diff --git a/src/app_controller.py b/src/app_controller.py
index 255f1c6e..5a454304 100644
--- a/src/app_controller.py
+++ b/src/app_controller.py
@@ -1855,10 +1855,13 @@ class AppController:
   
   from src.personas import PersonaManager
   self.persona_manager = PersonaManager(Path(self.active_project_path).parent if self.active_project_path else None)
-  self.personas = self.persona_manager.load_all()
-  
-  self._fetch_models(self.current_provider)
-  
+  from src.vendor_capabilities import get_capabilities
+  try:
+   caps = get_capabilities(self.current_provider, self.current_model)
+  except KeyError:
+   caps = None
+  if caps is None or caps.model_discovery:
+   self._fetch_models(self.current_provider)
   self.ui_active_tool_preset = os.environ.get('SLOP_TOOL_PRESET') or ai_cfg.get("active_tool_preset")
   self.ui_active_bias_profile = ai_cfg.get("active_bias_profile")
   ai_client.set_tool_preset(self.ui_active_tool_preset)
@@ -3700,10 +3703,13 @@ class AppController:
     rag_engine=None # Already handled above
    )
    self.event_queue.put("response", {"text": resp, "status": "done", "role": "AI"})
+   self._ai_status = "done"
   except ai_client.ProviderError as e:
    self.event_queue.put("response", {"text": e.ui_message(), "status": "error", "role": "Vendor API"})
+   self._ai_status = f"error: {e.ui_message()}"
   except Exception as e:
    self.event_queue.put("response", {"text": f"ERROR: {e}", "status": "error", "role": "System"})
+   self._ai_status = f"error: {e}"
 
  def _on_tool_log(self, script: str, result: str) -> None:
   """
@@ -3747,7 +3753,14 @@ class AppController:
  def _on_ai_stream(self, text: str) -> None:
   """Handles streaming text from the AI."""
   self.event_queue.put("response", {"text": text, "status": "streaming...", "role": "AI"})
-
+  from src.vendor_capabilities import get_capabilities
+  try:
+   caps = get_capabilities(self.current_provider, self.current_model)
+  except KeyError:
+   caps = None
+  if caps is None or caps.streaming:
+   if self._ai_status not in ("sending...", "streaming..."):
+    self._ai_status = "streaming..."
  def _on_comms_entry(self, entry: Dict[str, Any]) -> None:
   """
     [C: tests/test_app_controller_offloading.py:test_on_comms_entry_tool_result_offloading]