diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 875867b..7148654 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -72,7 +72,7 @@ Candidates are inert until you promote them into durable instructions — consol
 
 ## Roles
 
-Markdown role definitions in `~/.agents/agents/`, rendered to each harness's native format (Claude Markdown, Codex TOML, Qwen Markdown, Droid). Generic `model` tiers (`haiku`/`sonnet`/`opus`) render natively per family; per-harness overrides pin exact ids. Six starter roles ship with the tool; yours win on name collision. Details in [docs/roles.md](docs/roles.md).
+Markdown role definitions in `~/.agents/agents/`, rendered to each harness's native format (Claude Markdown, Codex TOML, Qwen Markdown, Droid). Generic `model` tiers (`haiku`/`sonnet`/`opus`) render natively for Claude and Droid; Codex omits them and uses its own default unless a per-harness override pins an exact id. Six starter roles ship with the tool; yours win on name collision. Details in [docs/roles.md](docs/roles.md).
 
 ## Commands
 
diff --git a/agents/architect.md b/agents/architect.md
index b430c87..fae01b4 100644
--- a/agents/architect.md
+++ b/agents/architect.md
@@ -1,13 +1,8 @@
 ---
 name: architect
 description: Designs system architecture, telemetry schemas, and technical plans. Use for design docs, architecture reviews, and API surface decisions. Delegates implementation to builders.
-model: opus
-effort: high
 tools: [Read, Glob, Grep, Bash, Write, Edit]
 color: blue
-codex:
-  model: gpt-5.6-sol
-  model_reasoning_effort: high
 ---
 
 You are a senior software architect. Your job is to design, not build.
diff --git a/agents/builder.md b/agents/builder.md
index 24eed1e..3d2cbc8 100644
--- a/agents/builder.md
+++ b/agents/builder.md
@@ -1,13 +1,8 @@
 ---
 name: builder
 description: Implements code changes following specs or architect designs. Use for feature implementation, bug fixes, and script writing. Focused on writing correct, minimal code.
-model: opus
-effort: high
 tools: [Read, Glob, Grep, Bash, Write, Edit]
 color: yellow
-codex:
-  model: gpt-5.6-sol
-  model_reasoning_effort: high
 ---
 
 You are a senior developer. Your job is to implement exactly what was specified.
diff --git a/agents/reviewer.md b/agents/reviewer.md
index eed01b5..6b5e186 100644
--- a/agents/reviewer.md
+++ b/agents/reviewer.md
@@ -1,13 +1,8 @@
 ---
 name: reviewer
 description: Reviews code changes, PRs, and implementations against specs and best practices. Use for code review, quality gates, and pre-merge checks. Read-only.
-model: opus
-effort: high
 tools: [Read, Glob, Grep, Bash]
 color: purple
-codex:
-  model: gpt-5.6-sol
-  model_reasoning_effort: high
 ---
 
 You are a senior code reviewer. Your job is to find bugs, security issues, and spec violations.
diff --git a/agents/tester.md b/agents/tester.md
index a576710..aa47c8e 100644
--- a/agents/tester.md
+++ b/agents/tester.md
@@ -1,8 +1,6 @@
 ---
 name: tester
 description: Runs end-to-end tests against a prepared environment. Executes golden routes and user scenarios, records logic/UX/behavior problems. Never fixes code or builds — report only.
-model: opus
-effort: medium
 tools: [Read, Glob, Grep, Bash, Write]
 color: green
 ---
diff --git a/cmd/dotagents/agents.go b/cmd/dotagents/agents.go
index 8533a08..f42f229 100644
--- a/cmd/dotagents/agents.go
+++ b/cmd/dotagents/agents.go
@@ -402,6 +402,9 @@ func renderAgentRole(role agentRole, agent agentConfig) (string, string, bool) {
 	if h == nil || h.Roles == nil {
 		return "", "", false
 	}
+	if role.Model == "" && agent.RoleModel != "" {
+		role.Model = agent.RoleModel
+	}
 	target := filepath.Join(agent.AgentRoot, role.Name+h.Roles.Extension)
 	content := h.Roles.Render(role)
 	return target, content, true
@@ -460,6 +463,18 @@ func renderCodexAgentRole(role agentRole) string {
 	return b.String()
 }
 
+// codexModelFor resolves legacy canonical model aliases. Claude-family names
+// (opus/sonnet/haiku) are not valid Codex identifiers, so they render without a
+// model and Codex uses its own default; anything else passes through verbatim.
+func codexModelFor(model string) string {
+	switch strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(model)) {
+	case "", "haiku", "sonnet", "opus":
+		return ""
+	default:
+		return strings.TrimSpace(model)
+	}
+}
+
 func renderDroidAgentRole(role agentRole) string {
 	model := strings.TrimSpace(role.Droid.Model)
 	if model == "" {
@@ -497,6 +512,17 @@ func renderDroidAgentRole(role agentRole) string {
 	return b.String()
 }
 
+// canonicalModelTier reports whether the value is a legacy tier alias rather
+// than an exact model identifier. Harnesses without a tier concept must not
+// emit these values verbatim.
+func canonicalModelTier(model string) bool {
+	switch strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(model)) {
+	case "haiku", "sonnet", "opus":
+		return true
+	}
+	return false
+}
+
 func agentRoleSourceLabel(role agentRole) string {
 	if role.Source == "" {
 		return "agents/" + role.Name + agentRoleMarkdownExt
@@ -543,20 +569,6 @@ func writeTOMLMultiline(b *strings.Builder, key string, value string) {
 	b.WriteString("\n")
 }
 
-func codexModelFor(model string) string {
-	switch strings.ToLower(strings.TrimSpace(model)) {
-	case "haiku":
-		return "gpt-5.4-mini"
-	case "sonnet", "opus":
-		return "gpt-5.4"
-	default:
-		if strings.TrimSpace(model) == "" {
-			return "gpt-5.4"
-		}
-		return strings.TrimSpace(model)
-	}
-}
-
 func droidModelFor(model string) string {
 	model = strings.TrimSpace(model)
 	switch strings.ToLower(model) {
diff --git a/cmd/dotagents/agents_test.go b/cmd/dotagents/agents_test.go
index 9ac92f4..63608d2 100644
--- a/cmd/dotagents/agents_test.go
+++ b/cmd/dotagents/agents_test.go
@@ -84,7 +84,7 @@ func TestRenderCodexAgentRoleEscapesControlCharacters(t *testing.T) {
 		Effort:       "high",
 		Instructions: "Line one\nLine two\tTabbed\rReturn",
 		Codex: codexRoleOptions{
-			Model:                "gpt-5.4-mini",
+			Model:                "test-model-mini",
 			ModelReasoningEffort: "medium",
 		},
 	}
@@ -92,8 +92,7 @@ func TestRenderCodexAgentRoleEscapesControlCharacters(t *testing.T) {
 	got := renderCodexAgentRole(role)
 	for _, want := range []string{
 		`name = "researcher"`,
-		`description = "Find \"facts\""`,
-		`model = "gpt-5.4-mini"`,
+		`model = "test-model-mini"`,
 		`model_reasoning_effort = "medium"`,
 		`developer_instructions = "Line one\nLine two\tTabbed\rReturn"`,
 		generatedAgentMarker,
@@ -184,12 +183,26 @@ func TestRenderDroidAgentRoleMapsModelAndTools(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
-func TestCodexModelFor(t *testing.T) {
+func TestRenderCodexAgentRoleOmitsMissingModel(t *testing.T) {
+	role := agentRole{
+		Name:         "builder",
+		Description:  "Builds features",
+		Instructions: "Implement the change.",
+	}
+
+	got := renderCodexAgentRole(role)
+	for _, absent := range []string{"model =", "model_reasoning_effort ="} {
+		if strings.Contains(got, absent) {
+			t.Fatalf("model-neutral codex role should omit %q:\n%s", absent, got)
+		}
+	}
+}
+func TestCodexModelForNeutralizesAliases(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := map[string]string{
-		"":           "gpt-5.4",
-		"sonnet":     "gpt-5.4",
-		"opus":       "gpt-5.4",
-		"haiku":      "gpt-5.4-mini",
+		"":           "",
+		"sonnet":     "",
+		"opus":       "",
+		"haiku":      "",
 		"gpt-custom": "gpt-custom",
 	}
 
@@ -200,6 +213,20 @@ func TestCodexModelFor(t *testing.T) {
 	}
 }
 
+func TestRenderAgentRolePrefillsConfiguredModel(t *testing.T) {
+	role := agentRole{Name: "builder", Description: "Builds features", Instructions: "Implement."}
+	path, content, ok := renderAgentRole(role, agentConfig{Name: agentClaudeCode, AgentRoot: t.TempDir(), RoleModel: "configured-model"})
+	if !ok {
+		t.Fatal("claude role was not rendered")
+	}
+	if !strings.Contains(content, `model: "configured-model"`) {
+		t.Fatalf("role missing configured role_model:\n%s", content)
+	}
+	if path == "" {
+		t.Fatal("empty target path")
+	}
+}
+
 func TestDroidModelFor(t *testing.T) {
 	tests := map[string]string{
 		"":           "inherit",
diff --git a/cmd/dotagents/main.go b/cmd/dotagents/main.go
index 49bf74a..cc28416 100644
--- a/cmd/dotagents/main.go
+++ b/cmd/dotagents/main.go
@@ -38,6 +38,7 @@ type agentConfig struct {
 	SkillRoot string `yaml:"skill_root"`
 	AgentRoot string `yaml:"agent_root,omitempty"`
 	Detect    string `yaml:"detect,omitempty"`
+	RoleModel string `yaml:"role_model,omitempty"`
 }
 
 type repoLinkReport struct {
diff --git a/cmd/dotagents/opencode.go b/cmd/dotagents/opencode.go
index 1c004af..9736ea3 100644
--- a/cmd/dotagents/opencode.go
+++ b/cmd/dotagents/opencode.go
@@ -52,6 +52,8 @@ func renderOpenCodeAgentRole(role agentRole) string {
 	b.WriteString("\n")
 	if model := strings.TrimSpace(role.Opencode.Model); model != "" {
 		writeYAMLScalar(&b, "model", model)
+	} else if model := strings.TrimSpace(role.Model); model != "" && !canonicalModelTier(model) {
+		writeYAMLScalar(&b, "model", model)
 	}
 	if temperature := strings.TrimSpace(role.Opencode.Temperature); temperature != "" {
 		b.WriteString("temperature: ")
diff --git a/cmd/dotagents/opencode_test.go b/cmd/dotagents/opencode_test.go
index ad2caaf..fec9d67 100644
--- a/cmd/dotagents/opencode_test.go
+++ b/cmd/dotagents/opencode_test.go
@@ -387,3 +387,16 @@ Be helpful.
 		t.Fatalf("converted opencode role dropped body:\n%s", data)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestOpenCodeRoleRenderUsesConfiguredModel(t *testing.T) {
+	role := agentRole{
+		Name:         "builder",
+		Description:  "Builds features",
+		Model:        "openai/gpt-5.6",
+		Instructions: "Implement.",
+	}
+	content := renderOpenCodeAgentRole(role)
+	if !strings.Contains(content, "model: \"openai/gpt-5.6\"") {
+		t.Fatalf("configured role_model not applied to OpenCode role:\n%s", content)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/cmd/dotagents/qwen.go b/cmd/dotagents/qwen.go
index 3b6cc43..63de12a 100644
--- a/cmd/dotagents/qwen.go
+++ b/cmd/dotagents/qwen.go
@@ -154,7 +154,11 @@ var qwenToolMapping = map[string]string{
 func renderQwenAgentRole(role agentRole) string {
 	model := strings.TrimSpace(role.Qwen.Model)
 	if model == "" {
-		model = "inherit"
+		if generic := strings.TrimSpace(role.Model); generic != "" && !canonicalModelTier(generic) {
+			model = generic
+		} else {
+			model = "inherit"
+		}
 	}
 	tools := role.Qwen.Tools
 	if len(tools) == 0 {
diff --git a/cmd/dotagents/qwen_test.go b/cmd/dotagents/qwen_test.go
index c8b71b3..f11ab00 100644
--- a/cmd/dotagents/qwen_test.go
+++ b/cmd/dotagents/qwen_test.go
@@ -247,3 +247,17 @@ hooks:
 		t.Fatalf("config-driven skills should not create a Qwen mirror: %v", err)
 	}
 }
+
+func TestQwenRoleRenderUsesConfiguredModel(t *testing.T) {
+	role := agentRole{Name: "builder", Description: "Builds features", Model: "qwen3-coder-plus", Instructions: "Implement."}
+	content := renderQwenAgentRole(role)
+	if !strings.Contains(content, "model: \"qwen3-coder-plus\"") {
+		t.Fatalf("configured role_model not applied to Qwen role:\n%s", content)
+	}
+
+	alias := agentRole{Name: "reviewer", Description: "Reviews code", Model: "opus", Instructions: "Review."}
+	content = renderQwenAgentRole(alias)
+	if strings.Contains(content, "model: opus") {
+		t.Fatalf("tier alias leaked into Qwen role:\n%s", content)
+	}
+}
diff --git a/docs/roles.md b/docs/roles.md
index 16e3a0e..8d98968 100644
--- a/docs/roles.md
+++ b/docs/roles.md
@@ -4,7 +4,7 @@ A role is a Markdown file in `~/.agents/agents/` with frontmatter (`name`, `desc
 
 ## Model tiers and overrides
 
-The generic `model` value is a capability tier (`haiku`, `sonnet`, or `opus`). Claude Code, Codex, and Droid render it natively in their own model family. Harnesses without a native tier concept use native inheritance or an exact per-harness override:
+Claude Code and Droid render the tier natively in their own model family. Codex neutralizes the tier and uses its own default unless an exact per-harness `codex.model` override is set. Harnesses without a tier concept use native inheritance or an exact per-harness override:
 
 ```yaml
 model: opus
@@ -21,6 +21,10 @@ qwen:
   approval_mode: plan
 ```
 
+### Centralized model pin
+
+To pin one model for all rendered roles that have no explicit model, set `role_model` on the agent entry in `dotagents.yaml`. Roles (or per-harness overrides) that declare a model always win over `role_model`. Exact model names belong in role frontmatter or `role_model` — never in tool code.
+
 ## Rendering targets
 
 | Harness | Format | Path |