feat(failover): model failover chains via comma-separated specs

Parse("a,b,c") now returns one composite *llm.Model that tries each model
in order, retrying transient failures, benching dead models, and failing
over to the next. Comma-free specs are completely unchanged.

- classify.go: Classify(err) ErrKind + IsTransient(err) error classifier
  mapping anthropic (typed Is*Err helpers + RequestError status),
  openai-go (*openai.Error status), openaicompat.FeatureUnsupportedError,
  context errors, and ollama "HTTP <code>" strings to
  transient/auth-dead/request-specific/unknown.
- failover.go: failoverProvider (satisfies provider.Provider) wrapped into a
  *Model via NewClient. Process-wide mutex-guarded modelHealth bench
  registry keyed by concrete spec, with cooldowns and a control API
  (ListBenched/BenchModel/UnbenchModel/IsBenched). NewFailoverModel +
  ParseChain constructors, FailoverOption config, FailoverObserver (carries
  the full request), and configurable package-level defaults.
- parse.go: comma-aware Parse splits into a failover chain; alias/resolver
  targets that expand to comma chains are routed through the comma-aware
  path and flattened.

All access to global health is mutex-guarded; tests reset it via
resetHealthForTest and pass under go test -race.

Co-Authored-By: Claude Opus 4.8 <noreply@anthropic.com>

v2/classify.go

@@ -0,0 +1,207 @@
+package llm
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"strings"
+
+	anth "github.com/liushuangls/go-anthropic/v2"
+	"github.com/openai/openai-go"
+
+	"gitea.stevedudenhoeffer.com/steve/go-llm/v2/openaicompat"
+)
+
+// ErrKind classifies a provider error for failover decision-making.
+//
+// Why: failover must decide, per error, whether to retry the same model
+// (transient), bench it as broken (auth/model dead), or fail over without
+// benching (this request's fault). Without a classifier every error looks
+// the same and we'd either thrash a dead model or bench a healthy one.
+// What: an enum of the four outcomes the failover algorithm distinguishes.
+// Test: see classify_test.go — every branch is table-tested with faked SDK errors.
+type ErrKind int
+
+const (
+	// ErrUnknown is an unrecognized error. Failover treats it as transient
+	// (conservative — retry then fail over), EXCEPT context.Canceled which
+	// the caller special-cases as an abort.
+	ErrUnknown ErrKind = iota
+	// ErrTransient is a temporary failure (429/5xx/timeout): retry, then
+	// bench-and-fail-over if retries are exhausted.
+	ErrTransient
+	// ErrAuthDead is an auth failure or model-not-found (401/403/404): the
+	// model is unusable; bench immediately and fail over.
+	ErrAuthDead
+	// ErrRequestSpecific is the caller's fault for THIS request (400/413/422,
+	// unsupported feature): fail over to try a more capable model, but do NOT
+	// bench — the model itself is healthy.
+	ErrRequestSpecific
+)
+
+// classifyStatus maps an HTTP status code to an ErrKind.
+//
+// Why: openai-go and anthropic RequestError both expose a numeric StatusCode;
+// centralizing the mapping keeps the per-SDK branches thin and consistent.
+// What: 408/409/429/5xx → transient, 401/403/404 → auth-dead, 400/413/422 →
+// request-specific, anything else → unknown.
+// Test: covered indirectly via Classify table tests for each SDK.
+func classifyStatus(code int) ErrKind {
+	switch code {
+	case 408, 409, 429, 500, 502, 503, 504:
+		return ErrTransient
+	case 401, 403, 404:
+		return ErrAuthDead
+	case 400, 413, 422:
+		return ErrRequestSpecific
+	default:
+		return ErrUnknown
+	}
+}
+
+// Classify inspects a provider error and returns its ErrKind.
+//
+// Why: the failover composite needs typed, status-code-aware classification to
+// retry/bench/skip correctly across the anthropic, openai-compat, and ollama
+// providers, each of which surfaces errors differently.
+// What: prefers anthropic's typed Is*Err helpers, falls back to numeric status
+// codes (openai-go, anthropic RequestError), then the openaicompat
+// FeatureUnsupportedError, context errors, and finally an ollama HTTP-string
+// fallback; unrecognized errors are ErrUnknown.
+// Test: classify_test.go faked SDK errors exercise every branch.
+func Classify(err error) ErrKind {
+	if err == nil {
+		return ErrUnknown
+	}
+
+	// context.Canceled is reported as ErrUnknown here; the failover algorithm
+	// special-cases it as an abort before consulting the kind.
+	if errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) {
+		return ErrUnknown
+	}
+	if errors.Is(err, context.DeadlineExceeded) {
+		return ErrTransient
+	}
+
+	// FeatureUnsupportedError is a permanent, request-shaped failure.
+	var featErr *openaicompat.FeatureUnsupportedError
+	if errors.As(err, &featErr) {
+		return ErrRequestSpecific
+	}
+
+	// Anthropic APIError: prefer the typed helpers (no StatusCode available).
+	var apiErr *anth.APIError
+	if errors.As(err, &apiErr) {
+		switch {
+		case apiErr.IsRateLimitErr(), apiErr.IsOverloadedErr(), apiErr.IsApiErr():
+			return ErrTransient
+		case apiErr.IsAuthenticationErr(), apiErr.IsPermissionErr(), apiErr.IsNotFoundErr():
+			return ErrAuthDead
+		case apiErr.IsTooLargeErr(), apiErr.IsInvalidRequestErr():
+			return ErrRequestSpecific
+		default:
+			return ErrUnknown
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Anthropic RequestError: status-code based.
+	var anthReqErr *anth.RequestError
+	if errors.As(err, &anthReqErr) {
+		return classifyStatus(anthReqErr.StatusCode)
+	}
+
+	// openai-go (openai/deepseek/moonshot/xai/groq): status-code based.
+	var oaiErr *openai.Error
+	if errors.As(err, &oaiErr) {
+		return classifyStatus(oaiErr.StatusCode)
+	}
+
+	// Ollama: no typed status — fall back to its "ollama: HTTP <code>:" string.
+	if k := classifyOllamaString(err.Error()); k != ErrUnknown {
+		return k
+	}
+
+	return ErrUnknown
+}
+
+// classifyOllamaString extracts an HTTP status from ollama's error string
+// format ("ollama: HTTP <code>: ...") and classifies it.
+//
+// Why: the ollama provider stringifies errors without a typed status code, so
+// failover can only classify by parsing the message.
+// What: looks for "HTTP <code>" in the message and maps the code; returns
+// ErrUnknown when no recognizable status is present.
+// Test: classify_test.go ollama cases cover 5xx/429/401/404/400.
+func classifyOllamaString(msg string) ErrKind {
+	const marker = "HTTP "
+	idx := strings.Index(msg, marker)
+	if idx < 0 {
+		return ErrUnknown
+	}
+	rest := msg[idx+len(marker):]
+	// Read up to 3 leading digits.
+	end := 0
+	for end < len(rest) && end < 3 && rest[end] >= '0' && rest[end] <= '9' {
+		end++
+	}
+	if end == 0 {
+		return ErrUnknown
+	}
+	code := 0
+	for i := 0; i < end; i++ {
+		code = code*10 + int(rest[i]-'0')
+	}
+	return classifyStatus(code)
+}
+
+// extractStatus best-effort pulls an HTTP status code out of a provider error
+// for structured logging. Returns 0 when none is available.
+//
+// Why: log lines benefit from the numeric status even though classification
+// may use typed helpers; this keeps that detail out of the hot path.
+// What: checks anthropic RequestError and openai-go Error StatusCode fields,
+// then parses ollama's "HTTP <code>" string; returns 0 otherwise.
+// Test: covered indirectly via failover log assertions / manual inspection.
+func extractStatus(err error) int {
+	if err == nil {
+		return 0
+	}
+	var anthReqErr *anth.RequestError
+	if errors.As(err, &anthReqErr) {
+		return anthReqErr.StatusCode
+	}
+	var oaiErr *openai.Error
+	if errors.As(err, &oaiErr) {
+		return oaiErr.StatusCode
+	}
+	const marker = "HTTP "
+	msg := err.Error()
+	if idx := strings.Index(msg, marker); idx >= 0 {
+		rest := msg[idx+len(marker):]
+		code, n := 0, 0
+		for n < len(rest) && n < 3 && rest[n] >= '0' && rest[n] <= '9' {
+			code = code*10 + int(rest[n]-'0')
+			n++
+		}
+		if n > 0 {
+			return code
+		}
+	}
+	return 0
+}
+
+// IsTransient reports whether an error should be retried/failed-over rather
+// than treated as a hard, model-specific failure.
+//
+// Why: callers (and failover) want a one-call "is this worth retrying?" check
+// that is conservative about unknown errors.
+// What: returns true for ErrTransient and ErrUnknown (conservative), false for
+// ErrAuthDead and ErrRequestSpecific.
+// Test: TestIsTransient asserts 503→true, unknown→true, 401→false, 400→false.
+func IsTransient(err error) bool {
+	switch Classify(err) {
+	case ErrTransient, ErrUnknown:
+		return true
+	default:
+		return false
+	}
+}

v2/classify_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,115 @@
+package llm
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"testing"
+
+	anth "github.com/liushuangls/go-anthropic/v2"
+	"github.com/openai/openai-go"
+
+	"gitea.stevedudenhoeffer.com/steve/go-llm/v2/openaicompat"
+)
+
+func TestClassify(t *testing.T) {
+	tests := []struct {
+		name string
+		err  error
+		want ErrKind
+	}{
+		// nil
+		{"nil", nil, ErrUnknown},
+
+		// openai-go status codes (transient)
+		{"openai 408", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 408}, ErrTransient},
+		{"openai 409", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 409}, ErrTransient},
+		{"openai 429", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 429}, ErrTransient},
+		{"openai 500", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 500}, ErrTransient},
+		{"openai 502", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 502}, ErrTransient},
+		{"openai 503", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 503}, ErrTransient},
+		{"openai 504", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 504}, ErrTransient},
+
+		// openai-go status codes (auth dead)
+		{"openai 401", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 401}, ErrAuthDead},
+		{"openai 403", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 403}, ErrAuthDead},
+		{"openai 404", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 404}, ErrAuthDead},
+
+		// openai-go status codes (request specific)
+		{"openai 400", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 400}, ErrRequestSpecific},
+		{"openai 413", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 413}, ErrRequestSpecific},
+		{"openai 422", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 422}, ErrRequestSpecific},
+
+		// openai unrecognized status -> unknown
+		{"openai 418", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 418}, ErrUnknown},
+
+		// wrapped openai error (providers wrap with %w)
+		{"wrapped openai 503", fmt.Errorf("openai completion error: %w", &openai.Error{StatusCode: 503}), ErrTransient},
+
+		// FeatureUnsupportedError -> request specific
+		{"feature unsupported", &openaicompat.FeatureUnsupportedError{Feature: "tools", Model: "m"}, ErrRequestSpecific},
+		{"wrapped feature unsupported", fmt.Errorf("x: %w", &openaicompat.FeatureUnsupportedError{Feature: "vision", Model: "m"}), ErrRequestSpecific},
+
+		// anthropic RequestError (status-code based)
+		{"anth req 503", &anth.RequestError{StatusCode: 503}, ErrTransient},
+		{"anth req 429", &anth.RequestError{StatusCode: 429}, ErrTransient},
+		{"anth req 401", &anth.RequestError{StatusCode: 401}, ErrAuthDead},
+		{"anth req 400", &anth.RequestError{StatusCode: 400}, ErrRequestSpecific},
+		{"wrapped anth req 502", fmt.Errorf("anthropic completion error: %w", &anth.RequestError{StatusCode: 502}), ErrTransient},
+
+		// anthropic APIError (helper based)
+		{"anth rate limit", &anth.APIError{Type: anth.ErrTypeRateLimit}, ErrTransient},
+		{"anth overloaded", &anth.APIError{Type: anth.ErrTypeOverloaded}, ErrTransient},
+		{"anth api", &anth.APIError{Type: anth.ErrTypeApi}, ErrTransient},
+		{"anth auth", &anth.APIError{Type: anth.ErrTypeAuthentication}, ErrAuthDead},
+		{"anth permission", &anth.APIError{Type: anth.ErrTypePermission}, ErrAuthDead},
+		{"anth not found", &anth.APIError{Type: anth.ErrTypeNotFound}, ErrAuthDead},
+		{"anth too large", &anth.APIError{Type: anth.ErrTypeTooLarge}, ErrRequestSpecific},
+		{"anth invalid request", &anth.APIError{Type: anth.ErrTypeInvalidRequest}, ErrRequestSpecific},
+		{"wrapped anth api error", fmt.Errorf("error, status code: 529, message: %w", &anth.APIError{Type: anth.ErrTypeOverloaded}), ErrTransient},
+
+		// context errors
+		{"context canceled", context.Canceled, ErrUnknown},
+		{"context deadline", context.DeadlineExceeded, ErrTransient},
+		{"wrapped deadline", fmt.Errorf("call failed: %w", context.DeadlineExceeded), ErrTransient},
+
+		// ollama string-based
+		{"ollama HTTP 503", errors.New("ollama: HTTP 503: service unavailable"), ErrTransient},
+		{"ollama HTTP 500", errors.New("ollama: HTTP 500: internal"), ErrTransient},
+		{"ollama HTTP 502", errors.New("ollama: HTTP 502: bad gateway"), ErrTransient},
+		{"ollama HTTP 504", errors.New("ollama: HTTP 504: timeout"), ErrTransient},
+		{"ollama HTTP 429", errors.New("ollama: HTTP 429: too many requests"), ErrTransient},
+		{"ollama HTTP 401", errors.New("ollama: HTTP 401: unauthorized"), ErrAuthDead},
+		{"ollama HTTP 404", errors.New("ollama: HTTP 404: not found"), ErrAuthDead},
+		{"ollama HTTP 400", errors.New("ollama: HTTP 400: bad request"), ErrRequestSpecific},
+
+		// unknown
+		{"random error", errors.New("something weird"), ErrUnknown},
+	}
+
+	for _, tt := range tests {
+		t.Run(tt.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+			got := Classify(tt.err)
+			if got != tt.want {
+				t.Errorf("Classify(%v) = %v, want %v", tt.err, got, tt.want)
+			}
+		})
+	}
+}
+
+func TestIsTransient(t *testing.T) {
+	// IsTransient treats both ErrTransient and ErrUnknown as "should retry"
+	// (conservative). Auth/request-specific are not transient.
+	if !IsTransient(&openai.Error{StatusCode: 503}) {
+		t.Error("503 should be transient")
+	}
+	if !IsTransient(errors.New("mystery")) {
+		t.Error("unknown should be treated as transient (conservative)")
+	}
+	if IsTransient(&openai.Error{StatusCode: 401}) {
+		t.Error("401 (auth dead) should NOT be transient")
+	}
+	if IsTransient(&openai.Error{StatusCode: 400}) {
+		t.Error("400 (request specific) should NOT be transient")
+	}
+}

v2/failover.go

@@ -0,0 +1,588 @@
+package llm
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"fmt"
+	"log/slog"
+	"math/rand"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"time"
+
+	"gitea.stevedudenhoeffer.com/steve/go-llm/v2/provider"
+)
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Package-level defaults (mort configures these at boot via SetFailoverDefaults)
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+var (
+	// DefaultFailoverMaxRetries is the number of attempts per chain entry on
+	// transient errors before benching and moving to the next entry.
+	DefaultFailoverMaxRetries = 3
+	// DefaultFailoverCooldown is how long a model stays benched after a
+	// qualifying failure.
+	DefaultFailoverCooldown = 5 * time.Minute
+	// DefaultFailoverBackoff is the default exponential-with-jitter backoff.
+	DefaultFailoverBackoff = defaultBackoff
+
+	defaultsMu sync.Mutex
+)
+
+// defaultBackoff returns an exponential backoff with full jitter.
+//
+// Why: spreads retries to avoid thundering-herd against a recovering provider.
+// What: base 200ms doubling per attempt, capped at 10s, with uniform jitter.
+// Test: failover retry tests inject a fast backoff; this is the production default.
+func defaultBackoff(attempt int) time.Duration {
+	if attempt < 1 {
+		attempt = 1
+	}
+	base := 200 * time.Millisecond
+	d := base << (attempt - 1)
+	if d > 10*time.Second {
+		d = 10 * time.Second
+	}
+	// Full jitter in [0, d].
+	return time.Duration(rand.Int63n(int64(d) + 1))
+}
+
+// SetFailoverDefaults overrides the package-level failover defaults used when
+// no per-model options are supplied (e.g. comma-spec Parse).
+//
+// Why: mort wants to tune retries/cooldown once at boot without threading
+// options through every Parse call.
+// What: sets DefaultFailoverMaxRetries and DefaultFailoverCooldown under a lock.
+// Test: set defaults, build a comma model, assert its cfg reflects them.
+func SetFailoverDefaults(maxRetries int, cooldown time.Duration) {
+	defaultsMu.Lock()
+	defer defaultsMu.Unlock()
+	DefaultFailoverMaxRetries = maxRetries
+	DefaultFailoverCooldown = cooldown
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Global model health (process-wide bench registry)
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+// modelHealth tracks which concrete models are temporarily disabled (benched).
+//
+// Why: bench decisions must persist across requests and across all failover
+// chains in the process, so a model that's down isn't retried by every chain.
+// What: a mutex-guarded map keyed by specKey to its disabled state.
+// Test: failover tests reset it via resetHealthForTest and assert via IsBenched.
+type modelHealth struct {
+	mu       sync.Mutex
+	disabled map[string]disabledState
+}
+
+type disabledState struct {
+	until            time.Time
+	consecutiveFails int
+	manual           bool
+}
+
+// globalHealth is the process-wide singleton shared by every failover chain.
+var globalHealth = &modelHealth{disabled: map[string]disabledState{}}
+
+// benchThreshold is the number of consecutive transient failures (each after
+// exhausting retries) required before a model is benched. Auth-dead benches
+// immediately regardless.
+const benchThreshold = 1
+
+// resetHealthForTest clears all bench state. Test-only.
+func resetHealthForTest() {
+	globalHealth.mu.Lock()
+	defer globalHealth.mu.Unlock()
+	globalHealth.disabled = map[string]disabledState{}
+}
+
+// isBenched reports whether key is currently benched (and not expired).
+func (h *modelHealth) isBenched(key string, now time.Time) bool {
+	h.mu.Lock()
+	defer h.mu.Unlock()
+	st, ok := h.disabled[key]
+	if !ok {
+		return false
+	}
+	if now.After(st.until) {
+		delete(h.disabled, key)
+		return false
+	}
+	return true
+}
+
+// recordSuccess clears any failure state for key.
+func (h *modelHealth) recordSuccess(key string) {
+	h.mu.Lock()
+	defer h.mu.Unlock()
+	delete(h.disabled, key)
+}
+
+// recordTransientFailure increments the consecutive failure count and benches
+// the model once the threshold is reached. Returns whether it is now benched
+// and for how long.
+func (h *modelHealth) recordTransientFailure(key string, cooldown time.Duration, now time.Time) (benched bool, until time.Time) {
+	h.mu.Lock()
+	defer h.mu.Unlock()
+	st := h.disabled[key]
+	st.consecutiveFails++
+	if st.consecutiveFails >= benchThreshold {
+		st.until = now.Add(cooldown)
+		st.manual = false
+		h.disabled[key] = st
+		return true, st.until
+	}
+	h.disabled[key] = st
+	return false, time.Time{}
+}
+
+// benchNow benches a model immediately (used for auth-dead errors).
+func (h *modelHealth) benchNow(key string, cooldown time.Duration, now time.Time) time.Time {
+	h.mu.Lock()
+	defer h.mu.Unlock()
+	st := h.disabled[key]
+	st.consecutiveFails++
+	st.until = now.Add(cooldown)
+	st.manual = false
+	h.disabled[key] = st
+	return st.until
+}
+
+// benchManual benches a model until the given time, marking it manual.
+func (h *modelHealth) benchManual(key string, until time.Time) {
+	h.mu.Lock()
+	defer h.mu.Unlock()
+	st := h.disabled[key]
+	st.until = until
+	st.manual = true
+	h.disabled[key] = st
+}
+
+// unbench removes a model's bench state, reporting whether it was benched.
+func (h *modelHealth) unbench(key string, now time.Time) bool {
+	h.mu.Lock()
+	defer h.mu.Unlock()
+	st, ok := h.disabled[key]
+	if !ok || now.After(st.until) {
+		delete(h.disabled, key)
+		return false
+	}
+	delete(h.disabled, key)
+	return true
+}
+
+// list returns a snapshot of all currently-benched (non-expired) models.
+func (h *modelHealth) list(now time.Time) []BenchedModel {
+	h.mu.Lock()
+	defer h.mu.Unlock()
+	var out []BenchedModel
+	for k, st := range h.disabled {
+		if now.After(st.until) {
+			delete(h.disabled, k)
+			continue
+		}
+		out = append(out, BenchedModel{
+			Model:            k,
+			Until:            st.until,
+			ConsecutiveFails: st.consecutiveFails,
+			Manual:           st.manual,
+		})
+	}
+	return out
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Control API (admin commands / UI drive these)
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+// BenchedModel is a snapshot of a benched model's state.
+type BenchedModel struct {
+	Model            string
+	Until            time.Time
+	ConsecutiveFails int
+	Manual           bool
+}
+
+// ListBenched returns all currently-benched models across the process.
+//
+// Why: admin tooling needs to display which models are sidelined and why.
+// What: snapshots the global health map, pruning expired entries.
+// Test: BenchModel then ListBenched returns it with Manual=true.
+func ListBenched() []BenchedModel { return globalHealth.list(time.Now()) }
+
+// BenchModel manually benches a model until the given time.
+//
+// Why: operators sometimes need to force a model offline (incident, cost).
+// What: records a manual bench in the global health registry.
+// Test: BenchModel then IsBenched returns true and ListBenched shows Manual.
+func BenchModel(spec string, until time.Time) { globalHealth.benchManual(spec, until) }
+
+// UnbenchModel clears a model's bench state, returning whether it was benched.
+//
+// Why: operators need to bring a model back early after manual or auto bench.
+// What: deletes the global health entry, reporting prior benched state.
+// Test: bench then UnbenchModel returns true; a second call returns false.
+func UnbenchModel(spec string) bool { return globalHealth.unbench(spec, time.Now()) }
+
+// IsBenched reports whether a model is currently benched.
+//
+// Why: callers/tests want a quick health check for a concrete model.
+// What: consults the global health registry (expired benches read as false).
+// Test: BenchModel makes it true; an expired bench reads false.
+func IsBenched(spec string) bool { return globalHealth.isBenched(spec, time.Now()) }
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Observer
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+// FailoverEvent describes a single failover decision for an observer.
+type FailoverEvent struct {
+	Model      string
+	Err        error
+	Kind       ErrKind
+	Attempt    int
+	Benched    bool
+	BenchedFor time.Duration
+	NextModel  string
+	Request    provider.Request
+}
+
+// FailoverObserver receives a FailoverEvent for each failover decision. mort
+// uses this to persist the full prompt chain on failover.
+type FailoverObserver func(ctx context.Context, ev FailoverEvent)
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Config + options
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+type failoverConfig struct {
+	maxRetries int
+	cooldown   time.Duration
+	backoff    func(attempt int) time.Duration
+	observer   FailoverObserver
+}
+
+func defaultFailoverConfig() failoverConfig {
+	defaultsMu.Lock()
+	defer defaultsMu.Unlock()
+	return failoverConfig{
+		maxRetries: DefaultFailoverMaxRetries,
+		cooldown:   DefaultFailoverCooldown,
+		backoff:    DefaultFailoverBackoff,
+	}
+}
+
+// FailoverOption configures a failover model.
+type FailoverOption func(*failoverConfig)
+
+// WithFailoverMaxRetries sets attempts per entry on transient errors.
+func WithFailoverMaxRetries(n int) FailoverOption {
+	return func(c *failoverConfig) {
+		if n < 1 {
+			n = 1
+		}
+		c.maxRetries = n
+	}
+}
+
+// WithFailoverCooldown sets how long a model stays benched after failure.
+func WithFailoverCooldown(d time.Duration) FailoverOption {
+	return func(c *failoverConfig) { c.cooldown = d }
+}
+
+// WithFailoverBackoff sets the retry backoff function.
+func WithFailoverBackoff(fn func(attempt int) time.Duration) FailoverOption {
+	return func(c *failoverConfig) {
+		if fn != nil {
+			c.backoff = fn
+		}
+	}
+}
+
+// WithFailoverObserver sets an observer notified on every failover decision.
+func WithFailoverObserver(obs FailoverObserver) FailoverOption {
+	return func(c *failoverConfig) { c.observer = obs }
+}
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Composite provider
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+type failoverEntry struct {
+	provider provider.Provider
+	model    string // bare model name sent to the provider
+	specKey  string // global health key (full concrete spec)
+}
+
+type failoverProvider struct {
+	entries []failoverEntry
+	cfg     failoverConfig
+	health  *modelHealth
+}
+
+// bareModel strips a leading "provider/" prefix, returning the model name the
+// underlying provider expects. Specs without a slash are returned unchanged.
+func bareModel(spec string) string {
+	if i := strings.Index(spec, "/"); i >= 0 {
+		return spec[i+1:]
+	}
+	return spec
+}
+
+// NewFailoverModel builds a composite *Model that tries each sub-model in order,
+// retrying/benching per the configured policy and failing over on error.
+//
+// Why: callers hold *Model and the base Complete handler is hardwired to one
+// provider, so failover (which must switch providers) is implemented as a
+// composite provider wrapped back into a *Model.
+// What: flattens any nested failover sub-models, derives a specKey per entry
+// from its model string, and returns NewClient(fp).Model("failover").
+// Test: failover_test.go exercises success, failover, bench, abort, and flatten.
+func NewFailoverModel(models []*Model, opts ...FailoverOption) *Model {
+	cfg := defaultFailoverConfig()
+	for _, opt := range opts {
+		opt(&cfg)
+	}
+
+	var entries []failoverEntry
+	for _, m := range models {
+		if m == nil {
+			continue
+		}
+		// Flatten nested failover models so cooldowns/keys stay flat.
+		if fp, ok := m.provider.(*failoverProvider); ok {
+			entries = append(entries, fp.entries...)
+			continue
+		}
+		entries = append(entries, failoverEntry{
+			provider: m.provider,
+			model:    bareModel(m.model),
+			specKey:  m.model,
+		})
+	}
+
+	fp := &failoverProvider{
+		entries: entries,
+		cfg:     cfg,
+		health:  globalHealth,
+	}
+	return NewClient(fp).Model("failover")
+}
+
+// ParseChain parses each spec and combines them into one failover model.
+//
+// Why: lets callers build a failover chain from a slice of specs (full
+// resolution per entry) without manually wiring providers.
+// What: Parse each spec, preserve the original spec string as the bench key,
+// flatten nested failover models, and return a composite *Model.
+// Test: parse_test.go covers comma-spec parsing through the registry.
+func ParseChain(specs []string, opts ...FailoverOption) (*Model, error) {
+	return DefaultRegistry.ParseChain(specs, opts...)
+}
+
+// ParseChain is the registry-scoped form of ParseChain.
+func (r *Registry) ParseChain(specs []string, opts ...FailoverOption) (*Model, error) {
+	cfg := defaultFailoverConfig()
+	for _, opt := range opts {
+		opt(&cfg)
+	}
+
+	var entries []failoverEntry
+	for _, spec := range specs {
+		spec = strings.TrimSpace(spec)
+		if spec == "" {
+			continue
+		}
+		m, err := r.Parse(spec)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failover chain: parse %q: %w", spec, err)
+		}
+		if fp, ok := m.provider.(*failoverProvider); ok {
+			// A sub-spec was itself a comma/failover spec — splice its entries.
+			entries = append(entries, fp.entries...)
+			continue
+		}
+		entries = append(entries, failoverEntry{
+			provider: m.provider,
+			model:    m.model,
+			specKey:  spec,
+		})
+	}
+	if len(entries) == 0 {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failover chain: no valid specs")
+	}
+
+	fp := &failoverProvider{entries: entries, cfg: cfg, health: globalHealth}
+	return NewClient(fp).Model("failover"), nil
+}
+
+// reqWithModel returns a shallow copy of req with its Model set to model.
+//
+// Why: each sub-provider must receive its own bare model name; the incoming
+// req carries the placeholder "failover" model from the composite *Model.
+// What: copies the struct (slices/pointers are shared, which is safe here since
+// providers treat the request as read-only) and overrides Model.
+// Test: TestFailover_PassesModelNameToProvider asserts the provider sees the bare name.
+func reqWithModel(req provider.Request, model string) provider.Request {
+	req.Model = model
+	return req
+}
+
+// Complete implements provider.Provider with ordered failover.
+func (f *failoverProvider) Complete(ctx context.Context, req provider.Request) (provider.Response, error) {
+	now := time.Now()
+
+	// 1. Build the live set (not currently benched). Best-effort: if all are
+	// benched, ignore cooldowns rather than hard-fail.
+	var live []failoverEntry
+	for _, e := range f.entries {
+		if !f.health.isBenched(e.specKey, now) {
+			live = append(live, e)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(live) == 0 {
+		live = f.entries
+	}
+
+	var causes []error
+
+	for i, entry := range live {
+		nextModel := ""
+		if i+1 < len(live) {
+			nextModel = live[i+1].specKey
+		}
+
+		for attempt := 1; attempt <= f.cfg.maxRetries; attempt++ {
+			resp, err := entry.provider.Complete(ctx, reqWithModel(req, entry.model))
+			if err == nil {
+				f.health.recordSuccess(entry.specKey)
+				return resp, nil
+			}
+
+			// Caller aborted: stop everything, no failover, no bench.
+			if errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) {
+				return provider.Response{}, err
+			}
+
+			kind := Classify(err)
+
+			switch kind {
+			case ErrRequestSpecific:
+				f.emit(ctx, FailoverEvent{
+					Model: entry.specKey, Err: err, Kind: kind, Attempt: attempt,
+					NextModel: nextModel, Request: req,
+				})
+				slog.Warn("failover: request-specific error, trying next model",
+					"model", entry.specKey, "kind", "request_specific",
+					"status", statusOf(err), "attempt", attempt, "next", nextModel)
+				causes = append(causes, fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", entry.specKey, err))
+				goto nextEntry
+
+			case ErrAuthDead:
+				until := f.health.benchNow(entry.specKey, f.cfg.cooldown, time.Now())
+				f.emit(ctx, FailoverEvent{
+					Model: entry.specKey, Err: err, Kind: kind, Attempt: attempt,
+					Benched: true, BenchedFor: f.cfg.cooldown, NextModel: nextModel, Request: req,
+				})
+				slog.Warn("failover: auth/model-dead error, benching model",
+					"model", entry.specKey, "kind", "auth_dead", "status", statusOf(err),
+					"attempt", attempt, "benched", true, "cooldown", f.cfg.cooldown,
+					"until", until, "next", nextModel)
+				causes = append(causes, fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", entry.specKey, err))
+				goto nextEntry
+
+			default: // ErrTransient or ErrUnknown -> retry, then bench.
+				if attempt >= f.cfg.maxRetries {
+					benched, until := f.health.recordTransientFailure(entry.specKey, f.cfg.cooldown, time.Now())
+					f.emit(ctx, FailoverEvent{
+						Model: entry.specKey, Err: err, Kind: kind, Attempt: attempt,
+						Benched: benched, BenchedFor: f.cfg.cooldown, NextModel: nextModel, Request: req,
+					})
+					slog.Warn("failover: transient error, retries exhausted",
+						"model", entry.specKey, "kind", kindString(kind), "status", statusOf(err),
+						"attempt", attempt, "benched", benched, "cooldown", f.cfg.cooldown,
+						"until", until, "next", nextModel)
+					causes = append(causes, fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", entry.specKey, err))
+					goto nextEntry
+				}
+				// Sleep before retrying (respect ctx).
+				select {
+				case <-ctx.Done():
+					return provider.Response{}, ctx.Err()
+				case <-time.After(f.cfg.backoff(attempt)):
+				}
+			}
+		}
+	nextEntry:
+	}
+
+	return provider.Response{}, fmt.Errorf("failover: all %d models in chain failed: %w",
+		len(live), errors.Join(causes...))
+}
+
+// Stream implements provider.Provider. It fails over only on the INITIAL Stream
+// call error (before any event). Once a stream begins, mid-stream failures are
+// surfaced as-is — failover does not replay a partially-consumed stream.
+func (f *failoverProvider) Stream(ctx context.Context, req provider.Request, events chan<- provider.StreamEvent) error {
+	now := time.Now()
+	var live []failoverEntry
+	for _, e := range f.entries {
+		if !f.health.isBenched(e.specKey, now) {
+			live = append(live, e)
+		}
+	}
+	if len(live) == 0 {
+		live = f.entries
+	}
+
+	var causes []error
+	for i, entry := range live {
+		nextModel := ""
+		if i+1 < len(live) {
+			nextModel = live[i+1].specKey
+		}
+		err := entry.provider.Stream(ctx, reqWithModel(req, entry.model), events)
+		if err == nil {
+			f.health.recordSuccess(entry.specKey)
+			return nil
+		}
+		if errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) {
+			return err
+		}
+		kind := Classify(err)
+		switch kind {
+		case ErrAuthDead:
+			f.health.benchNow(entry.specKey, f.cfg.cooldown, time.Now())
+		case ErrTransient, ErrUnknown:
+			f.health.recordTransientFailure(entry.specKey, f.cfg.cooldown, time.Now())
+		}
+		slog.Warn("failover(stream): error, trying next model",
+			"model", entry.specKey, "kind", kindString(kind), "status", statusOf(err), "next", nextModel)
+		causes = append(causes, fmt.Errorf("%s: %w", entry.specKey, err))
+	}
+	return fmt.Errorf("failover(stream): all %d models in chain failed: %w", len(live), errors.Join(causes...))
+}
+
+func (f *failoverProvider) emit(ctx context.Context, ev FailoverEvent) {
+	if f.cfg.observer != nil {
+		f.cfg.observer(ctx, ev)
+	}
+}
+
+func kindString(k ErrKind) string {
+	switch k {
+	case ErrTransient:
+		return "transient"
+	case ErrAuthDead:
+		return "auth_dead"
+	case ErrRequestSpecific:
+		return "request_specific"
+	default:
+		return "unknown"
+	}
+}
+
+// statusOf best-effort extracts an HTTP status code for logging, or 0.
+func statusOf(err error) int { return extractStatus(err) }

v2/failover_test.go

@@ -0,0 +1,302 @@
+package llm
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"errors"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
+	"testing"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/openai/openai-go"
+
+	"gitea.stevedudenhoeffer.com/steve/go-llm/v2/provider"
+)
+
+// fastBackoff is a near-zero backoff so retry tests don't sleep.
+func fastBackoff(int) time.Duration { return time.Microsecond }
+
+func testFailoverOpts(extra ...FailoverOption) []FailoverOption {
+	base := []FailoverOption{
+		WithFailoverMaxRetries(2),
+		WithFailoverBackoff(fastBackoff),
+		WithFailoverCooldown(time.Minute),
+	}
+	return append(base, extra...)
+}
+
+// modelFor builds a *Model around a mock provider with a concrete model name,
+// mimicking what Parse produces (so specKey resolution works).
+func modelFor(p provider.Provider, name string) *Model {
+	return &Model{provider: p, model: name}
+}
+
+func TestFailover_FirstSucceeds(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	a := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "from-a"})
+	b := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "from-b"})
+
+	fo := NewFailoverModel([]*Model{modelFor(a, "anthropic/a"), modelFor(b, "openai/b")}, testFailoverOpts()...)
+	resp, err := fo.Complete(context.Background(), []Message{{Role: RoleUser, Content: Content{Text: "hi"}}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if resp.Text != "from-a" {
+		t.Errorf("expected from-a, got %q", resp.Text)
+	}
+	// b must not have been called.
+	b.mu.Lock()
+	n := len(b.Requests)
+	b.mu.Unlock()
+	if n != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("expected b untouched, got %d calls", n)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFailover_FailsOverToSecond(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	// a always returns a request-specific error (400) -> fail over, no retry-bench loop noise.
+	a := newMockProviderFunc(func(ctx context.Context, req provider.Request) (provider.Response, error) {
+		return provider.Response{}, &openai.Error{StatusCode: 400}
+	})
+	b := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "from-b"})
+
+	fo := NewFailoverModel([]*Model{modelFor(a, "p/a"), modelFor(b, "p/b")}, testFailoverOpts()...)
+	resp, err := fo.Complete(context.Background(), []Message{{Role: RoleUser, Content: Content{Text: "hi"}}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("unexpected error: %v", err)
+	}
+	if resp.Text != "from-b" {
+		t.Errorf("expected from-b, got %q", resp.Text)
+	}
+	// 400 is request-specific: a must NOT be benched.
+	if IsBenched("p/a") {
+		t.Error("p/a should not be benched on a 400")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFailover_PassesModelNameToProvider(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	a := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "ok"})
+	fo := NewFailoverModel([]*Model{modelFor(a, "anthropic/claude-x")}, testFailoverOpts()...)
+	_, err := fo.Complete(context.Background(), []Message{{Role: RoleUser, Content: Content{Text: "hi"}}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if got := a.lastRequest().Model; got != "claude-x" {
+		t.Errorf("provider received model %q, want bare model name claude-x", got)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFailover_AuthDeadBenchesImmediately(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	a := newMockProviderFunc(func(ctx context.Context, req provider.Request) (provider.Response, error) {
+		return provider.Response{}, &openai.Error{StatusCode: 401}
+	})
+	b := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "from-b"})
+	fo := NewFailoverModel([]*Model{modelFor(a, "p/a"), modelFor(b, "p/b")}, testFailoverOpts()...)
+	resp, err := fo.Complete(context.Background(), []Message{{Role: RoleUser, Content: Content{Text: "hi"}}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if resp.Text != "from-b" {
+		t.Errorf("expected from-b, got %q", resp.Text)
+	}
+	if !IsBenched("p/a") {
+		t.Error("p/a should be benched after auth-dead error")
+	}
+	// a should have been called exactly once (no retries on auth-dead).
+	a.mu.Lock()
+	n := len(a.Requests)
+	a.mu.Unlock()
+	if n != 1 {
+		t.Errorf("auth-dead should not retry; a called %d times", n)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFailover_TransientRetriesThenBenches(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	var calls int
+	var mu sync.Mutex
+	a := newMockProviderFunc(func(ctx context.Context, req provider.Request) (provider.Response, error) {
+		mu.Lock()
+		calls++
+		mu.Unlock()
+		return provider.Response{}, &openai.Error{StatusCode: 503}
+	})
+	b := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "from-b"})
+	// maxRetries=2 means 2 attempts total per entry.
+	fo := NewFailoverModel([]*Model{modelFor(a, "p/a"), modelFor(b, "p/b")},
+		WithFailoverMaxRetries(2), WithFailoverBackoff(fastBackoff), WithFailoverCooldown(time.Minute))
+	resp, err := fo.Complete(context.Background(), []Message{{Role: RoleUser, Content: Content{Text: "hi"}}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if resp.Text != "from-b" {
+		t.Errorf("expected from-b, got %q", resp.Text)
+	}
+	mu.Lock()
+	n := calls
+	mu.Unlock()
+	if n != 2 {
+		t.Errorf("expected 2 attempts on transient model, got %d", n)
+	}
+	if !IsBenched("p/a") {
+		t.Error("p/a should be benched after exhausting retries")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFailover_AllFail(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	a := newMockProviderFunc(func(ctx context.Context, req provider.Request) (provider.Response, error) {
+		return provider.Response{}, &openai.Error{StatusCode: 400}
+	})
+	b := newMockProviderFunc(func(ctx context.Context, req provider.Request) (provider.Response, error) {
+		return provider.Response{}, &openai.Error{StatusCode: 400}
+	})
+	fo := NewFailoverModel([]*Model{modelFor(a, "p/a"), modelFor(b, "p/b")}, testFailoverOpts()...)
+	_, err := fo.Complete(context.Background(), []Message{{Role: RoleUser, Content: Content{Text: "hi"}}})
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected error when all models fail")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(err.Error(), "2") {
+		t.Errorf("error should mention all 2 models failed: %v", err)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFailover_ContextCanceledAborts(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	a := newMockProviderFunc(func(ctx context.Context, req provider.Request) (provider.Response, error) {
+		return provider.Response{}, context.Canceled
+	})
+	b := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "from-b"})
+	fo := NewFailoverModel([]*Model{modelFor(a, "p/a"), modelFor(b, "p/b")}, testFailoverOpts()...)
+	_, err := fo.Complete(context.Background(), []Message{{Role: RoleUser, Content: Content{Text: "hi"}}})
+	if !errors.Is(err, context.Canceled) {
+		t.Errorf("expected context.Canceled to abort, got %v", err)
+	}
+	// b must not be tried.
+	b.mu.Lock()
+	n := len(b.Requests)
+	b.mu.Unlock()
+	if n != 0 {
+		t.Errorf("canceled should not fail over; b called %d times", n)
+	}
+	if IsBenched("p/a") {
+		t.Error("canceled should not bench")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFailover_AllBenchedBestEffort(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	// Manually bench both, then ensure Complete still tries (best-effort) and succeeds.
+	BenchModel("p/a", time.Now().Add(time.Hour))
+	BenchModel("p/b", time.Now().Add(time.Hour))
+	a := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "from-a"})
+	b := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "from-b"})
+	fo := NewFailoverModel([]*Model{modelFor(a, "p/a"), modelFor(b, "p/b")}, testFailoverOpts()...)
+	resp, err := fo.Complete(context.Background(), []Message{{Role: RoleUser, Content: Content{Text: "hi"}}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("best-effort should still try benched models: %v", err)
+	}
+	if resp.Text != "from-a" {
+		t.Errorf("expected from-a, got %q", resp.Text)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFailover_Observer(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	a := newMockProviderFunc(func(ctx context.Context, req provider.Request) (provider.Response, error) {
+		return provider.Response{}, &openai.Error{StatusCode: 401}
+	})
+	b := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "from-b"})
+
+	var mu sync.Mutex
+	var events []FailoverEvent
+	obs := func(ctx context.Context, ev FailoverEvent) {
+		mu.Lock()
+		events = append(events, ev)
+		mu.Unlock()
+	}
+	fo := NewFailoverModel([]*Model{modelFor(a, "p/a"), modelFor(b, "p/b")},
+		append(testFailoverOpts(), WithFailoverObserver(obs))...)
+	_, err := fo.Complete(context.Background(), []Message{{Role: RoleUser, Content: Content{Text: "hi"}}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	mu.Lock()
+	defer mu.Unlock()
+	if len(events) == 0 {
+		t.Fatal("expected observer to be called")
+	}
+	ev := events[0]
+	if ev.Model != "p/a" || ev.Kind != ErrAuthDead || !ev.Benched {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected event: %+v", ev)
+	}
+	if ev.NextModel != "p/b" {
+		t.Errorf("expected NextModel p/b, got %q", ev.NextModel)
+	}
+	if len(ev.Request.Messages) == 0 {
+		t.Error("observer event should carry the full request")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFailover_ControlAPI(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	if IsBenched("x/y") {
+		t.Error("should start unbenched")
+	}
+	until := time.Now().Add(time.Hour)
+	BenchModel("x/y", until)
+	if !IsBenched("x/y") {
+		t.Error("should be benched")
+	}
+	list := ListBenched()
+	if len(list) != 1 || list[0].Model != "x/y" || !list[0].Manual {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected list: %+v", list)
+	}
+	if !UnbenchModel("x/y") {
+		t.Error("UnbenchModel should report it was benched")
+	}
+	if IsBenched("x/y") {
+		t.Error("should be unbenched now")
+	}
+	if UnbenchModel("x/y") {
+		t.Error("UnbenchModel on non-benched should return false")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestFailover_ExpiredBenchIsLive(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	// Bench in the past -> should be considered live again.
+	BenchModel("p/a", time.Now().Add(-time.Hour))
+	if IsBenched("p/a") {
+		t.Error("expired bench should not count as benched")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestParseChain exercises ParseChain via a registry-backed seam is covered in
+// parse_test.go; here we verify NewFailoverModel flattens nested failover models.
+func TestNewFailoverModel_Flattens(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	a := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "a"})
+	b := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "b"})
+	c := newMockProvider(provider.Response{Text: "c"})
+	inner := NewFailoverModel([]*Model{modelFor(b, "p/b"), modelFor(c, "p/c")}, testFailoverOpts()...)
+	outer := NewFailoverModel([]*Model{modelFor(a, "p/a"), inner}, testFailoverOpts()...)
+
+	fp, ok := outer.provider.(*failoverProvider)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("expected *failoverProvider, got %T", outer.provider)
+	}
+	if len(fp.entries) != 3 {
+		t.Errorf("expected flattened 3 entries, got %d", len(fp.entries))
+	}
+	keys := []string{fp.entries[0].specKey, fp.entries[1].specKey, fp.entries[2].specKey}
+	want := []string{"p/a", "p/b", "p/c"}
+	for i := range want {
+		if keys[i] != want[i] {
+			t.Errorf("entry %d specKey = %q, want %q", i, keys[i], want[i])
+		}
+	}
+}

v2/parse.go

@@ -109,6 +109,25 @@ func Parse(spec string) (*Model, error) {
 // What: walks the resolution chain and returns the final *Model with reasoning applied.
 // Test: see parse_test.go for comprehensive table-driven tests.
 func (r *Registry) Parse(spec string) (*Model, error) {
+	// Comma-separated specs become an ordered failover chain. A single part
+	// (after trimming/dropping empties) falls through to normal single-model
+	// parsing, preserving exact existing behavior for comma-free specs.
+	if strings.Contains(spec, ",") {
+		var parts []string
+		for _, p := range strings.Split(spec, ",") {
+			if p = strings.TrimSpace(p); p != "" {
+				parts = append(parts, p)
+			}
+		}
+		if len(parts) == 0 {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("%w: empty failover spec %q", ErrUnknownProvider, spec)
+		}
+		if len(parts) > 1 {
+			return r.ParseChain(parts)
+		}
+		spec = parts[0]
+	}
+
 	m, level, err := r.parse(spec, 0)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -134,6 +153,15 @@ func (r *Registry) parse(spec string, depth int) (*Model, ReasoningLevel, error)
 	target, isAlias := r.aliases[base]
 	r.mu.RUnlock()
 	if isAlias {
+		// An alias may expand to a comma-separated failover chain; route those
+		// through the comma-aware public Parse so the chain is built correctly.
+		if strings.Contains(target, ",") {
+			m, err := r.Parse(target)
+			if err != nil {
+				return nil, "", err
+			}
+			return m, userLevel, nil
+		}
 		m, aliasLevel, err := r.parse(target, depth+1)
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, "", err
@@ -155,6 +183,18 @@ func (r *Registry) parse(spec string, depth int) (*Model, ReasoningLevel, error)
 			if resolved == "" {
 				return nil, "", fmt.Errorf("resolver returned empty spec for %q", base)
 			}
+			// A resolver may return a comma-separated failover chain.
+			if strings.Contains(resolved, ",") {
+				m, err := r.Parse(resolved)
+				if err != nil {
+					return nil, "", err
+				}
+				level := defaultLevel
+				if userLevel != "" {
+					level = userLevel
+				}
+				return m, level, nil
+			}
 			m, resolvedLevel, err := r.parse(resolved, depth+1)
 			if err != nil {
 				return nil, "", err

v2/parse_test.go

@@ -72,12 +72,12 @@ func TestSplitReasoning(t *testing.T) {
 		{"gpt-4o:high", "gpt-4o", ReasoningHigh},
 		{"gpt-4o:low", "gpt-4o", ReasoningLow},
 		{"gpt-4o:medium", "gpt-4o", ReasoningMedium},
-		{"qwen3:30b", "qwen3:30b", ""},           // Ollama tag, not a level
+		{"qwen3:30b", "qwen3:30b", ""},                 // Ollama tag, not a level
 		{"qwen3:30b:high", "qwen3:30b", ReasoningHigh}, // tag + reasoning
-		{"model:", "model:", ""},                   // trailing colon, empty suffix
-		{"", "", ""},                               // empty string
-		{"a:b:c:high", "a:b:c", ReasoningHigh},    // multiple colons
-		{"a:b:c:30b", "a:b:c:30b", ""},            // multiple colons, non-level
+		{"model:", "model:", ""},                       // trailing colon, empty suffix
+		{"", "", ""},                                   // empty string
+		{"a:b:c:high", "a:b:c", ReasoningHigh},         // multiple colons
+		{"a:b:c:30b", "a:b:c:30b", ""},                 // multiple colons, non-level
 	}
 	for _, tt := range tests {
 		t.Run(tt.input, func(t *testing.T) {
@@ -637,3 +637,81 @@ func TestNewRegistryIsolation(t *testing.T) {
 		t.Error("alias registered in r1 should not appear in r2")
 	}
 }
+
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+// Comma-separated failover chains
+// ---------------------------------------------------------------------------
+
+func TestParse_CommaProducesFailover(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	r, alpha, beta := testRegistry(func(string) string { return "" })
+
+	m, err := r.Parse("alpha/model-a,beta/model-b")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("Parse failover spec: %v", err)
+	}
+	fp, ok := m.provider.(*failoverProvider)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("expected *failoverProvider, got %T", m.provider)
+	}
+	if len(fp.entries) != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected 2 entries, got %d", len(fp.entries))
+	}
+	if fp.entries[0].specKey != "alpha/model-a" || fp.entries[1].specKey != "beta/model-b" {
+		t.Errorf("unexpected specKeys: %q, %q", fp.entries[0].specKey, fp.entries[1].specKey)
+	}
+	// Complete routes to the first provider and passes the bare model name.
+	_, err = m.Complete(context.Background(), []Message{{Role: RoleUser, Content: Content{Text: "hi"}}})
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if alpha.lastModel != "model-a" {
+		t.Errorf("alpha got model %q, want model-a", alpha.lastModel)
+	}
+	if beta.lastModel != "" {
+		t.Errorf("beta should not have been called, got model %q", beta.lastModel)
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParse_NoCommaUnchanged(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	r, _, _ := testRegistry(func(string) string { return "" })
+	m, err := r.Parse("alpha/model-a")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, ok := m.provider.(*failoverProvider); ok {
+		t.Error("single (comma-free) spec must NOT produce a failover provider")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParse_CommaSinglePartFallsThrough(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	r, _, _ := testRegistry(func(string) string { return "" })
+	// Trailing comma / whitespace collapses to a single real part.
+	m, err := r.Parse("alpha/model-a, ")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	if _, ok := m.provider.(*failoverProvider); ok {
+		t.Error("a single effective part must not produce a failover provider")
+	}
+}
+
+func TestParse_CommaFlattensNested(t *testing.T) {
+	resetHealthForTest()
+	r, _, _ := testRegistry(func(string) string { return "" })
+	// Register an alias that is itself a comma chain.
+	r.RegisterAlias("pair", "alpha/model-a,beta/model-b")
+	m, err := r.Parse("pair,beta/model-b2")
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatal(err)
+	}
+	fp, ok := m.provider.(*failoverProvider)
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatalf("expected *failoverProvider, got %T", m.provider)
+	}
+	if len(fp.entries) != 3 {
+		t.Errorf("expected flattened 3 entries, got %d", len(fp.entries))
+	}
+}