+  let p = page(store);
+  const host = connectHost();
+  p.FlConnect.mount(host);
+  await flush();
+  const buttons = [].concat(...host.lists.map((l) => l.children));
+  const names = buttons.map((b) => b.textContent);
+  assert.deepStrictEqual(names, ['llama3.2:latest', 'qwen2.5:latest'], 'Connect lists both models: ' + JSON.stringify(names));
+  buttons[1].click();
+  await flush();
+  assert.strictEqual(p.state.ollamaModel, 'qwen2.5:latest', 'tap sets qwen2.5');
+  assert.strictEqual(p.state.isLocal, true, 'local mode on');
+  assert.strictEqual(store.s.fl_modelSource, 'user', 'the tap is recorded as the person\'s own choice');
+  assert.strictEqual(p.FLActiveModel.isUserChosen(), true,