Convert all setup prompts to whiptail, fix VRAM estimates, add model expectations

Setup script changes:
- All prompts now use whiptail dialogs with text fallback
- Q1b (SSH), Q2 (storage), Q3 (Kiwix), Q4b (firewall), Q5 (models),
  Q6 (download), final confirm all converted
- Model tier selection uses radiolist with recommended tier pre-selected
- Custom model entry uses inputbox with current defaults pre-filled
- Fix speed_label: now shows actual VRAM needed (file size + 2GB overhead)
  instead of misleading "fully in VRAM" for models that don't fit
- qwen3.5-35b-a3b MoE already in tier list (was there, now with accurate
  VRAM estimate shown)

README changes:
- Add "Realistic expectations by model size" table
- 35B MoE highlighted as sweet spot for small GPUs

https://claude.ai/code/session_01PtYTPherSJaxDEVPgF6Nxu

README.md

@@ -575,6 +575,29 @@ Local AI requires more manual workflow management but has real code awareness vi
 
 Channels are persistent chat rooms (like Slack/Discord channels) with multi-model support. They do NOT scope memories differently — memories are still global per user. Channels are useful for team collaboration, not memory isolation.
 
+### Realistic expectations by model size
+
+Not all models can do all tasks. Here's what to actually expect:
+
+| Task | 4B (qwen3.5:4b) | 9B (qwen3.5:9b) | 35B MoE (qwen3.5-35b-a3b) | 14B+ dense |
+|------|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---:|
+| Answer simple questions | OK | Good | Good | Good |
+| Explain existing code (with RAG) | OK | Good | Good | Good |
+| Fix a simple bug (typo, off-by-one) | Maybe | Usually | Usually | Yes |
+| Write a small utility function | Shaky | OK | Good | Good |
+| Fix logic error across 2-3 functions | No | Maybe | Usually | Usually |
+| Write a new feature (multiple files) | No | Shaky | Maybe | Maybe |
+| Refactor with style consistency | No | No | Sometimes | Sometimes |
+| Summarize a conversation for handoff | OK | Good | Good | Good |
+
+**The 35B MoE model (`qwen3.5-35b-a3b`) is the sweet spot for small GPUs.** It was trained as a 35B model but only activates 3B parameters per token. This means it has the *knowledge* of a 35B model with the VRAM footprint closer to a 4B. On a 6GB card it may fit (VRAM usage varies with context length and KV cache settings).
+
+**Bottom line for a 6GB GPU:**
+- Use `qwen3.5:4b` for quick chat, explanations, and summarization
+- Try `qwen3.5-35b-a3b` for code tasks — if it fits, it will be significantly better than 4B
+- Use Claude Code for anything that requires reading/writing multiple files or complex reasoning
+- The RAG server helps a lot — even a 4B model gives useful answers when it has the right code chunks in context
+
 ### Fixing models that output code instead of natural language
 
 If your model (especially smaller ones like Qwen 3.5) responds with Python code blocks instead of plain English answers (as shown in the screenshot), this is a common behavior with code-optimized models.

laptop_full_setup.sh

@@ -217,6 +217,11 @@ fi
 SSH_IMPORT_IDS=()   # list of "gh:username" or "lp:username" entries
 
 if ! $IS_UPDATE || [[ ! -f "$HOME/.ssh/authorized_keys" ]]; then
+    if command -v whiptail &>/dev/null; then
+        SSH_INPUT=$(whiptail --title "SSH Key Import" \
+            --inputbox "Import SSH public keys for passwordless SSH into this machine.\n\nExamples:  gh:yourusername   lp:yourlaunchpadid\nMultiple:  gh:alice lp:alice\n\nLeave blank to skip." \
+            14 68 "" 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3) || SSH_INPUT=""
+    else
         echo ""
         echo -e "  ${BOLD}[SSH] Import SSH public keys? (for passwordless SSH into this machine)${NC}"
         echo "  Pulls your public keys from GitHub or Launchpad and adds them to"
@@ -226,6 +231,7 @@ if ! $IS_UPDATE || [[ ! -f "$HOME/.ssh/authorized_keys" ]]; then
         echo "  Multiple:  gh:alice lp:alice"
         echo ""
         read -rp "  Usernames (or Enter to skip): " SSH_INPUT
+    fi
     if [[ -n "$SSH_INPUT" ]]; then
         read -ra SSH_IMPORT_IDS <<< "$SSH_INPUT"
     fi
@@ -236,10 +242,6 @@ OLLAMA_STORAGE="volume"   # "volume" = Docker named volume, else a host path
 OLLAMA_HOST_PATH=""
 
 if $INSTALL_AI; then
-    echo ""
-    echo -e "  ${BOLD}[2/6] Where should Ollama models be stored?${NC}"
-    echo "  (Models are large — 5-50GB each. A fast SSD or large HDD is ideal.)"
-    echo ""
     mapfile -t _MPTS < <(
         df -h --output=target,avail,fstype 2>/dev/null \
         | awk 'NR>1 && $2~/[0-9]/ {
@@ -248,6 +250,31 @@ if $INSTALL_AI; then
               if ((unit=="G" && num>=20) || unit=="T") print $0
           }' | head -10
     )
+
+    if command -v whiptail &>/dev/null; then
+        WHIP_STORAGE=("volume" "Docker volume (default — /var/lib/docker/volumes/)" ON)
+        for _i in "${!_MPTS[@]}"; do
+            _mp_path=$(awk '{print $1}' <<< "${_MPTS[$_i]}")
+            _mp_avail=$(awk '{print $2}' <<< "${_MPTS[$_i]}")
+            WHIP_STORAGE+=("$_mp_path" "${_mp_path} (${_mp_avail} free)" OFF)
+        done
+        STORAGE_CHOICE=$(whiptail --title "Ollama Model Storage" \
+            --radiolist "Models are large (5-50GB each). Choose a location.\nSPACE = select   ENTER = confirm" \
+            $((10 + ${#_MPTS[@]})) 72 $((1 + ${#_MPTS[@]})) \
+            "${WHIP_STORAGE[@]}" 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3) || STORAGE_CHOICE="volume"
+        STORAGE_CHOICE="${STORAGE_CHOICE//\"/}"
+        if [[ "$STORAGE_CHOICE" == "volume" ]]; then
+            OLLAMA_STORAGE="volume"
+        else
+            OLLAMA_HOST_PATH="${STORAGE_CHOICE}/ollama-models"
+            OLLAMA_STORAGE="bind"
+            ok "Ollama models → $OLLAMA_HOST_PATH"
+        fi
+    else
+        echo ""
+        echo -e "  ${BOLD}[2/6] Where should Ollama models be stored?${NC}"
+        echo "  (Models are large — 5-50GB each. A fast SSD or large HDD is ideal.)"
+        echo ""
         echo "  0) Docker volume  (default — /var/lib/docker/volumes/)"
         for _i in "${!_MPTS[@]}"; do
             printf "  %d) %s\n" "$((_i+1))" "${_MPTS[$_i]}"
@@ -263,22 +290,18 @@ if $INSTALL_AI; then
             OLLAMA_STORAGE="bind"
             ok "Ollama models → $OLLAMA_HOST_PATH"
         else
-        # Fallback: treat input as a literal path
             OLLAMA_HOST_PATH="${STORAGE_CHOICE%/}"
             [[ -z "$OLLAMA_HOST_PATH" ]] && die "No path entered."
             OLLAMA_STORAGE="bind"
         fi
-    unset _MPTS _MP _i
+    fi
+    unset _MPTS _MP _i WHIP_STORAGE
 fi
 
 # ── Q3: Storage for Kiwix ZIMs ────────────────────────────────────────────────
 KIWIX_DIR="$BASE/kiwix"   # default
 
 if $SVC_KIWIX; then
-    echo ""
-    echo -e "  ${BOLD}[3/6] Where should Kiwix ZIM files be stored?${NC}"
-    echo "  (ZIMs are large — Wikipedia alone is ~46GB. Total collection ~130GB.)"
-    echo ""
     mapfile -t _MPTS < <(
         df -h --output=target,avail,fstype 2>/dev/null \
         | awk 'NR>1 && $2~/[0-9]/ {
@@ -287,6 +310,28 @@ if $SVC_KIWIX; then
               if ((unit=="G" && num>=50) || unit=="T") print $0
           }' | head -10
     )
+
+    if command -v whiptail &>/dev/null; then
+        WHIP_KIWIX=("default" "Default: $KIWIX_DIR" ON)
+        for _i in "${!_MPTS[@]}"; do
+            _mp_path=$(awk '{print $1}' <<< "${_MPTS[$_i]}")
+            _mp_avail=$(awk '{print $2}' <<< "${_MPTS[$_i]}")
+            WHIP_KIWIX+=("$_mp_path" "${_mp_path} (${_mp_avail} free)" OFF)
+        done
+        _KIWIX_SEL=$(whiptail --title "Kiwix ZIM Storage" \
+            --radiolist "ZIMs are large — Wikipedia alone ~46GB, total ~130GB.\nSPACE = select   ENTER = confirm" \
+            $((10 + ${#_MPTS[@]})) 72 $((1 + ${#_MPTS[@]})) \
+            "${WHIP_KIWIX[@]}" 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3) || _KIWIX_SEL="default"
+        _KIWIX_SEL="${_KIWIX_SEL//\"/}"
+        if [[ "$_KIWIX_SEL" != "default" ]]; then
+            KIWIX_DIR="${_KIWIX_SEL}/kiwix"
+            ok "Kiwix ZIMs → $KIWIX_DIR"
+        fi
+    else
+        echo ""
+        echo -e "  ${BOLD}[3/6] Where should Kiwix ZIM files be stored?${NC}"
+        echo "  (ZIMs are large — Wikipedia alone is ~46GB. Total collection ~130GB.)"
+        echo ""
         echo "  0) Default: $KIWIX_DIR"
         for _i in "${!_MPTS[@]}"; do
             printf "  %d) %s\n" "$((_i+1))" "${_MPTS[$_i]}"
@@ -299,10 +344,10 @@ if $SVC_KIWIX; then
             KIWIX_DIR="$_MP/kiwix"
             ok "Kiwix ZIMs → $KIWIX_DIR"
         elif [[ "$KIWIX_CHOICE" != "0" ]] && [[ -n "$KIWIX_CHOICE" ]]; then
-        # Fallback: treat as a literal path
             KIWIX_DIR="${KIWIX_CHOICE%/}"
         fi
-    unset _MPTS _MP _i _KIWIX_CHOICE
+    fi
+    unset _MPTS _MP _i _KIWIX_CHOICE WHIP_KIWIX
 
     # ── Q4: Download ZIMs now? ─────────────────────────────────────────────────
     # ON if any matching ZIM file already exists in KIWIX_DIR
@@ -447,11 +492,16 @@ fi
 # ── Q4b: Firewall (LAN subnet) ────────────────────────────────────────────────
 LAN_SUBNET="192.168.1.0/24"
 if command -v ufw &>/dev/null && { [[ ! -f "$BASE/.ufw-done" ]] || $FORCE; }; then
-    echo ""
-    # Auto-detect likely subnet from current IP
     AUTO_SUBNET=$(echo "$LOCAL_IP" | awk -F. '{print $1"."$2"."$3".0/24"}')
+    if command -v whiptail &>/dev/null; then
+        LAN_INPUT=$(whiptail --title "Firewall — LAN Access" \
+            --inputbox "Allow LAN access to all services.\n\nYour detected subnet:" \
+            10 60 "$AUTO_SUBNET" 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3) || LAN_INPUT=""
+    else
+        echo ""
         echo -e "  ${BOLD}[4b/6] Firewall — allow LAN access to services${NC}"
         read -rp "  LAN subnet [${AUTO_SUBNET}]: " LAN_INPUT
+    fi
     LAN_SUBNET="${LAN_INPUT:-$AUTO_SUBNET}"
     [[ "$LAN_SUBNET" =~ /[0-9]+$ ]] || LAN_SUBNET="${LAN_SUBNET}/24"
 fi
@@ -462,35 +512,48 @@ REASON_MODEL=""
 
 if $INSTALL_AI; then
 
-    # speed estimate based on Q4 model size vs available VRAM
+    # speed estimate: model_file_size + ~1.5GB overhead for KV cache/CUDA vs VRAM
-    # no hard limits — just honest labels so the user can choose
+    # Ollama has no hard limits — silently offloads to CPU when over VRAM
     speed_label() {
-        local mgb="$1"   # approximate Q4 size in GB
+        local mgb="$1"                 # approximate Q4 file size in GB
+        local needed=$(( mgb + 2 ))    # +2GB for KV cache, attention, CUDA overhead
         if [[ "$VRAM_GB" -eq 0 ]]; then
             printf "CPU only — very slow"
-        elif (( mgb <= VRAM_GB )); then
+        elif (( needed <= VRAM_GB )); then
-            printf "✓ fast  — fully in VRAM"
+            printf "✓ fast  — fits in VRAM (~%dGB needed)" "$needed"
-        elif (( mgb <= VRAM_GB + 2 )); then
+        elif (( needed <= VRAM_GB + 2 )); then
-            printf "~ good  — fits with small overhang (~reading speed)"
+            printf "~ tight — ~%dGB needed, may spill to CPU" "$needed"
-        elif (( mgb <= VRAM_GB + 8 )); then
+        elif (( needed <= VRAM_GB + 8 )); then
-            printf "✗ slow  — partial CPU offload"
+            printf "✗ slow  — ~%dGB needed, partial CPU offload" "$needed"
         else
-            printf "✗ very slow — heavy CPU offload"
+            printf "✗ very slow — ~%dGB needed, heavy CPU offload" "$needed"
         fi
     }
 
+    if command -v whiptail &>/dev/null; then
+        MODEL_PREF=$(whiptail --title "Model Selection — ${GPU_NAME:-No GPU} (${VRAM_GB}GB VRAM)" \
+            --radiolist "Choose model origin preference.\nSPACE = select   ENTER = confirm" \
+            14 78 4 \
+            "2" "Performance-first — Qwen 3.5 (top benchmarks, vision+code)" ON \
+            "1" "Western-only      — Codestral · Phi4 · Mistral 7B" OFF \
+            "3" "Mixed             — Western chat + Qwen 3.5 coding" OFF \
+            "4" "Custom            — enter model names manually" OFF \
+            3>&1 1>&2 2>&3) || MODEL_PREF="2"
+        MODEL_PREF="${MODEL_PREF//\"/}"
+    else
         echo ""
         echo -e "  ${BOLD}[5/6] Model selection${NC}"
         echo "  GPU: ${GPU_NAME:-None} (${VRAM_GB}GB VRAM)"
         echo ""
         echo "  Origin preference:"
-    echo "  1) Western-only      — Codestral (Mistral 🇫🇷) · Phi4 (Microsoft 🇺🇸) · Mistral 7B"
+        echo "  1) Western-only      — Codestral (Mistral) · Phi4 (Microsoft) · Mistral 7B"
         echo "  2) Performance-first — Qwen 3.5 (Feb 2026, top benchmarks, vision+code)"
         echo "  3) Mixed             — Western for chat, Qwen 3.5 for coding"
         echo "  4) Custom            — enter model names manually"
         echo ""
         read -rp "  Choice [2]: " MODEL_PREF
         MODEL_PREF="${MODEL_PREF:-2}"
+    fi
 
     # Q4_K_M approximate weights in GB: 4B=2.5, 7B=4, 9B=5.5, 14B=9, 22B=13, 27B=17, 35B-MoE=12, 70B=41
 
@@ -554,6 +617,20 @@ if $INSTALL_AI; then
 
     if [[ "$MODEL_PREF" == "4" ]]; then
         # Custom — free-form entry
+        if command -v whiptail &>/dev/null; then
+            _in=$(whiptail --title "Custom Models — Fast/Chat" \
+                --inputbox "Fast/chat model (small, quick responses):" \
+                9 60 "$FAST_MODEL" 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3) && FAST_MODEL="${_in:-$FAST_MODEL}"
+            _in=$(whiptail --title "Custom Models — Smart Chat" \
+                --inputbox "Smart chat model (main model for complex tasks):" \
+                9 60 "$CHAT_MODEL" 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3) && CHAT_MODEL="${_in:-$CHAT_MODEL}"
+            _in=$(whiptail --title "Custom Models — Code" \
+                --inputbox "Code model:" \
+                9 60 "$CODE_MODEL" 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3) && CODE_MODEL="${_in:-$CODE_MODEL}"
+            REASON_MODEL=$(whiptail --title "Custom Models — Reasoning" \
+                --inputbox "Reasoning model (leave blank to skip):" \
+                9 60 "" 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3) || REASON_MODEL=""
+        else
             echo "  Current defaults: fast=$FAST_MODEL  chat=$CHAT_MODEL  code=$CODE_MODEL"
             echo "  Press Enter on any line to keep the default shown."
             echo ""
@@ -561,15 +638,39 @@ if $INSTALL_AI; then
             read -rp "  Smart chat model [$CHAT_MODEL]: " _in; CHAT_MODEL="${_in:-$CHAT_MODEL}"
             read -rp "  Code model       [$CODE_MODEL]: " _in; CODE_MODEL="${_in:-$CODE_MODEL}"
             read -rp "  Reasoning model  (Enter to skip): " REASON_MODEL
+        fi
+    else
+        if command -v whiptail &>/dev/null; then
+            # Build whiptail radiolist with recommended tier pre-selected
+            WHIP_TIERS=()
+            declare -A _TIER_LABELS
+            case "$MODEL_PREF" in
+                1) _TIER_LABELS=([7B]="mistral:7b + codellama:7b" [14B]="phi4:14b + starcoder2:15b" [22B]="phi4:14b + codestral:22b" [70B]="llama3.3:70b + codestral:22b")
+                   _TIER_SPEEDS=([7B]="$(speed_label 4)" [14B]="$(speed_label 9)" [22B]="$(speed_label 13)" [70B]="$(speed_label 41)") ;;
+                2) _TIER_LABELS=([4B]="qwen3.5:4b (chat+code)" [9B]="qwen3.5:9b (chat+code)" [35B]="qwen3.5-35b-a3b (MoE, 3B active)" [27B]="qwen3.5:27b (dense)")
+                   _TIER_SPEEDS=([4B]="$(speed_label 2)" [9B]="$(speed_label 5)" [35B]="$(speed_label 12)" [27B]="$(speed_label 17)") ;;
+                3) _TIER_LABELS=([7B]="mistral:7b + qwen3.5:4b" [14B]="phi4:14b + qwen3.5:9b" [35B]="phi4:14b + qwen3.5-35b-a3b" [70B]="llama3.3:70b + qwen3.5-35b-a3b")
+                   _TIER_SPEEDS=([7B]="$(speed_label 4)" [14B]="$(speed_label 9)" [35B]="$(speed_label 19)" [70B]="$(speed_label 41)") ;;
+            esac
+            for _tn in "${_TIER_NAMES[@]}"; do
+                _onoff="OFF"; [[ "$_tn" == "$REC_TIER" ]] && _onoff="ON"
+                WHIP_TIERS+=("$_tn" "${_TIER_LABELS[$_tn]}  |  ${_TIER_SPEEDS[$_tn]}" "$_onoff")
+            done
+            TIER_PICK=$(whiptail --title "Model Size — ${VRAM_GB}GB GPU" \
+                --radiolist "Recommended tier pre-selected based on your GPU.\nSPACE = select   ENTER = confirm" \
+                14 90 4 \
+                "${WHIP_TIERS[@]}" 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3) || TIER_PICK="$REC_TIER"
+            TIER_PICK="${TIER_PICK//\"/}"
+            unset WHIP_TIERS _TIER_LABELS _TIER_SPEEDS
         else
             read -rp "  Choose tier [$REC_NUM]: " _TIER_INPUT
             _TIER_INPUT="${_TIER_INPUT:-$REC_NUM}"
-        # Accept either a number (1-4) or the tier name directly
             if [[ "$_TIER_INPUT" =~ ^[1-4]$ ]]; then
                 TIER_PICK="${_TIER_NAMES[$((_TIER_INPUT-1))]}"
             else
                 TIER_PICK="$_TIER_INPUT"
             fi
+        fi
         unset _TIER_NAMES _TIER_INPUT REC_NUM
 
         case "${MODEL_PREF}:${TIER_PICK}" in
@@ -594,6 +695,18 @@ if $INSTALL_AI; then
         esac
     fi
 
+    # Show selected models and ask about download
+    _MODEL_SUMMARY="Fast chat:   $FAST_MODEL\nSmart chat:  $CHAT_MODEL\nCode:        $CODE_MODEL"
+    [[ -n "$REASON_MODEL" ]] && _MODEL_SUMMARY+="\nReasoning:   $REASON_MODEL"
+    _MODEL_SUMMARY+="\nEmbed (RAG): $EMBED_MODEL"
+
+    if command -v whiptail &>/dev/null; then
+        if whiptail --title "Download Models Now?" \
+            --yesno "Models selected:\n\n$_MODEL_SUMMARY\n\nDownload these models now? (can take 10-40 min)" \
+            14 60 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3; then
+            PULL_MODELS=true
+        fi
+    else
         echo ""
         echo "  Models selected:"
         printf "    %-16s %s\n" "Fast chat:"  "$FAST_MODEL"
@@ -604,6 +717,7 @@ if $INSTALL_AI; then
         echo ""
         read -rp "  Download these models now? [Y/n]: " DO_PULL
         [[ "${DO_PULL,,}" != "n" ]] && PULL_MODELS=true
+    fi
 fi
 
 
@@ -642,8 +756,14 @@ if [[ "$ZIM_CHOICE" == "2" ]]; then
     echo "  ✓ Download ${_nzim} ZIM(s): $ZIM_PICKS"
 fi
 echo ""
-read -rp "  Proceed? [Y/n]: " CONFIRM
+if command -v whiptail &>/dev/null; then
-[[ "${CONFIRM,,}" == "n" ]] && echo "Aborted." && exit 0
+    whiptail --title "Ready to Install" \
+        --yesno "Everything above will be installed and configured.\n\nProceed?" \
+        9 50 3>&1 1>&2 2>&3 || { echo "Aborted."; exit 0; }
+else
+    read -rp "  Proceed? [Y/n]: " CONFIRM
+    [[ "${CONFIRM,,}" == "n" ]] && echo "Aborted." && exit 0
+fi
 echo ""
 
 # ── helper: write only if missing (or --force) ────────────────────────────────