diff --git a/studio/backend/models/inference.py b/studio/backend/models/inference.py
index add3228a28..99d4f31c5d 100644
--- a/studio/backend/models/inference.py
+++ b/studio/backend/models/inference.py
@@ -394,6 +394,9 @@ class LoadResponse(BaseModel):
     is_vision: bool = Field(False, description = "Whether model is a vision model")
     is_lora: bool = Field(False, description = "Whether model is a LoRA adapter")
     is_gguf: bool = Field(False, description = "Whether model is a GGUF model (llama.cpp)")
+    is_local_model: bool = Field(
+        False, description = "Whether the loaded model came from a local filesystem path"
+    )
     is_diffusion: bool = Field(
         False, description = "Whether model is a block-diffusion model (DiffusionGemma)"
     )
@@ -558,6 +561,9 @@ class InferenceStatusResponse(BaseModel):
     )
     is_vision: bool = Field(False, description = "Whether the active model is a vision model")
     is_gguf: bool = Field(False, description = "Whether the active model is a GGUF model (llama.cpp)")
+    is_local_model: bool = Field(
+        False, description = "Whether the active model came from a local filesystem path"
+    )
     is_diffusion: bool = Field(
         False, description = "Whether the active model is a block-diffusion model (DiffusionGemma)"
     )
diff --git a/studio/backend/routes/inference.py b/studio/backend/routes/inference.py
index 1e6959472c..9f193cf02b 100644
--- a/studio/backend/routes/inference.py
+++ b/studio/backend/routes/inference.py
@@ -1019,8 +1019,11 @@ try:
     )
     from core.inference.tensor_fallback import load_with_tensor_fallback
     from utils.models import ModelConfig
+    from utils.paths import is_local_path
     from utils.inference import load_inference_config
     from utils.models.model_config import (
+        _local_gguf_companion_search_root,
+        colocated_split_shards,
         detect_mtp_file,
         load_model_defaults,
     )
@@ -1028,6 +1031,7 @@ try:
         NativePathLeaseError,
         display_label_for_native_path,
         is_registered_native_path_label,
+        native_gguf_companion_parent_allowed,
         redact_native_paths,
         verify_native_path_lease,
     )
@@ -1057,8 +1061,11 @@ except ImportError:
     )
     from core.inference.tensor_fallback import load_with_tensor_fallback
     from utils.models import ModelConfig
+    from utils.paths import is_local_path
     from utils.inference import load_inference_config
     from utils.models.model_config import (
+        _local_gguf_companion_search_root,
+        colocated_split_shards,
         detect_mtp_file,
         load_model_defaults,
     )
@@ -1066,6 +1073,7 @@ except ImportError:
         NativePathLeaseError,
         display_label_for_native_path,
         is_registered_native_path_label,
+        native_gguf_companion_parent_allowed,
         redact_native_paths,
         verify_native_path_lease,
     )
@@ -3140,11 +3148,16 @@ def _monitor_active_model() -> Optional[str]:
 
 
 def _validate_native_gguf_companion(
-    companion_path: str | None, gguf_path: str | None, label: str
+    companion_path: str | None,
+    gguf_path: str | None,
+    label: str,
+    *,
+    allow_mtp_subdir: bool = False,
+    mtp_search_root: str | Path | None = None,
 ) -> None:
     """Reject a companion GGUF (mmproj / MTP drafter) that a native-lease load
     would otherwise hand to llama-server: must be a regular file (no symlink
-    escaping the leased directory) living next to the selected GGUF."""
+    escaping the leased directory) in a permitted location."""
     if not companion_path or not gguf_path:
         return
     import stat as _stat_module
@@ -3166,10 +3179,20 @@ def _validate_native_gguf_companion(
             detail = f"Native {label} must be a regular file.",
         )
     try:
-        if companion.resolve(strict = True).parent != gguf.resolve(strict = True).parent:
+        if not native_gguf_companion_parent_allowed(
+            companion,
+            gguf,
+            allow_mtp_subdir = allow_mtp_subdir,
+            mtp_search_root = mtp_search_root,
+        ):
+            location = (
+                "beside the selected GGUF or in its MTP directory"
+                if allow_mtp_subdir
+                else "next to the selected GGUF"
+            )
             raise HTTPException(
                 status_code = 400,
-                detail = f"Native {label} must live next to the selected GGUF.",
+                detail = f"Native {label} must live {location}.",
             )
     except OSError as exc:
         raise HTTPException(
@@ -3178,6 +3201,61 @@ def _validate_native_gguf_companion(
         ) from exc
 
 
+def _loaded_is_local_model(
+    llama_backend: LlamaCppBackend, native_grant_backed: bool, model_id: str | None
+) -> bool:
+    """Provenance of the running model, preferring what the load recorded.
+
+    Falls back to the filesystem for a server started before the flag existed.
+    """
+    if native_grant_backed:
+        return True
+    stored = getattr(llama_backend, "_is_local_model", None)
+    if stored is not None:
+        return bool(stored)
+    return bool(model_id and is_local_path(model_id))
+
+
+def _validate_native_mtp_drafter(
+    companion_path: str | None,
+    gguf_path: str | None,
+    *,
+    mtp_search_root: str | Path | None = None,
+) -> None:
+    """Validate an MTP drafter for a native load, every shard of it.
+
+    llama-server opens the sibling shards of a split drafter implicitly, so
+    checking only the launch path would let a later shard be a symlink out of
+    the permitted directory without ever facing the native rules.
+    """
+    if not companion_path or not gguf_path:
+        return
+    shards, _ = colocated_split_shards(Path(companion_path))
+    for shard in shards or [Path(companion_path)]:
+        _validate_native_gguf_companion(
+            str(shard),
+            gguf_path,
+            "MTP drafter",
+            allow_mtp_subdir = True,
+            mtp_search_root = mtp_search_root,
+        )
+
+
+def _native_gguf_companion_usable(
+    companion_path: str | None,
+    gguf_path: str | None,
+    *,
+    mtp_search_root: str | Path | None = None,
+) -> bool:
+    """Whether a native load would accept this MTP drafter, as a predicate for
+    reload dedup. Same rules, so the two cannot disagree."""
+    try:
+        _validate_native_mtp_drafter(companion_path, gguf_path, mtp_search_root = mtp_search_root)
+    except HTTPException:
+        return False
+    return True
+
+
 def _normalise_settings_str(value: Optional[str]) -> Optional[str]:
     """Lowercase + strip a settings string, mapping blank/None to None."""
     if value is None:
@@ -3255,6 +3333,7 @@ def _request_matches_loaded_settings(
     request: LoadRequest,
     llama_backend: LlamaCppBackend,
     effective_chat_template_override: Optional[str] = None,
+    native_grant_backed: bool = False,
 ) -> bool:
     """True iff every runtime setting on the request matches the loaded server.
     Caller has already checked model+variant+is_loaded. See #5401.
@@ -3394,7 +3473,29 @@ def _request_matches_loaded_settings(
             else llama_backend.extra_args
         )
         if not _extra_args_set_spec_type(effective_extras):
-            detected = detect_mtp_file(llama_backend.gguf_path)
+            companion_root = _local_gguf_companion_search_root(
+                llama_backend.gguf_path, llama_backend.gguf_path
+            )
+            detected = detect_mtp_file(llama_backend.gguf_path, search_root = companion_root)
+            if native_grant_backed:
+                # Mirror the load path's choice, or the comparison is against a
+                # drafter that never launched. A native grant cannot reach a
+                # root drafter outside it, so the load falls back to the MTP/
+                # copy and, failing that, to no drafter at all. An ordinary
+                # load reaches the root drafter, so it keeps root-first
+                # detection and reloads when one appears.
+                def _usable(candidate: str) -> bool:
+                    return _native_gguf_companion_usable(
+                        candidate, llama_backend.gguf_path, mtp_search_root = companion_root
+                    )
+
+                if detected and not _usable(detected):
+                    detected = detect_mtp_file(
+                        llama_backend.gguf_path,
+                        search_root = companion_root,
+                        skip_root = True,
+                        accept = _usable,
+                    )
             stored = llama_backend.mtp_draft_path
             try:
                 detected_resolved = Path(detected).resolve() if detected else None
@@ -4941,6 +5042,7 @@ async def _load_model_impl(
                     request,
                     llama_backend,
                     effective_chat_template_override,
+                    native_grant_backed = native_grant_backed,
                 )
                 # Skip if a prior audio probe failed -- let load_model retry.
                 and getattr(llama_backend, "_audio_probed", True)
@@ -4967,6 +5069,9 @@ async def _load_model_impl(
                     is_vision = llama_backend._is_vision,
                     is_lora = False,
                     is_gguf = True,
+                    is_local_model = _loaded_is_local_model(
+                        llama_backend, native_grant_backed, llama_backend.model_identifier
+                    ),
                     is_diffusion = llama_backend.is_diffusion,
                     is_audio = _gguf_is_audio,
                     audio_type = _gguf_audio,
@@ -5026,6 +5131,7 @@ async def _load_model_impl(
                     is_vision = _model_info.get("is_vision", False),
                     is_lora = _model_info.get("is_lora", False),
                     is_gguf = False,
+                    is_local_model = native_grant_backed or is_local_path(backend.active_model_name),
                     is_audio = _model_info.get("is_audio", False),
                     audio_type = _model_info.get("audio_type"),
                     has_audio_input = _model_info.get("has_audio_input", False),
@@ -5212,13 +5318,41 @@ async def _load_model_impl(
                     if config.gguf_mtp_file:
                         # The drafter is optional (unlike mmproj for a vision
                         # model): drop it rather than fail the load.
-                        try:
-                            _validate_native_gguf_companion(
-                                config.gguf_mtp_file, config.gguf_file, "MTP drafter"
+                        mtp_search_root = _local_gguf_companion_search_root(
+                            config.gguf_file, config.gguf_file
+                        )
+
+                        def _mtp_allowed(candidate: str) -> bool:
+                            try:
+                                _validate_native_mtp_drafter(
+                                    candidate,
+                                    config.gguf_file,
+                                    mtp_search_root = mtp_search_root,
+                                )
+                                return True
+                            except HTTPException as exc:
+                                logger.warning(
+                                    "Dropping MTP drafter for native load: %s", exc.detail
+                                )
+                                return False
+
+                        if not _mtp_allowed(config.gguf_mtp_file):
+                            # The preferred root drafter is out of bounds for a
+                            # grant on a quant subdir, but an MTP/ copy may not
+                            # be. Scan them in preference order rather than
+                            # dropping MTP on the first rejection.
+                            fallback = detect_mtp_file(
+                                config.gguf_file,
+                                search_root = mtp_search_root,
+                                skip_root = True,
+                                accept = _mtp_allowed,
                             )
-                        except HTTPException as exc:
-                            logger.warning("Dropping MTP drafter for native load: %s", exc.detail)
-                            config.gguf_mtp_file = None
+                            if fallback:
+                                logger.info(
+                                    "Using MTP subdirectory drafter for native load: %s",
+                                    fallback,
+                                )
+                            config.gguf_mtp_file = fallback
                 _source_load_kwargs = dict(
                     gguf_path = config.gguf_file,
                     mmproj_path = config.gguf_mmproj_file,
@@ -5332,6 +5466,10 @@ async def _load_model_impl(
             _gguf_is_audio = llama_backend._is_audio
             llama_backend._native_display_label = model_log_label if native_grant_backed else None
             llama_backend._native_grant_backed = bool(native_grant_backed)
+            # Provenance is a load-time fact. Re-deriving it per status poll
+            # would flip a local model to remote if its directory is deleted
+            # or unmounted underneath a still-running server.
+            llama_backend._is_local_model = bool(native_grant_backed or config.is_local)
             if _gguf_is_audio:
                 logger.info(f"GGUF model detected as audio: audio_type={_gguf_audio}")
 
@@ -5344,6 +5482,7 @@ async def _load_model_impl(
                 is_vision = llama_backend.is_vision,
                 is_lora = False,
                 is_gguf = True,
+                is_local_model = config.is_local,
                 is_diffusion = llama_backend.is_diffusion,
                 is_audio = _gguf_is_audio,
                 audio_type = _gguf_audio,
@@ -5487,6 +5626,7 @@ async def _load_model_impl(
             is_vision = config.is_vision,
             is_lora = config.is_lora,
             is_gguf = False,
+            is_local_model = config.is_local,
             is_audio = config.is_audio,
             audio_type = config.audio_type,
             has_audio_input = config.has_audio_input,
@@ -6485,6 +6625,9 @@ async def get_status(current_subject: str = Depends(get_current_subject)):
                 model_identifier = None if _native_grant_backed else _model_id,
                 is_vision = llama_backend.is_vision,
                 is_gguf = True,
+                is_local_model = _loaded_is_local_model(
+                    llama_backend, _native_grant_backed, _model_id
+                ),
                 is_diffusion = llama_backend.is_diffusion,
                 gguf_variant = llama_backend.hf_variant,
                 is_audio = getattr(llama_backend, "_is_audio", False),
@@ -6556,6 +6699,9 @@ async def get_status(current_subject: str = Depends(get_current_subject)):
             model_identifier = backend.active_model_name,
             is_vision = is_vision,
             is_gguf = False,
+            is_local_model = bool(
+                backend.active_model_name and is_local_path(backend.active_model_name)
+            ),
             is_audio = is_audio,
             audio_type = audio_type,
             has_audio_input = has_audio_input,
diff --git a/studio/backend/tests/test_mtp_drafter_companion.py b/studio/backend/tests/test_mtp_drafter_companion.py
index 02230632b6..95179b86bd 100644
--- a/studio/backend/tests/test_mtp_drafter_companion.py
+++ b/studio/backend/tests/test_mtp_drafter_companion.py
@@ -29,11 +29,14 @@ from hub.utils.gguf_plan import (
     preferred_mtp_sibling,
 )
 from utils.models.model_config import (
+    ModelConfig,
     _is_mtp_drafter,
+    _local_gguf_companion_search_root,
     detect_gguf_model,
     detect_mtp_file,
     extract_model_size_b,
 )
+from utils.native_path_leases import native_gguf_companion_parent_allowed
 
 
 # ── Predicate + layering mirrors ─────────────────────────────────────
@@ -211,6 +214,152 @@ def test_detect_mtp_file_search_root(tmp_path):
     assert found is not None and found.endswith("mtp-gemma-4-12b-it.gguf")
 
 
+def test_quant_directory_selection_finds_repo_root_mtp(tmp_path):
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "Q4_0"
+    quant_dir.mkdir()
+    weight = quant_dir / "gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    mtp_dir = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    mtp_dir.mkdir()
+    drafter = mtp_dir / "mtp-gemma-4-E4B-it-Q4_0.gguf"
+    drafter.write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    search_root = _local_gguf_companion_search_root(str(quant_dir), str(weight))
+    assert Path(search_root).resolve() == tmp_path.resolve()
+    config = ModelConfig.from_identifier(str(quant_dir))
+    assert config.is_local
+    assert config.gguf_file == str(weight.resolve())
+    assert config.gguf_mtp_file == str(drafter.resolve())
+
+
+def test_bare_relative_gguf_directory_is_local_source(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    model_dir = tmp_path / "outputs" / "gemma"
+    model_dir.mkdir(parents = True)
+    weight = model_dir / "gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    monkeypatch.chdir(tmp_path)
+
+    config = ModelConfig.from_identifier("outputs/gemma")
+    assert config.is_local
+    assert config.gguf_file == str(weight.resolve())
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_falls_back_to_new_scheme_subdir(tmp_path):
+    weight = tmp_path / "gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    (sub / "mtp-gemma-4-E4B-it-BF16.gguf").write_bytes(b"x")
+    q4 = sub / "mtp-gemma-4-E4B-it-Q4_0.gguf"
+    q4.write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    found = detect_mtp_file(str(weight))
+    assert found == str(q4.resolve())
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_falls_back_to_old_scheme_subdir(tmp_path):
+    weight = tmp_path / "gemma-4-12b-it-Q4_K_M.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    drafter = sub / "gemma-4-12b-it-Q8_0-MTP.gguf"
+    drafter.write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    found = detect_mtp_file(str(weight))
+    assert found == str(drafter.resolve())
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_root_still_wins_over_subdir(tmp_path):
+    weight = tmp_path / "gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    root = tmp_path / "mtp-gemma-4-E4B-it.gguf"
+    root.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    (sub / "mtp-gemma-4-E4B-it-Q4_0.gguf").write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight)) == str(root.resolve())
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_subdir_skips_foreign_drafter(tmp_path):
+    weight = tmp_path / "gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    (sub / "mtp-gemma-4-12b-it-Q4_0.gguf").write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight)) is None
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize(
+    "companion_path",
+    ["mtp-gemma-4-E4B-it-Q4_0.gguf", "MTP/mtp-gemma-4-E4B-it-Q4_0.gguf"],
+)
+def test_detect_mtp_file_requires_model_name_boundary(tmp_path, companion_path):
+    weight = tmp_path / "gemma-4-E4B-item-qat-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    companion = tmp_path / companion_path
+    companion.parent.mkdir(parents = True, exist_ok = True)
+    companion.write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight)) is None
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_accepts_case_variant_subdir(tmp_path):
+    weight = tmp_path / "gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "mtp"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    drafter = sub / "mtp-gemma-4-E4B-it-Q4_0.gguf"
+    drafter.write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight)) == str(drafter.resolve())
+
+
+def test_native_companion_parent_accepts_root_and_mtp_subdir(tmp_path):
+    weight = tmp_path / "gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    root_drafter = tmp_path / "mtp-gemma-4-E4B-it.gguf"
+    root_drafter.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MtP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    nested_drafter = sub / "mtp-gemma-4-E4B-it-Q4_0.gguf"
+    nested_drafter.write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    assert native_gguf_companion_parent_allowed(root_drafter, weight)
+    assert native_gguf_companion_parent_allowed(nested_drafter, weight, allow_mtp_subdir = True)
+
+
+def test_native_companion_parent_rejects_other_nested_directory(tmp_path):
+    weight = tmp_path / "gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "other"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    drafter = sub / "mtp-gemma-4-E4B-it-Q4_0.gguf"
+    drafter.write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    assert not native_gguf_companion_parent_allowed(drafter, weight)
+
+
+def test_native_companion_parent_rejects_mtp_symlink_escape(tmp_path):
+    model_dir = tmp_path / "model"
+    model_dir.mkdir()
+    weight = model_dir / "gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    outside = tmp_path / "outside"
+    outside.mkdir()
+    drafter = outside / "mtp-gemma-4-E4B-it-Q4_0.gguf"
+    drafter.write_bytes(b"x")
+    try:
+        (model_dir / "MTP").symlink_to(outside, target_is_directory = True)
+    except OSError as exc:
+        pytest.skip(f"symlinks unavailable: {exc}")
+
+    assert not native_gguf_companion_parent_allowed(
+        model_dir / "MTP" / drafter.name, weight, allow_mtp_subdir = True
+    )
+
+
 # ── Reload dedup includes the drafter ────────────────────────────────
 
 
@@ -483,3 +632,198 @@ def test_download_mtp_online_skips_cache_reuse(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
     b._download_companion_gguf = _fake_companion
     assert b._download_mtp(hf_repo = "unsloth/gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-mobile-GGUF") is None
     assert reached.get("hit") is True
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_returns_first_shard_of_split_subdir_drafter(tmp_path):
+    """llama-server takes shard 1 as the model path, so a split MTP/ copy must
+    not resolve to whichever shard happens to be smallest."""
+    weight = tmp_path / "model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    first = sub / "mtp-model-Q4_0-00001-of-00002.gguf"
+    first.write_bytes(b"x" * 4096)
+    (sub / "mtp-model-Q4_0-00002-of-00002.gguf").write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight)) == str(first.resolve())
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_skip_root_ignores_root_drafter(tmp_path):
+    """skip_root is how a native load recovers when the root drafter is out
+    of bounds for its grant."""
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "Q4_0"
+    quant_dir.mkdir()
+    weight = quant_dir / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    (tmp_path / "mtp-model.gguf").write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    subdir_copy = sub / "mtp-model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    subdir_copy.write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight), str(tmp_path)) == str(
+        (tmp_path / "mtp-model.gguf").resolve()
+    )
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight), str(tmp_path), skip_root = True) == str(subdir_copy.resolve())
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_rejects_weight_copy_inside_mtp_dir(tmp_path):
+    """Everything under MTP/ counts as a drafter for menu exclusion, but only
+    a published drafter name may be launched as --model-draft."""
+    weight = tmp_path / "gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    (sub / "gemma-4-E4B-it-qat-Q4_0.gguf").write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight)) is None
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_pairs_k_quant_subdir_drafter(tmp_path):
+    """Pairing must use the full quant vocabulary, not just Q<d>_<d>/BF16/F16."""
+    weight = tmp_path / "gemma-4-12b-it-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    drafter = sub / "mtp-gemma-4-12b-it-UD-Q4_K_XL.gguf"
+    drafter.write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight)) == str(drafter.resolve())
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_keeps_snapshot_path_for_sharded_subdir_drafter(tmp_path):
+    """A split copy stored as HF snapshot symlinks must launch from the
+    snapshot path: the blob target has no sibling shard names."""
+    blobs = tmp_path / "blobs"
+    snapshot = tmp_path / "snapshots" / "abc"
+    sub = snapshot / "MTP"
+    blobs.mkdir(parents = True)
+    sub.mkdir(parents = True)
+
+    (blobs / "sha_weight").write_bytes(b"w")
+    weight = snapshot / "model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    try:
+        weight.symlink_to(blobs / "sha_weight")
+    except OSError:
+        pytest.skip("symlinks unavailable")
+
+    first = sub / "mtp-model-Q4_0-00001-of-00002.gguf"
+    second = sub / "mtp-model-Q4_0-00002-of-00002.gguf"
+    (blobs / "sha_1").write_bytes(b"d" * 4096)
+    (blobs / "sha_2").write_bytes(b"d")
+    first.symlink_to(blobs / "sha_1")
+    second.symlink_to(blobs / "sha_2")
+
+    found = detect_mtp_file(str(weight), str(snapshot))
+    assert found == str(first)
+    assert (Path(found).parent / second.name).exists()
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_pairs_sharded_old_scheme_subdir_drafter(tmp_path):
+    """An old-scheme split copy is <model>-Q8_0-MTP-00001-of-00002.gguf, whose
+    stem does not end in -mtp until the shard suffix comes off."""
+    weight = tmp_path / "model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    first = sub / "model-Q8_0-MTP-00001-of-00002.gguf"
+    first.write_bytes(b"x" * 4096)
+    (sub / "model-Q8_0-MTP-00002-of-00002.gguf").write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight)) == str(first)
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_keeps_snapshot_path_for_sharded_root_drafter(tmp_path):
+    """The root branch needs the same shard handling as the MTP/ branch."""
+    blobs = tmp_path / "blobs"
+    snapshot = tmp_path / "snapshots" / "abc"
+    blobs.mkdir(parents = True)
+    snapshot.mkdir(parents = True)
+
+    (blobs / "sha_weight").write_bytes(b"w")
+    weight = snapshot / "model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    try:
+        weight.symlink_to(blobs / "sha_weight")
+    except OSError:
+        pytest.skip("symlinks unavailable")
+
+    first = snapshot / "mtp-model-Q4_0-00001-of-00002.gguf"
+    second = snapshot / "mtp-model-Q4_0-00002-of-00002.gguf"
+    (blobs / "sha_1").write_bytes(b"d" * 4096)
+    (blobs / "sha_2").write_bytes(b"d")
+    first.symlink_to(blobs / "sha_1")
+    second.symlink_to(blobs / "sha_2")
+
+    found = detect_mtp_file(str(weight), str(snapshot))
+    assert found == str(first)
+    assert (Path(found).parent / second.name).exists()
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_pairs_bpw_qualified_subdir_drafter(tmp_path):
+    """_extract_quant_label supports bpw-qualified names, so pairing must too."""
+    weight = tmp_path / "model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    drafter = sub / "mtp-model-IQ4_XS-3.53bpw.gguf"
+    drafter.write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight)) == str(drafter.resolve())
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_skips_incomplete_split_drafter(tmp_path):
+    """An incomplete shard set fails llama-server's draft startup, so a
+    complete copy must win rather than MTP being disabled."""
+    weight = tmp_path / "model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    # Declares two shards but ships only the first.
+    (sub / "mtp-model-Q4_0-00001-of-00002.gguf").write_bytes(b"x" * 50)
+    complete = sub / "mtp-model-BF16.gguf"
+    complete.write_bytes(b"x" * 100)
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight)) == str(complete.resolve())
+
+
+def test_detect_mtp_file_ranks_split_drafter_by_total_size(tmp_path):
+    """Candidates collapse to shard 1, so a split copy must be summed or it
+    outranks a smaller single file."""
+    weight = tmp_path / "model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    (sub / "mtp-model-Q8_0-00001-of-00002.gguf").write_bytes(b"x" * 90)
+    (sub / "mtp-model-Q8_0-00002-of-00002.gguf").write_bytes(b"x" * 90)
+    smaller = sub / "mtp-model-BF16.gguf"
+    smaller.write_bytes(b"x" * 100)
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight)) == str(smaller.resolve())
+
+
+def test_companion_search_root_promotes_bpw_quant_directory(tmp_path):
+    """A bpw-qualified quant directory must resolve to the repository root, or
+    the repo-root MTP/ copy is never in scope for it."""
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "IQ4_XS-3.53bpw"
+    quant_dir.mkdir()
+    weight = quant_dir / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    drafter = sub / "mtp-model.gguf"
+    drafter.write_bytes(b"x")
+
+    # Directory selection and the file inside it agree on the root.
+    assert _local_gguf_companion_search_root(str(quant_dir), str(weight)) == str(tmp_path)
+    assert _local_gguf_companion_search_root(str(weight), str(weight)) == str(tmp_path)
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight), str(tmp_path)) == str(drafter.resolve())
+
+
+def test_companion_search_root_keeps_non_quant_directories(tmp_path):
+    """Sharing the quant vocabulary must not widen what gets promoted."""
+    for name in ("DeepSeek-V3-UD-Q2_K_XL", "outputs", "Q4_0-extra", "Q4_0bpw"):
+        directory = tmp_path / name
+        directory.mkdir()
+        weight = directory / "model.gguf"
+        weight.write_bytes(b"x")
+        assert _local_gguf_companion_search_root(str(directory), str(weight)) == str(directory)
diff --git a/studio/backend/tests/test_native_gguf_companion.py b/studio/backend/tests/test_native_gguf_companion.py
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..3a7b4b0caf
--- /dev/null
+++ b/studio/backend/tests/test_native_gguf_companion.py
@@ -0,0 +1,386 @@
+# SPDX-License-Identifier: AGPL-3.0-only
+# Copyright 2026-present the Unsloth AI Inc. team. All rights reserved. See /studio/LICENSE.AGPL-3.0
+
+"""Native GGUF companion path validation."""
+
+from __future__ import annotations
+
+import sys
+from pathlib import Path
+
+import pytest
+from fastapi import HTTPException
+
+_BACKEND_DIR = str(Path(__file__).resolve().parent.parent)
+if _BACKEND_DIR not in sys.path:
+    sys.path.insert(0, _BACKEND_DIR)
+
+from routes.inference import _validate_native_gguf_companion
+from routes.inference import _request_matches_loaded_settings
+from routes.inference import _validate_native_mtp_drafter
+from routes.inference import _loaded_is_local_model
+from routes.inference import _native_gguf_companion_usable
+from utils.models.model_config import detect_mtp_file
+from core.inference.llama_cpp import LlamaCppBackend
+from models.inference import LoadRequest
+
+
+def _write_pair(tmp_path: Path, folder: str | None = None) -> tuple[Path, Path]:
+    tmp_path.mkdir(parents = True, exist_ok = True)
+    weight = tmp_path / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    parent = tmp_path if folder is None else tmp_path / folder
+    parent.mkdir(parents = True, exist_ok = True)
+    companion = parent / "mtp-model.gguf"
+    companion.write_bytes(b"draft")
+    return weight, companion
+
+
+def test_native_companion_allows_model_directory(tmp_path):
+    weight, companion = _write_pair(tmp_path)
+    _validate_native_gguf_companion(str(companion), str(weight), "vision companion")
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("folder", ["MTP", "mtp", "MtP"])
+def test_native_mtp_companion_allows_mtp_directory(tmp_path, folder):
+    weight, companion = _write_pair(tmp_path, folder)
+    _validate_native_gguf_companion(
+        str(companion), str(weight), "MTP drafter", allow_mtp_subdir = True
+    )
+
+
+def test_native_mtp_companion_allows_repo_root_mtp_directory(tmp_path):
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "Q4_0"
+    weight, _ = _write_pair(quant_dir)
+    companion_dir = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    companion_dir.mkdir()
+    companion = companion_dir / "mtp-model.gguf"
+    companion.write_bytes(b"draft")
+
+    _validate_native_gguf_companion(
+        str(companion),
+        str(weight),
+        "MTP drafter",
+        allow_mtp_subdir = True,
+        mtp_search_root = str(tmp_path),
+    )
+
+
+def test_native_mtp_companion_rejects_unrelated_search_root(tmp_path):
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "repo" / "Q4_0"
+    weight, _ = _write_pair(quant_dir)
+    companion_dir = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    companion_dir.mkdir()
+    companion = companion_dir / "mtp-model.gguf"
+    companion.write_bytes(b"draft")
+
+    with pytest.raises(HTTPException, match = "must live beside"):
+        _validate_native_gguf_companion(
+            str(companion),
+            str(weight),
+            "MTP drafter",
+            allow_mtp_subdir = True,
+            mtp_search_root = str(tmp_path),
+        )
+
+
+def test_reload_dedup_finds_repo_root_mtp_companion(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "Q4_0"
+    quant_dir.mkdir()
+    weight = quant_dir / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    companion_dir = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    companion_dir.mkdir()
+    companion = companion_dir / "mtp-model.gguf"
+    companion.write_bytes(b"draft")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(LlamaCppBackend, "_kill_orphaned_servers", staticmethod(lambda: 0))
+    backend = LlamaCppBackend()
+    backend._gguf_path = str(weight)
+    backend._mtp_draft_path = str(companion)
+
+    request = LoadRequest(model_path = str(weight))
+    assert _request_matches_loaded_settings(request, backend)
+
+
+def test_reload_dedup_matches_quant_directory_selection(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "Q4_0"
+    quant_dir.mkdir()
+    weight = quant_dir / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    companion_dir = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    companion_dir.mkdir()
+    companion = companion_dir / "mtp-model.gguf"
+    companion.write_bytes(b"draft")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(LlamaCppBackend, "_kill_orphaned_servers", staticmethod(lambda: 0))
+    backend = LlamaCppBackend()
+    backend._gguf_path = str(weight)
+    backend._mtp_draft_path = str(companion)
+
+    request = LoadRequest(model_path = str(quant_dir), gguf_variant = "Q4_0")
+    assert _request_matches_loaded_settings(request, backend)
+
+
+def test_native_vision_companion_rejects_mtp_directory(tmp_path):
+    weight, companion = _write_pair(tmp_path, "MTP")
+    with pytest.raises(HTTPException, match = "must live next to"):
+        _validate_native_gguf_companion(str(companion), str(weight), "vision companion")
+
+
+@pytest.mark.parametrize("folder", ["other", "MTP/deeper", "mtp/deeper"])
+def test_native_companion_rejects_arbitrary_nesting(tmp_path, folder):
+    weight, companion = _write_pair(tmp_path, folder)
+    with pytest.raises(HTTPException, match = "must live beside") as error:
+        _validate_native_gguf_companion(
+            str(companion), str(weight), "MTP drafter", allow_mtp_subdir = True
+        )
+    assert error.value.status_code == 400
+
+
+def test_native_companion_rejects_file_symlink(tmp_path):
+    weight, companion = _write_pair(tmp_path)
+    link = tmp_path / "mtp-link.gguf"
+    try:
+        link.symlink_to(companion)
+    except OSError as exc:
+        pytest.skip(f"symlinks unavailable: {exc}")
+    with pytest.raises(HTTPException, match = "regular file"):
+        _validate_native_gguf_companion(str(link), str(weight), "MTP drafter")
+
+
+def test_native_companion_rejects_directory_symlink_escape(tmp_path):
+    model_dir = tmp_path / "model"
+    outside = tmp_path / "outside"
+    model_dir.mkdir()
+    outside.mkdir()
+    weight = model_dir / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    companion = outside / "mtp-model.gguf"
+    companion.write_bytes(b"draft")
+    try:
+        (model_dir / "MTP").symlink_to(outside, target_is_directory = True)
+    except OSError as exc:
+        pytest.skip(f"symlinks unavailable: {exc}")
+    with pytest.raises(HTTPException, match = "must live beside"):
+        _validate_native_gguf_companion(
+            str(model_dir / "MTP" / companion.name),
+            str(weight),
+            "MTP drafter",
+            allow_mtp_subdir = True,
+        )
+
+
+def test_native_companion_rejects_missing_file(tmp_path):
+    weight = tmp_path / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    with pytest.raises(HTTPException, match = "no longer accessible"):
+        _validate_native_gguf_companion(str(tmp_path / "missing.gguf"), str(weight), "MTP drafter")
+
+
+def test_native_companion_rejects_directory(tmp_path):
+    weight = tmp_path / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    companion = tmp_path / "mtp-model.gguf"
+    companion.mkdir()
+    with pytest.raises(HTTPException, match = "regular file"):
+        _validate_native_gguf_companion(str(companion), str(weight), "MTP drafter")
+
+
+def test_native_companion_rejects_missing_weight(tmp_path):
+    companion = tmp_path / "mtp-model.gguf"
+    companion.write_bytes(b"draft")
+    with pytest.raises(HTTPException, match = "no longer accessible"):
+        _validate_native_gguf_companion(
+            str(companion), str(tmp_path / "missing.gguf"), "MTP drafter"
+        )
+
+
+def test_native_companion_none_is_noop():
+    _validate_native_gguf_companion(None, None, "MTP drafter")
+
+
+def test_reload_dedup_accepts_native_subdir_fallback(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """A native load whose root drafter was out of bounds launches the MTP/
+    copy, so root-first detection never matches it. Dedup must still hold."""
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "Q4_0"
+    quant_dir.mkdir()
+    weight = quant_dir / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    (tmp_path / "mtp-model.gguf").write_bytes(b"root drafter")
+    companion_dir = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    companion_dir.mkdir()
+    companion = companion_dir / "mtp-model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    companion.write_bytes(b"draft")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(LlamaCppBackend, "_kill_orphaned_servers", staticmethod(lambda: 0))
+    backend = LlamaCppBackend()
+    backend._gguf_path = str(weight)
+    backend._mtp_draft_path = str(companion)
+
+    request = LoadRequest(model_path = str(weight))
+    assert _request_matches_loaded_settings(request, backend, None, native_grant_backed = True)
+
+
+def test_reload_dedup_still_reloads_when_drafter_disappears(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """The fallback comparison must not mask a deleted drafter."""
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "Q4_0"
+    quant_dir.mkdir()
+    weight = quant_dir / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    companion_dir = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    companion_dir.mkdir()
+    companion = companion_dir / "mtp-model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    companion.write_bytes(b"draft")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(LlamaCppBackend, "_kill_orphaned_servers", staticmethod(lambda: 0))
+    backend = LlamaCppBackend()
+    backend._gguf_path = str(weight)
+    backend._mtp_draft_path = str(companion)
+
+    companion.unlink()
+    request = LoadRequest(model_path = str(weight))
+    assert not _request_matches_loaded_settings(request, backend)
+
+
+def test_reload_dedup_reloads_for_ordinary_load_when_root_drafter_appears(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """The native fallback exception must not swallow a newly added root
+    drafter on an ordinary local load, which can reach it."""
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "Q4_0"
+    quant_dir.mkdir()
+    weight = quant_dir / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    companion_dir = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    companion_dir.mkdir()
+    companion = companion_dir / "mtp-model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    companion.write_bytes(b"draft")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(LlamaCppBackend, "_kill_orphaned_servers", staticmethod(lambda: 0))
+    backend = LlamaCppBackend()
+    backend._gguf_path = str(weight)
+    backend._mtp_draft_path = str(companion)
+
+    request = LoadRequest(model_path = str(weight))
+    # No root drafter yet: both routes dedupe.
+    assert _request_matches_loaded_settings(request, backend, None, native_grant_backed = True)
+    assert _request_matches_loaded_settings(request, backend, None, native_grant_backed = False)
+
+    (tmp_path / "mtp-model.gguf").write_bytes(b"root drafter")
+    # Native cannot reach the root drafter, so the subdir copy stays current.
+    assert _request_matches_loaded_settings(request, backend, None, native_grant_backed = True)
+    # An ordinary load would pick the root drafter, so it must reload.
+    assert not _request_matches_loaded_settings(request, backend, None, native_grant_backed = False)
+
+
+def test_reload_dedup_native_load_with_no_admissible_drafter(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """Root drafter out of the grant and no MTP/ copy: the load stores no
+    drafter, so dedup must compare against None rather than the root file."""
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "Q4_0"
+    quant_dir.mkdir()
+    weight = quant_dir / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    (tmp_path / "mtp-model.gguf").write_bytes(b"root drafter")
+
+    monkeypatch.setattr(LlamaCppBackend, "_kill_orphaned_servers", staticmethod(lambda: 0))
+    backend = LlamaCppBackend()
+    backend._gguf_path = str(weight)
+    backend._mtp_draft_path = None
+
+    request = LoadRequest(model_path = str(weight))
+    assert _request_matches_loaded_settings(request, backend, None, native_grant_backed = True)
+    # An ordinary load would launch the root drafter, so it must reload.
+    assert not _request_matches_loaded_settings(request, backend, None, native_grant_backed = False)
+
+
+def test_native_mtp_drafter_rejects_symlinked_later_shard(tmp_path):
+    """llama-server opens sibling shards implicitly, so validating only the
+    launch path would let a later shard escape the permitted directory."""
+    weight = tmp_path / "model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    first = sub / "mtp-model-Q4_0-00001-of-00002.gguf"
+    first.write_bytes(b"draft")
+    outside = tmp_path / "outside.bin"
+    outside.write_bytes(b"secret")
+    try:
+        (sub / "mtp-model-Q4_0-00002-of-00002.gguf").symlink_to(outside)
+    except OSError as exc:
+        pytest.skip(f"symlinks unavailable: {exc}")
+
+    with pytest.raises(HTTPException, match = "regular file"):
+        _validate_native_mtp_drafter(str(first), str(weight), mtp_search_root = str(tmp_path))
+
+
+def test_native_mtp_drafter_accepts_regular_shard_set(tmp_path):
+    weight = tmp_path / "model-Q4_0.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    sub = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    sub.mkdir()
+    first = sub / "mtp-model-Q4_0-00001-of-00002.gguf"
+    first.write_bytes(b"draft")
+    (sub / "mtp-model-Q4_0-00002-of-00002.gguf").write_bytes(b"draft")
+
+    _validate_native_mtp_drafter(str(first), str(weight), mtp_search_root = str(tmp_path))
+
+
+def test_status_provenance_survives_deleted_model_directory(tmp_path, monkeypatch):
+    """Provenance is a load-time fact: a directory removed underneath a running
+    server must not turn a local model into a remote one."""
+    monkeypatch.setattr(LlamaCppBackend, "_kill_orphaned_servers", staticmethod(lambda: 0))
+    backend = LlamaCppBackend()
+    backend._is_local_model = True
+    # "outputs/gemma" no longer exists, so is_local_path would call it a repo id.
+    assert _loaded_is_local_model(backend, False, "outputs/gemma")
+
+    stale = LlamaCppBackend()
+    assert not _loaded_is_local_model(stale, False, "unsloth/gemma-4-12b")
+    assert _loaded_is_local_model(stale, True, None)
+
+
+def test_native_load_skips_rejected_mtp_candidate_for_next_one(tmp_path):
+    """MTP/ can hold several compatible copies. If the size-preferred one is
+    out of the grant, the next must be tried instead of disabling MTP."""
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "Q4_0"
+    quant_dir.mkdir()
+    weight = quant_dir / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    outside = tmp_path.parent / "outside-blob.gguf"
+    outside.write_bytes(b"d")
+    companion_dir = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    companion_dir.mkdir()
+    try:
+        (companion_dir / "mtp-model-Q4_0.gguf").symlink_to(outside)
+    except OSError as exc:
+        pytest.skip(f"symlinks unavailable: {exc}")
+    larger = companion_dir / "mtp-model-Q8_0.gguf"
+    larger.write_bytes(b"d" * 5000)
+
+    def _usable(candidate: str) -> bool:
+        return _native_gguf_companion_usable(candidate, str(weight), mtp_search_root = str(tmp_path))
+
+    # Preferred by size, but it resolves out of the permitted directory.
+    assert not _usable(detect_mtp_file(str(weight), str(tmp_path), skip_root = True))
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight), str(tmp_path), skip_root = True, accept = _usable) == str(
+        larger.resolve()
+    )
+
+
+def test_native_load_returns_none_when_no_candidate_passes(tmp_path):
+    quant_dir = tmp_path / "Q4_0"
+    quant_dir.mkdir()
+    weight = quant_dir / "model.gguf"
+    weight.write_bytes(b"model")
+    outside = tmp_path.parent / "outside-only.gguf"
+    outside.write_bytes(b"d")
+    companion_dir = tmp_path / "MTP"
+    companion_dir.mkdir()
+    try:
+        (companion_dir / "mtp-model-Q4_0.gguf").symlink_to(outside)
+    except OSError as exc:
+        pytest.skip(f"symlinks unavailable: {exc}")
+
+    def _usable(candidate: str) -> bool:
+        return _native_gguf_companion_usable(candidate, str(weight), mtp_search_root = str(tmp_path))
+
+    assert detect_mtp_file(str(weight), str(tmp_path), skip_root = True, accept = _usable) is None
diff --git a/studio/backend/utils/models/model_config.py b/studio/backend/utils/models/model_config.py
index 893b842e11..d3c91bca93 100644
--- a/studio/backend/utils/models/model_config.py
+++ b/studio/backend/utils/models/model_config.py
@@ -29,7 +29,7 @@ import re
 import subprocess
 import sys
 from pathlib import Path
-from typing import List, Tuple
+from typing import Callable, List, Tuple
 import hashlib
 import json
 import threading
@@ -1301,6 +1301,47 @@ def _colocated_first_split_shard(path: Path) -> tuple[Optional[Path], bool]:
     return first, first is not None and len(indices) == total
 
 
+def colocated_split_shards(path: Path) -> tuple[list[Path], bool]:
+    """Every shard beside *path*, and whether the declared set is complete.
+
+    A non-split path is itself a complete one-file set. Callers that hand a
+    path to llama-server need this: it opens the sibling shards implicitly, so
+    an incomplete set fails at startup and every shard needs validating.
+    """
+    match = _GGUF_SPLIT_FILE_RE.match(path.name)
+    if match is None:
+        return [path], True
+
+    prefix = match.group("prefix").casefold()
+    total_text = match.group("total")
+    total = int(total_text)
+    if total < 1:
+        return [], False
+
+    found: dict[int, Path] = {}
+    try:
+        for sibling in path.parent.iterdir():
+            sibling_match = _GGUF_SPLIT_FILE_RE.match(sibling.name)
+            if (
+                sibling_match is None
+                or sibling_match.group("prefix").casefold() != prefix
+                or sibling_match.group("total") != total_text
+            ):
+                continue
+            try:
+                if not sibling.is_file():
+                    continue
+            except OSError:
+                continue
+            index = int(sibling_match.group("index"))
+            if 1 <= index <= total:
+                found[index] = sibling
+    except OSError:
+        return [], False
+
+    return [found[i] for i in sorted(found)], len(found) == total
+
+
 def _local_gguf_load_path(path: Path) -> Path:
     """Choose a loadable local path while preserving complete symlink sets."""
     if _GGUF_SPLIT_FILE_RE.match(path.name) is None:
@@ -1441,7 +1482,12 @@ def detect_mmproj_file(path: str, search_root: Optional[str] = None) -> Optional
     return str(best[1])
 
 
-def detect_mtp_file(path: str, search_root: Optional[str] = None) -> Optional[str]:
+def detect_mtp_file(
+    path: str,
+    search_root: Optional[str] = None,
+    skip_root: bool = False,
+    accept: Optional[Callable[[str], bool]] = None,
+) -> Optional[str]:
     """Find the separate MTP drafter (``mtp-*.gguf``) for a local GGUF model.
 
     The drafter that pairs with the main weights sits at the repo/snapshot
@@ -1455,31 +1501,164 @@ def detect_mtp_file(path: str, search_root: Optional[str] = None) -> Optional[st
     unsloth names the drafter ``mtp-<model>.gguf`` where ``<model>`` prefixes
     the weight filename across all Gemma 4 repos (e.g.
     ``mtp-gemma-4-12B-it.gguf`` next to ``gemma-4-12B-it-qat-Q4_0.gguf``).
-    An unmatched drafter is skipped (fail-safe: no MTP).
+    If the root drafter is absent, also accept its precision copy under the
+    repository's ``MTP/`` directory. An unmatched drafter is skipped.
+
+    ``skip_root`` scans only ``MTP/``, for callers that must discard an
+    out-of-bounds root drafter and still want the subdir copy (native loads).
+    ``accept`` filters candidates in preference order, so a caller with extra
+    rules (a native lease) keeps scanning instead of treating the first
+    rejection as no drafter at all.
     """
+
+    def _pairing_stem(name: str) -> str:
+        stem = Path(name).stem.lower()
+        if stem.startswith("mtp-"):
+            stem = stem[len("mtp-") :]
+        # Shard suffix sits outside the quant token, so strip it first or the
+        # anchored strip below cannot match.
+        stem = re.sub(r"-[0-9]{5}-of-[0-9]{5}$", "", stem)
+        if stem.endswith("-mtp"):
+            stem = stem[: -len("-mtp")]
+        # Full quant vocabulary, not a subset: K/IQ/UD/MXFP drafters pair too.
+        # The optional bpw modifier goes with it, as _extract_quant_label does.
+        return re.sub(
+            rf"-(?:{_GGUF_KNOWN_QUANT_RE.pattern})(?:-[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?bpw)?$",
+            "",
+            stem,
+            flags = re.IGNORECASE,
+        )
+
+    def _drafter_launch_path(candidate: Path) -> str:
+        # llama-server takes shard 1 as the model path, and a split copy must
+        # stay on its snapshot path: the blob target has no sibling shard
+        # names. Single-file drafters still resolve, as callers expect.
+        loadable = _local_gguf_load_path(candidate)
+        if _GGUF_SPLIT_FILE_RE.match(loadable.name):
+            return str(loadable)
+        return str(loadable.resolve())
+
+    def _matches_weight(candidate: Path) -> bool:
+        if weight_name is None:
+            return True
+        stem = _pairing_stem(candidate.name)
+        return (
+            bool(stem)
+            and weight_name.startswith(stem)
+            and (len(weight_name) == len(stem) or not weight_name[len(stem)].isalnum())
+        )
+
+    def _launchable(candidate: Path) -> bool:
+        # An incomplete split set makes llama-server fail its draft startup and
+        # would disable MTP entirely, so skip it and let a complete copy win.
+        try:
+            _, complete = colocated_split_shards(candidate)
+        except OSError:
+            return False
+        return complete
+
+    def _smallest_first(candidate: Path) -> tuple[int, int, str]:
+        # Cheapest compatible copy wins. Size first: a fixed precision list
+        # ranked unknown quants behind BF16, so a small K-quant lost to a far
+        # larger BF16. Precision breaks size ties, name keeps it stable.
+        # Candidates are collapsed to shard 1, so a split copy must be summed
+        # across its shards or it would outrank a smaller single file.
+        name = candidate.name.lower()
+        try:
+            shards, _ = colocated_split_shards(candidate)
+            size = sum(shard.stat().st_size for shard in shards)
+        except OSError:
+            size = sys.maxsize
+        if "-q4_0" in name:
+            precision = 0
+        elif "-q8_0" in name:
+            precision = 1
+        elif "-bf16" in name or "-f16" in name:
+            precision = 2
+        else:
+            precision = 3
+        return size, precision, name
+
     p = Path(path)
     weight_name = p.name.lower() if p.suffix.lower() == ".gguf" else None
     start_dir = p.parent if p.is_file() else p
     dirs = [start_dir]
     if search_root is not None:
         dirs.append(Path(search_root))
-    for d in dirs:
-        try:
-            entries = sorted(d.iterdir())
-        except OSError:
-            continue
-        for f in entries:
-            name = f.name.lower()
-            if not (name.startswith("mtp-") and name.endswith(".gguf")):
-                continue
-            stem = name[len("mtp-") : -len(".gguf")]
-            if not stem or (weight_name is not None and not weight_name.startswith(stem)):
-                continue
+    if not skip_root:
+        for d in dirs:
             try:
-                if f.is_file():
-                    return str(f.resolve())
+                entries = sorted(d.iterdir())
             except OSError:
                 continue
+            for f in entries:
+                name = f.name.lower()
+                if not (name.startswith("mtp-") and name.endswith(".gguf")):
+                    continue
+                if not _matches_weight(f):
+                    continue
+                try:
+                    if not (f.is_file() and _launchable(f)):
+                        continue
+                    launch = _drafter_launch_path(f)
+                except OSError:
+                    continue
+                if accept is not None and not accept(launch):
+                    continue
+                return launch
+
+    subdir_candidates: list[Path] = []
+    for d in dirs:
+        try:
+            parent_entries = sorted(d.iterdir())
+        except OSError:
+            continue
+        mtp_dirs: list[Path] = []
+        for entry in parent_entries:
+            if entry.name.casefold() != "mtp":
+                continue
+            try:
+                if entry.is_dir():
+                    mtp_dirs.append(entry)
+            except OSError:
+                continue
+        for mtp_dir in mtp_dirs:
+            try:
+                entries = sorted(mtp_dir.iterdir())
+            except OSError:
+                continue
+            for f in entries:
+                # _is_mtp_drafter accepts everything under MTP/ by design (it
+                # excludes them from variant menus). Too broad to include on:
+                # a weight copy here would launch as --model-draft. Require a
+                # published drafter name: mtp-<model> or <model>-MTP.
+                lower = f.name.lower()
+                if not lower.endswith(".gguf"):
+                    continue
+                # Drop the shard suffix first: an old-scheme split copy is
+                # named <model>-Q8_0-MTP-00001-of-00002.gguf, whose stem does
+                # not end in -mtp.
+                stem = re.sub(r"-[0-9]{5}-of-[0-9]{5}$", "", Path(lower).stem)
+                if not (lower.startswith("mtp-") or stem.endswith("-mtp")):
+                    continue
+                if not _matches_weight(f):
+                    continue
+                try:
+                    if f.is_file() and _launchable(f):
+                        # Collapse a split copy to shard 1 before ranking.
+                        subdir_candidates.append(_local_gguf_load_path(f))
+                except OSError:
+                    continue
+
+    for candidate in sorted(dict.fromkeys(subdir_candidates), key = _smallest_first):
+        try:
+            resolved = _drafter_launch_path(candidate)
+        except OSError:
+            continue
+        if accept is not None and not accept(resolved):
+            continue
+        logger.info(f"Detected MTP subdirectory drafter: {resolved}")
+        return resolved
     return None
 
 
@@ -1696,27 +1875,15 @@ def _local_gguf_companion_search_root(selected_path: str, gguf_file: str) -> str
 
     selected = Path(selected_path)
     gguf_path = Path(gguf_file)
-    if selected.suffix.lower() != ".gguf":
-        return selected_path
-
-    gguf_dir = gguf_path.parent
-    if not gguf_dir.name:
-        return str(gguf_dir)
-
-    quant_dir_re = (
-        r"(UD-)?("
-        r"MXFP[0-9]+(?:_[A-Z0-9]+)*"
-        r"|IQ[0-9]+_[A-Z]+(?:_[A-Z0-9]+)?"
-        r"|TQ[0-9]+_[0-9]+"
-        r"|Q[0-9]+_K_[A-Z]+"
-        r"|Q[0-9]+_[0-9]+"
-        r"|Q[0-9]+_K"
-        r"|BF16|F16|F32"
-        r")"
-    )
-    if re.fullmatch(quant_dir_re, gguf_dir.name, re.IGNORECASE):
-        return str(gguf_dir.parent)
-    return str(gguf_dir)
+    # One quant vocabulary, shared: a local copy of it silently fell behind on
+    # the bpw modifier, which left IQ4_XS-3.53bpw unrecognised as a quant dir.
+    quant_dir_re = rf"{_GGUF_KNOWN_QUANT_RE.pattern}(-[0-9]+(?:\.[0-9]+)?bpw)?"
+    search_dir = gguf_path.parent if selected.suffix.lower() == ".gguf" else selected
+    if not search_dir.name:
+        return str(search_dir)
+    if re.fullmatch(quant_dir_re, search_dir.name, re.IGNORECASE):
+        return str(search_dir.parent)
+    return str(search_dir)
 
 
 def _iter_hf_cache_snapshots(repo_id: str, cache_dir: Optional[str | Path] = None):
diff --git a/studio/backend/utils/native_path_leases.py b/studio/backend/utils/native_path_leases.py
index 3ed7faa7c2..d17a96eb00 100644
--- a/studio/backend/utils/native_path_leases.py
+++ b/studio/backend/utils/native_path_leases.py
@@ -47,6 +47,28 @@ class NativePathLeaseError(ValueError):
     """Raised when a native path grant is missing, invalid, or unsafe."""
 
 
+def native_gguf_companion_parent_allowed(
+    companion_path: str | Path,
+    gguf_path: str | Path,
+    *,
+    allow_mtp_subdir: bool = False,
+    mtp_search_root: str | Path | None = None,
+) -> bool:
+    """Check whether a GGUF companion is in an allowed directory."""
+    companion_parent = Path(companion_path).resolve(strict = True).parent
+    gguf_parent = Path(gguf_path).resolve(strict = True).parent
+    if companion_parent == gguf_parent:
+        return True
+    if not allow_mtp_subdir or companion_parent.name.casefold() != "mtp":
+        return False
+    allowed_roots = {gguf_parent}
+    if mtp_search_root is not None:
+        search_root = Path(mtp_search_root).resolve(strict = True)
+        if search_root in {gguf_parent, gguf_parent.parent}:
+            allowed_roots.add(search_root)
+    return companion_parent.parent in allowed_roots
+
+
 @dataclass(frozen = True)
 class NativePathGrant:
     operation: str
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/api/chat-adapter.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/api/chat-adapter.ts
index fb9331ecc2..1a0a73f095 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/api/chat-adapter.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/api/chat-adapter.ts
@@ -1740,6 +1740,7 @@ async function autoLoadSmallestModel(): Promise<{
         customContextLength: config.customContextLength,
         loadedIsMultimodal: isMultimodalResponse(loadResp),
         loadedIsDiffusion: loadResp.is_diffusion ?? false,
+        activeModelIsLocal: loadResp.is_local_model ?? false,
         ...resolveLoadedSpeculativeSettings(loadResp),
       });
     } else {
@@ -1765,6 +1766,7 @@ async function autoLoadSmallestModel(): Promise<{
         ...resolveLoadedSpeculativeSettings(loadResp),
         loadedIsMultimodal: isMultimodalResponse(loadResp),
         loadedIsDiffusion: loadResp.is_diffusion ?? false,
+        activeModelIsLocal: loadResp.is_local_model ?? false,
       });
     }
     if (!(loadResp.is_lora ?? false)) {
@@ -2043,6 +2045,7 @@ async function autoLoadSmallestModel(): Promise<{
         defaultChatTemplate: loadResp.chat_template ?? null,
         chatTemplateOverride: null,
         loadedIsMultimodal: isMultimodalResponse(loadResp),
+        activeModelIsLocal: loadResp.is_local_model ?? false,
         ...resolveLoadedSpeculativeSettings(loadResp),
       });
       recordLastLocalModelLoad({
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/chat-settings-sheet.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/chat-settings-sheet.tsx
index 7b310c50d4..ce6fe6d0f5 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/chat-settings-sheet.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/chat-settings-sheet.tsx
@@ -88,7 +88,10 @@ import {
   providerSupportsBuiltinCodeExecution,
   providerSupportsFastMode,
 } from "./provider-capabilities";
-import { useChatRuntimeStore } from "./stores/chat-runtime-store";
+import {
+  isLocalModelPath,
+  useChatRuntimeStore,
+} from "./stores/chat-runtime-store";
 import type { InferenceParams } from "./types/runtime";
 
 export { defaultInferenceParams, type Preset } from "./presets/preset-policy";
@@ -378,6 +381,9 @@ export function ChatSettingsPanel({
   const isMobile = useIsMobile();
   const isLoadedGguf = useChatRuntimeStore((s) => s.activeGgufVariant) != null;
   const currentCheckpoint = params.checkpoint;
+  const activeModelIsLocal = useChatRuntimeStore(
+    (s) => s.activeModelIsLocal,
+  );
   const ggufContextLength = useChatRuntimeStore((s) => s.ggufContextLength);
   // Direct-file / custom-folder GGUFs load without a variant label but still
   // report a GGUF context, so detect them via the context and the checkpoint
@@ -387,6 +393,13 @@ export function ChatSettingsPanel({
     isLoadedGguf ||
     ggufContextLength != null ||
     (currentCheckpoint?.toLowerCase().endsWith(".gguf") ?? false);
+  // activeModelIsLocal is the backend's own classification and covers native
+  // picks. Two things must not decide this: activeNativePathToken, which
+  // status reconciliation keeps across a switch to a remote GGUF (no
+  // replacement token exists), and a bare .gguf suffix, since the backend
+  // reads a one-slash org/name.gguf as a repository id, not a file.
+  const isLocalGguf =
+    isGguf && (activeModelIsLocal || isLocalModelPath(currentCheckpoint ?? ""));
   const ggufMaxContextLength = useChatRuntimeStore(
     (s) => s.ggufMaxContextLength,
   );
@@ -812,7 +825,9 @@ export function ChatSettingsPanel({
                       : specFallbackReason === "runtime_error"
                         ? "MTP could not start for this model on the installed llama.cpp build, so it is running without speculative decoding."
                         : specFallbackReason === "drafter_not_found"
-                          ? "This model supports MTP, but its drafter file could not be downloaded, so MTP is off and it falls back to n-gram speculative decoding where the llama.cpp build supports it. Check your network connection or Hugging Face access, then reload the model to retry the drafter."
+                          ? isLocalGguf
+                            ? "This local model supports MTP, but no matching drafter file was found. Place its mtp-*.gguf beside the model or in its MTP folder, then reload the model."
+                            : "This model supports MTP, but its drafter file could not be downloaded, so MTP is off and it falls back to n-gram speculative decoding where the llama.cpp build supports it. Check your network connection or Hugging Face access, then reload the model to retry the drafter."
                           : `MTP is not available in the installed llama.cpp build, so this model is running without it.${
                               llamaUpdateStatus?.update_available
                                 ? " Update llama.cpp to enable it."
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/hooks/use-chat-model-runtime.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/hooks/use-chat-model-runtime.ts
index 48a6168555..2f19ba0864 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/hooks/use-chat-model-runtime.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/hooks/use-chat-model-runtime.ts
@@ -316,6 +316,9 @@ async function syncInferenceStatusToStore(options?: {
         syncModelCapabilities(checkpointId, statusRes);
       }
     } else if (!statusRes.active_model && !isExternalSelectionActive) {
+      // specFallbackReason survives here, so clearing activeModelIsLocal
+      // alone would flip a local model's warning to "download failed". Every
+      // load path and clearCheckpoint set it, so leave it consistent.
       useChatRuntimeStore.setState({
         modelRequiresTrustRemoteCode: false,
         loadedIsMultimodal: false,
@@ -1040,6 +1043,7 @@ export function useChatModelRuntime() {
               loadedChatTemplateOverride: effectiveChatTemplateOverride,
               loadedIsMultimodal: isMultimodalResponse(loadResponse),
               loadedIsDiffusion: loadResponse.is_diffusion ?? false,
+              activeModelIsLocal: loadResponse.is_local_model ?? false,
               activeNativePathToken: nativePathToken ?? null,
               activeNativePathExpiresAtMs: nativePathToken
                 ? nativePathExpiresAtMs
@@ -1149,6 +1153,7 @@ export function useChatModelRuntime() {
                   rollbackResponse.speculative_type,
                 );
                 useChatRuntimeStore.setState({
+                  activeModelIsLocal: rollbackResponse.is_local_model ?? false,
                   activeNativePathToken: previousActiveNativePathToken ?? null,
                   // Restore the previous token's lease together with the token so a
                   // rollback never pairs restored token A with failed load B's expiry.
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/lib/apply-inference-status-to-store.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/lib/apply-inference-status-to-store.ts
index f85ff3246b..31ccd3721c 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/lib/apply-inference-status-to-store.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/lib/apply-inference-status-to-store.ts
@@ -289,6 +289,7 @@ export function applyActiveModelStatusToStore(
     defaultChatTemplate: nextDefaultChatTemplate,
     loadedIsMultimodal: isMultimodalResponse(status),
     loadedIsDiffusion: status.is_diffusion ?? false,
+    activeModelIsLocal: status.is_local_model ?? false,
     specFallbackReason: status.spec_fallback_reason ?? null,
     // The spec / KV seeds share the GPU-fields reseed mechanism below: a
     // non-GGUF status leaves their loaded baselines null, so the "unseeded"
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/shared-composer.tsx b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/shared-composer.tsx
index 3f89f70ef1..28d9e6673b 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/shared-composer.tsx
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/shared-composer.tsx
@@ -1226,6 +1226,7 @@ export function SharedComposer({
           // GPU fields on every load path so the gate can't read stale.
           loadedIsDiffusion: resp.is_diffusion ?? false,
           loadedIsMultimodal: isMultimodalResponse(resp),
+          activeModelIsLocal: resp.is_local_model ?? false,
           // Record the context this pane loaded with (like the single-model path)
           // so when it becomes the active model, the UI and later reload/save use
           // its context, not the previous/default one.
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/stores/chat-runtime-store.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/stores/chat-runtime-store.ts
index 237cd857f0..aaaee8af07 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/stores/chat-runtime-store.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/stores/chat-runtime-store.ts
@@ -779,6 +779,8 @@ type ChatRuntimeStore = {
   // lets the attach gates flag a failed load vs "no model picked".
   lastModelLoadError: string | null;
   activeGgufVariant: string | null;
+  /** Whether the backend loaded the active model from a filesystem path. */
+  activeModelIsLocal: boolean;
   ggufContextLength: number | null;
   ggufMaxContextLength: number | null;
   ggufNativeContextLength: number | null;
@@ -1316,6 +1318,7 @@ export const useChatRuntimeStore = create<ChatRuntimeStore>((set, get) => ({
   modelsError: null,
   lastModelLoadError: null,
   activeGgufVariant: null,
+  activeModelIsLocal: false,
   ggufContextLength: null,
   ggufMaxContextLength: null,
   ggufNativeContextLength: null,
@@ -1588,7 +1591,17 @@ export const useChatRuntimeStore = create<ChatRuntimeStore>((set, get) => ({
           maxTokens: nextMaxTokens,
         },
         activeGgufVariant: ggufVariant ?? null,
-        ...(checkpointChanged ? { contextUsage: null } : {}),
+        // Provenance and the spec-fallback reason both describe the model
+        // being replaced, so they go together on a real change. Dropping only
+        // one leaves the settings sheet pairing a stale reason with the wrong
+        // recovery text. The load or status response reseeds both.
+        ...(checkpointChanged
+          ? {
+              contextUsage: null,
+              activeModelIsLocal: false,
+              specFallbackReason: null,
+            }
+          : {}),
         // Switching to an external provider disables Deep Research, which only
         // applies to the local base model.
         ...(isExternalModelId(modelId) ? { deepResearchEnabled: false } : {}),
@@ -1619,6 +1632,7 @@ export const useChatRuntimeStore = create<ChatRuntimeStore>((set, get) => ({
         checkpoint: "",
       },
       activeGgufVariant: null,
+      activeModelIsLocal: false,
       activeNativePathToken: null,
       activeNativePathExpiresAtMs: null,
       ggufContextLength: null,
diff --git a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/types/api.ts b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/types/api.ts
index d554eb777e..45e7e02708 100644
--- a/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/types/api.ts
+++ b/studio/frontend/src/features/chat/types/api.ts
@@ -154,6 +154,7 @@ export interface LoadModelResponse {
   is_vision: boolean;
   is_lora: boolean;
   is_gguf?: boolean;
+  is_local_model?: boolean;
   is_diffusion?: boolean;
   is_audio?: boolean;
   audio_type?: string | null;
@@ -208,6 +209,7 @@ export interface InferenceStatusResponse {
   model_identifier?: string | null;
   is_vision: boolean;
   is_gguf?: boolean;
+  is_local_model?: boolean;
   is_diffusion?: boolean;
   gguf_variant?: string | null;
   is_audio?: boolean;
diff --git a/tests/studio/test_model_picker_contracts.py b/tests/studio/test_model_picker_contracts.py
index e1aba66b1b..bd24e74a6d 100644
--- a/tests/studio/test_model_picker_contracts.py
+++ b/tests/studio/test_model_picker_contracts.py
@@ -26,6 +26,12 @@ def _read(rel: str) -> str:
     return path.read_text(encoding = "utf-8")
 
 
+def _read_backend(rel: str) -> str:
+    path = WORKDIR / "studio" / "backend" / rel
+    assert path.exists(), f"missing backend source file: {path}"
+    return path.read_text()
+
+
 def test_models_api_sends_token_via_header_not_query():
     """getModelConfig / checkVisionModel / checkEmbeddingModel must pass the HF
     token through hubTokenHeader, never as a ?hf_token= query param (which leaks
@@ -336,6 +342,61 @@ def test_local_gguf_diagnostics_gate_on_broad_is_gguf():
     assert vram and "isGguf &&" in vram.group(0) and "isLoadedGguf" not in vram.group(0)
 
 
+def test_local_mtp_warning_covers_path_and_native_gguf_sources():
+    """The local MTP recovery text must cover direct files, custom folders,
+    and native-picker labels instead of classifying only .gguf suffixes."""
+    src = _read("features/chat/chat-settings-sheet.tsx")
+    local = re.search(r"const isLocalGguf =.*?;", src, re.S)
+    assert local
+    assert "isGguf &&" in local.group(0)
+    assert "activeModelIsLocal" in local.group(0)
+    assert "isLocalModelPath" in local.group(0)
+    # Two signals must not classify the model here, because both mislabel a
+    # remote GGUF as local: a native token, which outlives a switch to a remote
+    # model, and a bare .gguf suffix, since a one-slash org/name.gguf is a
+    # repository id. activeModelIsLocal is the backend's own answer for both.
+    assert "activeNativePathToken" not in local.group(0)
+    assert ".gguf" not in local.group(0)
+
+    # Switching models must drop both together: a kept flag would classify the
+    # newly selected model by the old one's provenance.
+    store = _read("features/chat/stores/chat-runtime-store.ts")
+    reset = re.search(r"setCheckpoint: \(modelId, ggufVariant\) =>.*?\}\),", store, re.S)
+    assert reset
+    assert "activeModelIsLocal: false" in reset.group(0)
+    assert "specFallbackReason: null" in reset.group(0)
+    assert "isLocalGguf" in src.split('specFallbackReason === "drafter_not_found"', 1)[1]
+
+
+def test_local_mtp_warning_uses_backend_source_metadata():
+    types = _read("features/chat/types/api.ts")
+    assert types.count("is_local_model?: boolean") >= 2
+
+    status = _read("features/chat/lib/apply-inference-status-to-store.ts")
+    assert "activeModelIsLocal: status.is_local_model ?? false" in status
+
+    runtime = _read("features/chat/stores/chat-runtime-store.ts")
+    assert "activeModelIsLocal: boolean" in runtime
+    assert runtime.count("activeModelIsLocal: false") >= 2
+
+    load = _read("features/chat/hooks/use-chat-model-runtime.ts")
+    assert "activeModelIsLocal: loadResponse.is_local_model ?? false" in load
+
+    models = _read_backend("models/inference.py")
+    assert models.count("is_local_model: bool = Field(") >= 2
+
+    route = _read_backend("routes/inference.py")
+    assert route.count("is_local_model = config.is_local") >= 2
+    # GGUF status reports the provenance the load recorded. Re-deriving it from
+    # the filesystem would flip a local model to remote once its directory goes
+    # away underneath a running server.
+    assert "llama_backend._is_local_model = bool(native_grant_backed or config.is_local)" in route
+    # Both GGUF responses report it: the status poll and the already_loaded
+    # dedup reply. Either one re-deriving it reintroduces the flip.
+    assert route.count("is_local_model = _loaded_is_local_model(") >= 2
+    assert "backend.active_model_name and is_local_path(backend.active_model_name)" in route
+
+
 def test_fixed_layer_gguf_pins_displayed_context():
     """An already-loaded auto-fit GGUF saved with Manual fixed GPU layers must
     pin the shown context, so a later fresh load keeps the fitted placement