diff --git a/apps/ai-bot/httpllm.go b/apps/ai-bot/httpllm.go
index b98c1822..fa67989b 100644
--- a/apps/ai-bot/httpllm.go
+++ b/apps/ai-bot/httpllm.go
@@ -9,6 +9,8 @@ import (
 	"log/slog"
 	"math/rand"
 	"net/http"
+	"strings"
+	"sync"
 	"time"
 )
 
@@ -27,17 +29,45 @@ type openAIClient struct {
 	maxTry  int
 	headers map[string]string // extra static headers (provider-specific), may be nil
 	log     *slog.Logger
+
+	// noReasoningEffort remembers models that 400'd on the reasoning_effort param so we
+	// drop it up front on every later call instead of paying the 400+heal each time. A
+	// reasoning_effort/model mismatch is a config error (operator set both); we heal it
+	// ONCE (and WARN once, in markNoReasoningEffort) rather than per-message. Guarded by mu.
+	mu                sync.Mutex
+	noReasoningEffort map[string]bool
 }
 
 func newOpenAIClient(name, base, key string, headers map[string]string, logger *slog.Logger) *openAIClient {
 	return &openAIClient{
-		name:    name,
-		base:    base,
-		key:     key,
-		http:    &http.Client{},
-		maxTry:  3,
-		headers: headers,
-		log:     logger,
+		name:              name,
+		base:              base,
+		key:               key,
+		http:              &http.Client{},
+		maxTry:            3,
+		headers:           headers,
+		log:               logger,
+		noReasoningEffort: map[string]bool{},
+	}
+}
+
+// rejectsReasoningEffort reports whether a prior call already learned this model 400s on
+// the reasoning_effort param (so we omit it up front).
+func (c *openAIClient) rejectsReasoningEffort(model string) bool {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	defer c.mu.Unlock()
+	return c.noReasoningEffort[model]
+}
+
+// markNoReasoningEffort records that a model rejects reasoning_effort and WARNs exactly
+// once (the first time), so the operator sees the config mismatch without a per-message log.
+func (c *openAIClient) markNoReasoningEffort(ctx context.Context, model string) {
+	c.mu.Lock()
+	first := !c.noReasoningEffort[model]
+	c.noReasoningEffort[model] = true
+	c.mu.Unlock()
+	if first && c.log != nil {
+		c.log.WarnContext(ctx, c.name+": model rejects reasoning_effort; dropping it for this model — unset GROK_REASONING_EFFORT or use a model that supports it", "model", model)
 	}
 }
 
@@ -104,6 +134,11 @@ func (r *openAIResponse) Text() string {
 // per-request headers (e.g. x-grok-conv-id) merged on top of the static ones; nil is
 // fine.
 func (c *openAIClient) complete(ctx context.Context, reqBody openAIRequest, reqHeaders map[string]string) (*openAIResponse, error) {
+	// If a prior call already learned this model rejects reasoning_effort, drop it up front
+	// so we never pay the 400+heal again (healed once below; this is the steady state after).
+	if reqBody.ReasoningEffort != "" && c.rejectsReasoningEffort(reqBody.Model) {
+		reqBody.ReasoningEffort = ""
+	}
 	payload, err := json.Marshal(reqBody)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, err
@@ -134,6 +169,24 @@ func (c *openAIClient) complete(ctx context.Context, reqBody openAIRequest, reqH
 			return nil, ctx.Err()
 		}
 		if !retryable {
+			// Self-heal (first time only): a model that doesn't support reasoning_effort rejects
+			// it with a 400. Remember the model (so every later call drops the param up front —
+			// see top of complete), then strip it and retry ONCE, immediately and inline — the
+			// error is deterministic, so a backoff buys nothing, and the retry must NOT depend on
+			// a remaining loop slot (else a 400 on the final attempt would never be re-tried).
+			// markNoReasoningEffort WARNs once. This lets switching XAI_MODEL to such a model
+			// degrade gracefully instead of hard-failing every request into a react.
+			if reqBody.ReasoningEffort != "" && isReasoningEffortUnsupported(err) {
+				reqBody.ReasoningEffort = ""
+				c.markNoReasoningEffort(ctx, reqBody.Model)
+				if p, mErr := json.Marshal(reqBody); mErr == nil {
+					resp, _, rErr := c.attempt(ctx, p, reqHeaders)
+					if rErr != nil {
+						return nil, rErr
+					}
+					return resp, nil
+				}
+			}
 			return nil, err
 		}
 		if c.log != nil {
@@ -195,6 +248,18 @@ func (c *openAIClient) attempt(ctx context.Context, payload []byte, reqHeaders m
 	return &out, false, nil
 }
 
+// isReasoningEffortUnsupported reports whether an xAI error is the specific 400 a
+// non-reasoning model returns when sent reasoning_effort ("...does not support parameter
+// reasoningEffort"). Matched loosely so both reasoning_effort and reasoningEffort spellings
+// trip it, gating the one-shot strip-and-retry in complete().
+func isReasoningEffortUnsupported(err error) bool {
+	if err == nil {
+		return false
+	}
+	s := strings.ToLower(err.Error())
+	return strings.Contains(s, "reasoning") && strings.Contains(s, "effort") && strings.Contains(s, "support")
+}
+
 func snippet(b []byte) string {
 	const max = 300
 	if len(b) > max {
diff --git a/apps/ai-bot/httpllm_test.go b/apps/ai-bot/httpllm_test.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..74fd62d0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/apps/ai-bot/httpllm_test.go
@@ -0,0 +1,122 @@
+package main
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"io"
+	"net/http"
+	"net/http/httptest"
+	"strings"
+	"testing"
+)
+
+// TestCompleteReasoningEffortSelfHeal verifies that when a model rejects the
+// reasoning_effort param (the HTTP 400 a non-reasoning Grok model returns), the transport
+// strips the param and retries once — so switching XAI_MODEL to a non-reasoning model
+// degrades gracefully instead of hard-failing every request into a react.
+func TestCompleteReasoningEffortSelfHeal(t *testing.T) {
+	var calls int
+	var sawEffortFirst, sawEffortSecond bool
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		body, _ := io.ReadAll(r.Body)
+		hasEffort := strings.Contains(string(body), "reasoning_effort")
+		calls++
+		if calls == 1 {
+			sawEffortFirst = hasEffort
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
+			io.WriteString(w, `{"code":"Client specified an invalid argument","error":"Model grok-x-non-reasoning does not support parameter reasoningEffort."}`)
+			return
+		}
+		sawEffortSecond = hasEffort
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		io.WriteString(w, `{"id":"ok","choices":[{"message":{"content":"hi"},"finish_reason":"stop"}],"usage":{"prompt_tokens":1,"completion_tokens":1}}`)
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	c := newOpenAIClient("xai", srv.URL, "key", nil, discardLog())
+	resp, err := c.complete(context.Background(), openAIRequest{
+		Model:           "grok-x-non-reasoning",
+		Messages:        []openAIMessage{{Role: "user", Content: "hi"}},
+		MaxTokens:       10,
+		Temperature:     0.6,
+		ReasoningEffort: "low",
+	}, nil)
+	if err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("complete returned error, want self-heal success: %v", err)
+	}
+	if resp.Text() != "hi" {
+		t.Fatalf("got %q, want %q", resp.Text(), "hi")
+	}
+	if calls != 2 {
+		t.Fatalf("expected exactly 2 calls (400, then stripped retry), got %d", calls)
+	}
+	if !sawEffortFirst {
+		t.Fatal("first call should have sent reasoning_effort")
+	}
+	if sawEffortSecond {
+		t.Fatal("retry must NOT send reasoning_effort")
+	}
+}
+
+// TestCompleteReasoningEffortCachedAfterFirst: after the first 400+heal, the client
+// remembers the model rejects reasoning_effort and drops the param UP FRONT on later calls —
+// so a misconfigured GROK_REASONING_EFFORT costs one 400 per process, not one per message.
+func TestCompleteReasoningEffortCachedAfterFirst(t *testing.T) {
+	var calls, rejected int
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		body, _ := io.ReadAll(r.Body)
+		calls++
+		if strings.Contains(string(body), "reasoning_effort") {
+			rejected++
+			w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
+			io.WriteString(w, `{"error":"Model m does not support parameter reasoningEffort."}`)
+			return
+		}
+		w.Header().Set("Content-Type", "application/json")
+		io.WriteString(w, `{"id":"ok","choices":[{"message":{"content":"hi"},"finish_reason":"stop"}],"usage":{"prompt_tokens":1,"completion_tokens":1}}`)
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	c := newOpenAIClient("xai", srv.URL, "key", nil, discardLog())
+	req := func() openAIRequest {
+		return openAIRequest{Model: "m", Messages: []openAIMessage{{Role: "user", Content: "hi"}}, ReasoningEffort: "low"}
+	}
+	// First call: 400 (with effort) then a stripped retry → 2 HTTP calls, 1 rejection.
+	if _, err := c.complete(context.Background(), req(), nil); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("first complete: %v", err)
+	}
+	// Second call: the param is dropped up front → exactly 1 HTTP call, no new rejection.
+	if _, err := c.complete(context.Background(), req(), nil); err != nil {
+		t.Fatalf("second complete: %v", err)
+	}
+	if calls != 3 {
+		t.Fatalf("want 3 HTTP calls total (400+retry, then cached single), got %d", calls)
+	}
+	if rejected != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("want exactly 1 reasoning_effort rejection (cached after), got %d", rejected)
+	}
+}
+
+// TestCompleteTerminal4xxNoSelfHeal guards that the strip-and-retry is scoped to the
+// reasoning_effort 400 only: an unrelated 400 still fails fast (no spurious retry).
+func TestCompleteTerminal4xxNoSelfHeal(t *testing.T) {
+	var calls int
+	srv := httptest.NewServer(http.HandlerFunc(func(w http.ResponseWriter, r *http.Request) {
+		calls++
+		w.WriteHeader(http.StatusBadRequest)
+		io.WriteString(w, `{"error":"some other invalid argument"}`)
+	}))
+	defer srv.Close()
+
+	c := newOpenAIClient("xai", srv.URL, "key", nil, discardLog())
+	_, err := c.complete(context.Background(), openAIRequest{
+		Model:           "grok-x-non-reasoning",
+		Messages:        []openAIMessage{{Role: "user", Content: "hi"}},
+		ReasoningEffort: "low",
+	}, nil)
+	if err == nil {
+		t.Fatal("expected a terminal error on an unrelated 400")
+	}
+	if calls != 1 {
+		t.Fatalf("unrelated 400 must fail fast (1 call), got %d", calls)
+	}
+}