diff --git a/AGENTS.md b/AGENTS.md
index 392653c..3854817 100644
--- a/AGENTS.md
+++ b/AGENTS.md
@@ -1,5 +1,24 @@
 # AGENTS
 
+## Project Skill Bucket
+
+For this repository, the project-scoped OpenSpace skill bucket is:
+
+- `~/.codex/projects/openspace/skills`
+- index: `~/.codex/projects/openspace/SKILL_INDEX.md`
+
+Routing preference for work inside this repo:
+
+1. project bucket `openspace`
+2. shared local bucket `default`
+3. common global skills
+
+Mirror OpenSpace's own pattern:
+- first run `/Users/admin/.codex/tools/route_codex_skills_via_openspace.py`
+- prefilter by skill header metadata first
+- only open the most likely 1-2 `SKILL.md` files
+- avoid scanning every project skill file unless the user explicitly asks
+
 ## Codex Desktop Sidecar Evolution
 
 Use this workflow when the user is coding in Codex Desktop with their normal subscription login and wants OpenSpace to do post-task skill capture through the isolated `openspace_evolution` sidecar.
diff --git a/docs/codex-desktop-sidecar-evolution.md b/docs/codex-desktop-sidecar-evolution.md
index 5f617f2..382f785 100644
--- a/docs/codex-desktop-sidecar-evolution.md
+++ b/docs/codex-desktop-sidecar-evolution.md
@@ -28,6 +28,31 @@ Instead, the final implementation uses **process-level split routing**:
 
 API compatibility work was still necessary, but it is only one part of the solution.
 
+## Embedding Split Routing
+
+The sidecar now also supports a separate skill-embedding route from the main LLM.
+
+Recommended setup:
+
+```bash
+OPENSPACE_MODEL=gpt-5.4
+OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY=sk-xxx
+OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE=http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1
+
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND=local
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL=BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5
+```
+
+If you want a dedicated remote endpoint for skill embeddings instead of local
+fastembed, set:
+
+```bash
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND=remote
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY=sk-embed-xxx
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE=https://example.com/v1
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL=openai/text-embedding-3-small
+```
+
 ## What Was Implemented
 
 ### 1. OpenAI-compatible provider bridge for OpenSpace
diff --git a/docs/current-routing-flow.md b/docs/current-routing-flow.md
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..630c00e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/docs/current-routing-flow.md
@@ -0,0 +1,81 @@
+# Current Routing Flow
+
+This document records the current OpenSpace routing setup for this local environment.
+
+## Effective Split Routing
+
+- Main LLM:
+  - model: `gpt-5.4`
+  - API base: `http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1`
+  - source: `OPENSPACE_LLM_*`
+- Skill embeddings:
+  - backend: `local`
+  - model: `BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5`
+  - source: `OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_*`
+
+This means:
+
+- normal OpenSpace generation and tool-calling still use the OpenAI-compatible provider path
+- skill-router semantic re-rank does not depend on remote `/v1/embeddings`
+- Codex Desktop main session remains isolated from the sidecar/provider env
+
+## Flow 1: OpenSpace CLI
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart LR
+    A["User runs ./scripts/openspace.sh"] --> B["Load openspace/.env"]
+    B --> C["Set OPENSPACE_LLM_*"]
+    B --> D["Set OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_*"]
+    C --> E["LLM client"]
+    D --> F["SkillRanker"]
+    E --> G["sub2api / local OpenAI-compatible gateway<br/>http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1"]
+    F --> H["fastembed local model<br/>BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5"]
+    G --> I["GroundingAgent execution"]
+    H --> J["BM25 + vector prefilter"]
+    J --> I
+```
+
+## Flow 2: Codex Desktop With OpenSpace Sidecar
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart LR
+    A["User runs ./scripts/codex-desktop-evolution app"] --> B["Create isolated CODEX_HOME overlay"]
+    B --> C["Main Codex Desktop session"]
+    B --> D["openspace_evolution MCP sidecar"]
+    C --> E["Normal Codex subscription/API workflow"]
+    D --> F["OpenSpace evolution server"]
+    F --> G["OPENSPACE_LLM_* -> gpt-5.4 via http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1"]
+    F --> H["OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_* -> local fastembed"]
+    G --> I["Evolution / skill capture"]
+    H --> I
+```
+
+## Flow 3: Skill Routing Internals
+
+```mermaid
+flowchart LR
+    A["Task text"] --> B["Early abstain check"]
+    B --> C["BM25 rough rank"]
+    C --> D["Local embedding re-rank"]
+    D --> E["Top candidate skills"]
+    E --> F["Optional LLM selection"]
+    F --> G["Injected / selected skills"]
+```
+
+## Key Config Inputs
+
+- `OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY`
+- `OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE`
+- `OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT`
+- `OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND`
+- `OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL`
+
+## Operational Notes
+
+- If the provider does not expose `/v1/embeddings`, the main LLM path still works.
+- With the current setup, skill embeddings stay local, so router prefilter remains available.
+- If needed later, skill embeddings can be moved to a separate remote endpoint by setting:
+  - `OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND=remote`
+  - `OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY`
+  - `OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE`
+  - `OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL`
diff --git a/openspace/.env.example b/openspace/.env.example
index d8e9465..b9aba77 100644
--- a/openspace/.env.example
+++ b/openspace/.env.example
@@ -38,6 +38,18 @@ OPENROUTER_API_KEY=
 # OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY=sk-xxx
 # OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE=https://openrouter.ai/api/v1
 
+# --- Recommended split routing for OpenSpace itself ---
+# Keep the main LLM on your OpenAI-compatible provider,
+# but route skill embeddings separately.
+#
+# Example: LLM via sub2api / local gateway, skill embeddings via local fastembed
+#
+# OPENSPACE_MODEL=gpt-5.4
+# OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY=sk-xxx
+# OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE=http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1
+# OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND=local
+# OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL=BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5
+
 # ── OpenSpace Cloud (optional) ──────────────────────────────
 # Register at https://open-space.cloud to get your key.
 # Enables cloud skill search & upload; local features work without it.
@@ -51,9 +63,30 @@ OPENSPACE_API_KEY=sk_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 # Optional backup key for rate limit fallback:
 # ANTHROPIC_API_KEY_BACKUP=
 
-# ── Embedding (optional) ────────────────────────────────────
-# For remote embedding API instead of local model.
-# If not set, OpenSpace uses a local embedding model (BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5).
+# ── Skill Embedding (optional, router-only) ─────────────────
+# Controls the skill-router semantic re-rank path independently
+# from the main LLM provider.
+#
+# OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND=auto
+#   - auto   → prefer explicit remote embedding config, then legacy OpenAI-compatible env, then local fastembed
+#   - local  → force local fastembed model
+#   - remote → force remote OpenAI-compatible /embeddings endpoint
+#
+# OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND=local
+# OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL=BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5
+#
+# Or use a dedicated remote embedding endpoint:
+# OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND=remote
+# OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY=sk-xxx
+# OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE=https://example.com/v1
+# OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL=openai/text-embedding-3-small
+
+# ── Tool / Generic Embedding (optional) ─────────────────────
+# Used by tool search's semantic retrieval. Can also act as a fallback
+# remote embedding endpoint for the skill router when the dedicated
+# OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_* vars are not set.
+#
+# If not set, tool search uses a local embedding model (BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5).
 # EMBEDDING_BASE_URL=
 # EMBEDDING_API_KEY=
 # EMBEDDING_MODEL=openai/text-embedding-3-small
@@ -68,4 +101,4 @@ OPENSPACE_API_KEY=sk_xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx
 # LOCAL_SERVER_URL=http://127.0.0.1:5000
 
 # ---- Debug (Optional) ----
-# OPENSPACE_DEBUG=true
\ No newline at end of file
+# OPENSPACE_DEBUG=true
diff --git a/openspace/cloud/embedding.py b/openspace/cloud/embedding.py
index 6606936..3dd424b 100644
--- a/openspace/cloud/embedding.py
+++ b/openspace/cloud/embedding.py
@@ -1,4 +1,13 @@
-"""Embedding generation via OpenAI-compatible API."""
+"""Embedding generation for skill routing.
+
+Supports a dedicated skill-embedding path that can be routed
+independently from the main LLM:
+
+- ``OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND=local``  → local fastembed model
+- ``OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND=remote`` → dedicated OpenAI-compatible endpoint
+- ``OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND=auto``   → prefer dedicated/generic remote config,
+  then fall back to legacy OpenAI-compatible env vars, then local fastembed
+"""
 
 from __future__ import annotations
 
@@ -11,26 +20,54 @@ from typing import List, Optional, Tuple
 
 logger = logging.getLogger("openspace.cloud")
 
-# Constants (duplicated here to avoid top-level import of skill_ranker)
-SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL = "openai/text-embedding-3-small"
+# Defaults
+SKILL_REMOTE_EMBEDDING_MODEL = "openai/text-embedding-3-small"
+SKILL_LOCAL_EMBEDDING_MODEL = "BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5"
 SKILL_EMBEDDING_MAX_CHARS = 12_000
 SKILL_EMBEDDING_DIMENSIONS = 1536
 
 _OPENROUTER_BASE = "https://openrouter.ai/api/v1"
 _OPENAI_BASE = "https://api.openai.com/v1"
+_VALID_BACKENDS = {"auto", "local", "remote"}
+_LOCAL_EMBEDDER = None
+_LOCAL_EMBEDDER_MODEL = None
 
 
-def resolve_embedding_api() -> Tuple[Optional[str], str]:
-    """Resolve API key and base URL for embedding requests.
+def resolve_skill_embedding_backend() -> str:
+    """Resolve skill-embedding backend mode."""
+    value = os.environ.get("OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND", "auto").strip().lower()
+    if value in _VALID_BACKENDS:
+        return value
+    return "auto"
 
-    Priority:
-      1. ``OPENROUTER_API_KEY`` → OpenRouter base URL
-      2. ``OPENAI_API_KEY`` + ``OPENAI_BASE_URL`` (default ``api.openai.com``)
-      3. host-agent config (nanobot / openclaw)
 
-    Returns:
-        ``(api_key, base_url)`` — *api_key* may be ``None`` when no key is found.
-    """
+def resolve_skill_embedding_model(backend: Optional[str] = None) -> str:
+    """Resolve the model name for skill embeddings."""
+    backend = backend or resolve_skill_embedding_backend()
+    explicit = os.environ.get("OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL", "").strip()
+    if explicit:
+        return explicit
+    if backend == "local":
+        return SKILL_LOCAL_EMBEDDING_MODEL
+    if backend == "auto":
+        remote_key, _ = _resolve_remote_embedding_api()
+        if not remote_key:
+            return SKILL_LOCAL_EMBEDDING_MODEL
+    return SKILL_REMOTE_EMBEDDING_MODEL
+
+
+def _resolve_remote_embedding_api() -> Tuple[Optional[str], str]:
+    """Resolve remote embedding credentials/base URL for skill routing."""
+    dedicated_key = os.environ.get("OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY")
+    dedicated_base = os.environ.get("OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE")
+    if dedicated_key and dedicated_base:
+        return dedicated_key, dedicated_base.rstrip("/")
+
+    generic_key = os.environ.get("EMBEDDING_API_KEY")
+    generic_base = os.environ.get("EMBEDDING_BASE_URL")
+    if generic_key and generic_base:
+        return generic_key, generic_base.rstrip("/")
+
     or_key = os.environ.get("OPENROUTER_API_KEY")
     if or_key:
         return or_key, _OPENROUTER_BASE
@@ -42,6 +79,7 @@ def resolve_embedding_api() -> Tuple[Optional[str], str]:
 
     try:
         from openspace.host_detection import get_openai_api_key
+
         host_key = get_openai_api_key()
         if host_key:
             base = os.environ.get("OPENAI_BASE_URL", _OPENAI_BASE).rstrip("/")
@@ -52,6 +90,22 @@ def resolve_embedding_api() -> Tuple[Optional[str], str]:
     return None, _OPENAI_BASE
 
 
+def resolve_embedding_api() -> Tuple[Optional[str], str]:
+    """Resolve API key and base URL for remote embedding requests.
+
+    Priority:
+      1. ``OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_*`` dedicated skill-router endpoint
+      2. ``EMBEDDING_*`` generic embedding endpoint
+      3. ``OPENROUTER_API_KEY`` → OpenRouter base URL
+      4. ``OPENAI_API_KEY`` + ``OPENAI_BASE_URL`` (default ``api.openai.com``)
+      5. host-agent config (nanobot / openclaw)
+
+    Returns:
+        ``(api_key, base_url)`` — *api_key* may be ``None`` when no key is found.
+    """
+    return _resolve_remote_embedding_api()
+
+
 def cosine_similarity(a: List[float], b: List[float]) -> float:
     """Compute cosine similarity between two vectors."""
     if len(a) != len(b) or not a:
@@ -81,33 +135,83 @@ def build_skill_embedding_text(
     return raw[:max_chars]
 
 
+def _load_local_embedder(model_name: str):
+    """Load and cache the local embedding model."""
+    global _LOCAL_EMBEDDER, _LOCAL_EMBEDDER_MODEL
+
+    if _LOCAL_EMBEDDER is not None and _LOCAL_EMBEDDER_MODEL == model_name:
+        return _LOCAL_EMBEDDER
+
+    try:
+        from fastembed import TextEmbedding
+    except ImportError:
+        logger.warning(
+            "Local skill embeddings requested but fastembed is not installed. "
+            "Install it with `pip install fastembed`."
+        )
+        return None
+
+    try:
+        logger.info("Loading local skill embedding model: %s", model_name)
+        _LOCAL_EMBEDDER = TextEmbedding(model_name=model_name)
+        _LOCAL_EMBEDDER_MODEL = model_name
+        return _LOCAL_EMBEDDER
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.warning("Failed to load local skill embedding model %s: %s", model_name, exc)
+        return None
+
+
+def _generate_local_embedding(text: str, model_name: str) -> Optional[List[float]]:
+    embedder = _load_local_embedder(model_name)
+    if embedder is None:
+        return None
+
+    try:
+        vector = next(iter(embedder.embed([text])))
+        if hasattr(vector, "tolist"):
+            return vector.tolist()
+        return list(vector)
+    except Exception as exc:
+        logger.warning("Local skill embedding generation failed: %s", exc)
+        return None
+
+
 def generate_embedding(text: str, api_key: Optional[str] = None) -> Optional[List[float]]:
-    """Generate embedding using OpenAI-compatible API.
+    """Generate skill embedding using the configured local/remote backend.
 
     When *api_key* is ``None``, credentials are resolved automatically via
-    :func:`resolve_embedding_api` (``OPENROUTER_API_KEY`` → ``OPENAI_API_KEY``
-    → host-agent config).
+    :func:`resolve_embedding_api`.
 
-    This is a **synchronous** call (uses urllib).  In async contexts,
-    wrap with ``asyncio.to_thread()``.
+    Local mode uses ``fastembed``.
+    Remote mode uses an OpenAI-compatible ``/embeddings`` endpoint.
 
     Args:
         text: The text to embed.
-        api_key: Explicit API key.  When provided, base URL is still resolved
-                 from environment (``OPENROUTER_API_KEY`` presence determines
-                 the endpoint).
+        api_key: Explicit API key for remote mode.
 
     Returns:
         Embedding vector, or None on failure.
     """
+    backend = resolve_skill_embedding_backend()
+    model_name = resolve_skill_embedding_model(backend)
+
+    if backend == "local":
+        return _generate_local_embedding(text, model_name)
+
     resolved_key, base_url = resolve_embedding_api()
     if api_key is None:
         api_key = resolved_key
+
     if not api_key:
-        return None
+        if backend == "remote":
+            logger.warning(
+                "Remote skill embeddings requested but no embedding API key/base was resolved."
+            )
+            return None
+        return _generate_local_embedding(text, SKILL_LOCAL_EMBEDDING_MODEL)
 
     body = json.dumps({
-        "model": SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL,
+        "model": model_name,
         "input": text,
     }).encode("utf-8")
 
@@ -125,5 +229,7 @@ def generate_embedding(text: str, api_key: Optional[str] = None) -> Optional[Lis
             data = json.loads(resp.read().decode("utf-8"))
             return data.get("data", [{}])[0].get("embedding")
     except Exception as e:
-        logger.warning("Embedding generation failed: %s", e)
+        logger.warning("Remote skill embedding generation failed: %s", e)
+        if backend == "auto":
+            return _generate_local_embedding(text, SKILL_LOCAL_EMBEDDING_MODEL)
         return None
diff --git a/openspace/config/README.md b/openspace/config/README.md
index f2e0875..cd0222e 100644
--- a/openspace/config/README.md
+++ b/openspace/config/README.md
@@ -35,6 +35,13 @@ Set via `.env`, MCP config `env` block, or system environment.
 | `OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE` | LLM API base URL | — |
 | `OPENSPACE_LLM_EXTRA_HEADERS` | Extra LLM headers (JSON) | — |
 | `OPENSPACE_LLM_CONFIG` | Arbitrary litellm kwargs (JSON) | — |
+| `OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND` | Skill-router embedding backend: `auto`, `local`, or `remote` | `auto` |
+| `OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL` | Skill-router embedding model | `BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5` in local mode, `openai/text-embedding-3-small` in remote mode |
+| `OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY` | Dedicated remote embedding API key for skill routing | — |
+| `OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE` | Dedicated remote embedding API base for skill routing | — |
+| `EMBEDDING_API_KEY` | Generic embedding API key (tool search, optional skill-router fallback) | — |
+| `EMBEDDING_BASE_URL` | Generic embedding API base URL | — |
+| `EMBEDDING_MODEL` | Generic embedding model for tool search | `BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5` |
 | `OPENSPACE_API_KEY` | Cloud API key ([open-space.cloud](https://open-space.cloud)) | — |
 | `OPENSPACE_MAX_ITERATIONS` | Max agent iterations per task | `20` |
 | `OPENSPACE_BACKEND_SCOPE` | Enabled backends (comma-separated) | `shell,gui,mcp,web,system` |
@@ -47,6 +54,29 @@ Set via `.env`, MCP config `env` block, or system environment.
 | `OPENSPACE_ENABLE_RECORDING` | Record execution traces | `true` |
 | `OPENSPACE_LOG_LEVEL` | Log level | `INFO` |
 
+### Split-routing example
+
+Keep the main LLM on an OpenAI-compatible provider, but force the
+skill-router embedding path to stay local:
+
+```bash
+OPENSPACE_MODEL=gpt-5.4
+OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY=sk-xxx
+OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE=http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1
+
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND=local
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL=BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5
+```
+
+Or send skill embeddings to a separate endpoint:
+
+```bash
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND=remote
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY=sk-embed-xxx
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE=https://example.com/v1
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL=openai/text-embedding-3-small
+```
+
 ## 3. MCP Servers (`config_mcp.json`)
 
 Register external MCP servers that OpenSpace connects to as a **client** (e.g. GitHub, Slack, databases):
diff --git a/openspace/skill_engine/skill_ranker.py b/openspace/skill_engine/skill_ranker.py
index 503eda5..8498f2b 100644
--- a/openspace/skill_engine/skill_ranker.py
+++ b/openspace/skill_engine/skill_ranker.py
@@ -7,7 +7,9 @@ Provides a two-stage retrieval pipeline for skill selection:
 Embedding strategy:
   - Text = ``name + description + SKILL.md body`` (consistent with MCP
     ``search_skills`` and the clawhub cloud platform)
-  - Model: ``qwen/qwen3-embedding-8b`` via OpenRouter API
+  - Backend is configurable via ``OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND``
+    and can use either a local fastembed model or a remote
+    OpenAI-compatible embedding endpoint
   - Embeddings are cached in-memory keyed by ``skill_id`` and optionally
     persisted to a pickle file for cross-session reuse
 
@@ -32,8 +34,6 @@ from openspace.utils.logging import Logger
 
 logger = Logger.get_logger(__name__)
 
-# Embedding model — must match clawhub platform for vector-space compatibility
-SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL = "openai/text-embedding-3-small"
 SKILL_EMBEDDING_MAX_CHARS = 12_000
 
 # Pre-filter threshold: when local skills exceed this count, BM25 pre-filter
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ PREFILTER_THRESHOLD = 10
 BM25_CANDIDATES_MULTIPLIER = 3  # top_k * 3
 
 # Cache version — increment when format changes
-_CACHE_VERSION = 1
+_CACHE_VERSION = 2
 
 
 @dataclass
@@ -238,13 +238,6 @@ class SkillRanker:
 
         return ranked[:top_k]
 
-    @staticmethod
-    def _get_openai_api_key() -> Optional[str]:
-        """Resolve OpenAI-compatible API key for embedding requests."""
-        from openspace.cloud.embedding import resolve_embedding_api
-        api_key, _ = resolve_embedding_api()
-        return api_key
-
     @staticmethod
     def _build_embedding_text(candidate: SkillCandidate) -> str:
         """Build text for embedding, consistent with MCP search_skills."""
@@ -264,12 +257,8 @@ class SkillRanker:
         top_k: int,
     ) -> List[SkillCandidate]:
         """Rank candidates using embedding cosine similarity."""
-        api_key = self._get_openai_api_key()
-        if not api_key:
-            return []
-
         # Generate query embedding
-        query_emb = self._generate_embedding(query, api_key=api_key)
+        query_emb = self._generate_embedding(query)
         if not query_emb:
             return []
 
@@ -281,7 +270,7 @@ class SkillRanker:
                     c.embedding = cached
                 else:
                     text = self._build_embedding_text(c)
-                    emb = self._generate_embedding(text, api_key=api_key)
+                    emb = self._generate_embedding(text)
                     if emb:
                         c.embedding = emb
                         self._embedding_cache[c.skill_id] = emb
@@ -305,53 +294,20 @@ class SkillRanker:
         text: str,
         api_key: Optional[str] = None,
     ) -> Optional[List[float]]:
-        """Generate embedding via OpenAI-compatible API (text-embedding-3-small).
+        """Generate embedding via the configured skill-embedding backend.
 
-        Delegates credential / base-URL resolution to
-        :func:`openspace.cloud.embedding.resolve_embedding_api`.
+        Delegates backend/model resolution to :mod:`openspace.cloud.embedding`.
         """
-        from openspace.cloud.embedding import resolve_embedding_api
+        from openspace.cloud.embedding import generate_embedding
 
-        resolved_key, base_url = resolve_embedding_api()
-        if not api_key:
-            api_key = resolved_key
-        if not api_key:
-            return None
-
-        import urllib.request
-
-        body = json.dumps({
-            "model": SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL,
-            "input": text,
-        }).encode("utf-8")
-
-        req = urllib.request.Request(
-            f"{base_url}/embeddings",
-            data=body,
-            headers={
-                "Content-Type": "application/json",
-                "Authorization": f"Bearer {api_key}",
-            },
-            method="POST",
-        )
-        import time
-        last_err = None
-        for attempt in range(3):
-            try:
-                with urllib.request.urlopen(req, timeout=15) as resp:
-                    data = json.loads(resp.read().decode("utf-8"))
-                    return data.get("data", [{}])[0].get("embedding")
-            except Exception as e:
-                last_err = e
-                if attempt < 2:
-                    delay = 2 * (attempt + 1)
-                    logger.debug("Embedding request failed (attempt %d/3), retrying in %ds: %s", attempt + 1, delay, e)
-                    time.sleep(delay)
-        logger.warning("Skill embedding generation failed after 3 attempts: %s", last_err)
-        return None
+        return generate_embedding(text, api_key=api_key)
 
     def _cache_file(self) -> Path:
-        return self._cache_dir / f"skill_embeddings_v{_CACHE_VERSION}.pkl"
+        from openspace.cloud.embedding import resolve_skill_embedding_model
+
+        model_name = resolve_skill_embedding_model()
+        safe_model_name = re.sub(r"[^a-zA-Z0-9_.-]+", "_", model_name)
+        return self._cache_dir / f"skill_embeddings_{safe_model_name}_v{_CACHE_VERSION}.pkl"
 
     def _load_cache(self) -> None:
         """Load embedding cache from disk."""
@@ -376,7 +332,7 @@ class SkillRanker:
             self._cache_dir.mkdir(parents=True, exist_ok=True)
             data = {
                 "version": _CACHE_VERSION,
-                "model": SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL,
+                "model": self._cache_file().stem,
                 "last_updated": datetime.now().isoformat(),
                 "embeddings": self._embedding_cache,
             }
@@ -412,4 +368,3 @@ def build_skill_embedding_text(
     if len(raw) <= max_chars:
         return raw
     return raw[:max_chars]
-
diff --git a/pyproject.toml b/pyproject.toml
index a391cca..507d3cc 100644
--- a/pyproject.toml
+++ b/pyproject.toml
@@ -17,6 +17,7 @@ dependencies = [
     "litellm>=1.70.0,<1.82.7",  # pinned to avoid PYSEC-2026-2 supply-chain compromise (1.82.7/1.82.8 were malicious)
     "python-dotenv>=1.0.0",
     "openai>=1.0.0",
+    "fastembed>=0.8.0",
     "jsonschema>=4.25.0",
     "mcp>=1.0.0",
     "websockets>=15.0.0",
diff --git a/requirements.txt b/requirements.txt
index 8683105..abe1aa6 100644
--- a/requirements.txt
+++ b/requirements.txt
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@
 litellm>=1.70.0,<1.82.7  # pinned to avoid PYSEC-2026-2 supply-chain compromise (1.82.7/1.82.8 were malicious)
 python-dotenv>=1.0.0
 openai>=1.0.0
+fastembed>=0.8.0
 jsonschema>=4.25.0
 mcp>=1.0.0
 websockets>=15.0.0
diff --git a/scripts/codex-desktop-evolution b/scripts/codex-desktop-evolution
index 5a24b8a..6ff8dfe 100755
--- a/scripts/codex-desktop-evolution
+++ b/scripts/codex-desktop-evolution
@@ -53,6 +53,15 @@ OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE="${OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE:-$(read_env_value OPENSPACE_LLM
 OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE="${OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE:-https://codexapi.space/v1}"
 OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT="${OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT:-$(read_env_value OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT)}"
 OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT="${OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT:-true}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND="${OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND:-$(read_env_value OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND)}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND="${OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND:-local}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL="${OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL:-$(read_env_value OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL)}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL="${OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL:-BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY="${OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY:-$(read_env_value OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY)}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE="${OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE:-$(read_env_value OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE)}"
+EMBEDDING_API_KEY="${EMBEDDING_API_KEY:-$(read_env_value EMBEDDING_API_KEY)}"
+EMBEDDING_BASE_URL="${EMBEDDING_BASE_URL:-$(read_env_value EMBEDDING_BASE_URL)}"
+EMBEDDING_MODEL="${EMBEDDING_MODEL:-$(read_env_value EMBEDDING_MODEL)}"
 
 sync_profile_dir() {
   local name="$1"
@@ -78,7 +87,7 @@ bootstrap_profile_home() {
 
   cp "$PRIMARY_CODEX_HOME/auth.json" "$PROFILE_HOME/auth.json"
 
-  python3 - <<'PY' "$PRIMARY_CODEX_HOME/config.toml" "$PROFILE_HOME/config.toml" "$REPO_ROOT" "$REPO_PYTHON" "$PROJECT_SKILL_DIR" "$PROFILE_HOME/skills" "$OPENSPACE_MODEL" "$OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY" "$OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE" "$OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT"
+  python3 - <<'PY' "$PRIMARY_CODEX_HOME/config.toml" "$PROFILE_HOME/config.toml" "$REPO_ROOT" "$REPO_PYTHON" "$PROJECT_SKILL_DIR" "$PROFILE_HOME/skills" "$OPENSPACE_MODEL" "$OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY" "$OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE" "$OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT" "$OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND" "$OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL" "$OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY" "$OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE" "$EMBEDDING_API_KEY" "$EMBEDDING_BASE_URL" "$EMBEDDING_MODEL"
 from pathlib import Path
 import os
 import sys
@@ -93,6 +102,13 @@ model = sys.argv[7]
 api_key = sys.argv[8]
 api_base = sys.argv[9]
 stream_compat = sys.argv[10]
+skill_embedding_backend = sys.argv[11]
+skill_embedding_model = sys.argv[12]
+skill_embedding_api_key = sys.argv[13]
+skill_embedding_api_base = sys.argv[14]
+embedding_api_key = sys.argv[15]
+embedding_base_url = sys.argv[16]
+embedding_model = sys.argv[17]
 
 def strip_tables(text: str, table_names: set[str]) -> str:
     kept = []
@@ -134,6 +150,13 @@ OPENSPACE_MODEL = "{model}"
 OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY = "{api_key}"
 OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE = "{api_base}"
 OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT = "{stream_compat}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND = "{skill_embedding_backend}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL = "{skill_embedding_model}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY = "{skill_embedding_api_key}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE = "{skill_embedding_api_base}"
+EMBEDDING_API_KEY = "{embedding_api_key}"
+EMBEDDING_BASE_URL = "{embedding_base_url}"
+EMBEDDING_MODEL = "{embedding_model}"
 OPENSPACE_ENABLE_RECORDING = "false"
 OPENSPACE_BACKEND_SCOPE = "shell,system"
 '''
@@ -149,6 +172,9 @@ clear_openspace_env() {
   for var in ${!OPENSPACE_@}; do
     unset "$var"
   done
+  unset EMBEDDING_API_KEY
+  unset EMBEDDING_BASE_URL
+  unset EMBEDDING_MODEL
 }
 
 if [[ -z "$OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY" ]]; then
diff --git a/scripts/codex-openspace b/scripts/codex-openspace
index 0650383..bb459c2 100755
--- a/scripts/codex-openspace
+++ b/scripts/codex-openspace
@@ -24,6 +24,8 @@ fi
 OPENSPACE_MODEL="${OPENSPACE_MODEL:-gpt-5.4}"
 OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE="${OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE:-https://codexapi.space/v1}"
 OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT="${OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT:-true}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND="${OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND:-local}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL="${OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL:-BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5}"
 
 sync_profile_dir() {
   local name="$1"
@@ -102,6 +104,13 @@ OPENSPACE_MODEL = "$OPENSPACE_MODEL"
 OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY = "$OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY"
 OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE = "$OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE"
 OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT = "$OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND = "$OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL = "$OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY = "${OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_KEY:-}"
+OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE = "${OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_API_BASE:-}"
+EMBEDDING_API_KEY = "${EMBEDDING_API_KEY:-}"
+EMBEDDING_BASE_URL = "${EMBEDDING_BASE_URL:-}"
+EMBEDDING_MODEL = "${EMBEDDING_MODEL:-}"
 
 [model_providers.codexapi]
 name = "codexapi"
diff --git a/scripts/openspace.sh b/scripts/openspace.sh
index eba4ae8..e497df5 100755
--- a/scripts/openspace.sh
+++ b/scripts/openspace.sh
@@ -5,6 +5,13 @@ SCRIPT_DIR="$(cd -- "$(dirname -- "${BASH_SOURCE[0]}")" && pwd)"
 REPO_ROOT="$(cd -- "$SCRIPT_DIR/.." && pwd)"
 ALT_HOME="${CODEX_HOME:-$HOME/.codex-openspace}"
 AUTH_FILE="${OPENSPACE_AUTH_FILE:-$ALT_HOME/auth.json}"
+ENV_FILE="${OPENSPACE_ENV_FILE:-$REPO_ROOT/openspace/.env}"
+
+if [[ -f "$ENV_FILE" ]]; then
+  set -a
+  source "$ENV_FILE"
+  set +a
+fi
 
 api_key="${OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY:-}"
 if [[ -z "$api_key" ]]; then
@@ -28,8 +35,10 @@ fi
 
 export OPENSPACE_MODEL="${OPENSPACE_MODEL:-gpt-5.4}"
 export OPENSPACE_LLM_API_KEY="$api_key"
-export OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE="${OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE:-https://codexapi.space/v1}"
+export OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE="${OPENSPACE_LLM_API_BASE:-http://127.0.0.1:8080/v1}"
 export OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT="${OPENSPACE_LLM_OPENAI_STREAM_COMPAT:-true}"
+export OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND="${OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_BACKEND:-local}"
+export OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL="${OPENSPACE_SKILL_EMBEDDING_MODEL:-BAAI/bge-small-en-v1.5}"
 export OPENSPACE_HOST_SKILL_DIRS="${OPENSPACE_HOST_SKILL_DIRS:-$ALT_HOME/skills}"
 export OPENSPACE_WORKSPACE="${OPENSPACE_WORKSPACE:-$REPO_ROOT}"