diff --git a/packages/handoff/src/handoff-command.ts b/packages/handoff/src/handoff-command.ts
index fbdad35d6559b9cb4bc423bc2f1b98098c61fbc3..3d5aae7f1caf30f754651c3c41169ad2d4009ba9 100644
--- a/packages/handoff/src/handoff-command.ts
+++ b/packages/handoff/src/handoff-command.ts
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ import type {
 import { BorderedLoader, convertToLlm, serializeConversation } from "@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent";
 import { extractCandidateFiles, extractLoadedSkills, resolveExtractionModel } from "./session-analysis.js";
 import { type HandoffExtraction, assembleHandoffDraft, extractHandoffContext } from "./handoff-extraction.js";
+import { parseAndSetModelWithNotify } from "./model-utils.js";
 
 export function registerHandoffCommand(pi: ExtensionAPI, startCountdown: (ctx: ExtensionContext) => void) {
 	pi.registerCommand("handoff", {
@@ -120,19 +121,7 @@ export function registerHandoffCommand(pi: ExtensionAPI, startCountdown: (ctx: E
 
 			// Apply -model if specified
 			if (newSessionModel) {
-				const slashIdx = newSessionModel.indexOf("/");
-				if (slashIdx > 0) {
-					const provider = newSessionModel.slice(0, slashIdx);
-					const modelId = newSessionModel.slice(slashIdx + 1);
-					const model = ctx.modelRegistry.find(provider, modelId);
-					if (model) {
-						await pi.setModel(model);
-					} else {
-						ctx.ui.notify(`Unknown model: ${newSessionModel}`, "warning");
-					}
-				} else {
-					ctx.ui.notify(`Invalid model format "${newSessionModel}", expected provider/modelId`, "warning");
-				}
+				await parseAndSetModelWithNotify(newSessionModel, ctx, pi);
 			}
 
 			const newSessionFile = ctx.sessionManager.getSessionFile();
diff --git a/packages/handoff/src/index.ts b/packages/handoff/src/index.ts
index a619ff6a09862d818a578a7baafda421f06d63a8..b7ecfb6198f21ea5e4b41691d3ffb5b79ab0c194 100644
--- a/packages/handoff/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/handoff/src/index.ts
@@ -5,9 +5,10 @@
 
 import type { ExtensionAPI, ExtensionContext } from "@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent";
 import type { SessionManager } from "@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent";
-import { Key, matchesKey } from "@mariozechner/pi-tui";
+import { Key, matchesKey, parseKey } from "@mariozechner/pi-tui";
 import { registerHandoffCommand } from "./handoff-command.js";
 import { registerHandoffTool, type PendingHandoff } from "./handoff-tool.js";
+import { parseAndSetModelWithNotify } from "./model-utils.js";
 import { registerSessionQueryTool } from "./session-query-tool.js";
 
 const STATUS_KEY = "handoff";
@@ -20,22 +21,6 @@ type PendingAutoSubmit = {
 	unsubscribeInput: () => void;
 };
 
-function isEditableInput(data: string): boolean {
-	if (!data) return false;
-	if (data.length === 1) {
-		const code = data.charCodeAt(0);
-		if (code >= 32 && code !== 127) return true;
-		if (code === 8 || code === 13) return true;
-	}
-
-	if (data === "\n" || data === "\r") return true;
-	if (data === "\x7f") return true;
-
-	if (data.length > 1 && !data.startsWith("\x1b")) return true;
-
-	return false;
-}
-
 function statusLine(ctx: ExtensionContext, seconds: number): string {
 	const accent = ctx.ui.theme.fg("accent", `handoff auto-submit in ${seconds}s`);
 	const hint = ctx.ui.theme.fg("dim", "(type to edit, Esc to cancel)");
@@ -107,7 +92,7 @@ export default function (pi: ExtensionAPI) {
 				return { consume: true };
 			}
 
-			if (isEditableInput(data)) {
+			if (parseKey(data) !== undefined) {
 				clearPending(ctx, "Handoff auto-submit stopped (editing)");
 			}
 
@@ -195,13 +180,7 @@ export default function (pi: ExtensionAPI) {
 			startCountdown(ctx);
 
 			if (newModel) {
-				const slashIdx = newModel.indexOf("/");
-				if (slashIdx > 0) {
-					const provider = newModel.slice(0, slashIdx);
-					const modelId = newModel.slice(slashIdx + 1);
-					const model = ctx.modelRegistry.find(provider, modelId);
-					if (model) await pi.setModel(model);
-				}
+				await parseAndSetModelWithNotify(newModel, ctx, pi);
 			}
 		}, 0);
 	});
diff --git a/packages/handoff/src/model-utils.ts b/packages/handoff/src/model-utils.ts
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000000000000000000000000000000000..34bbefb1ed82649edfdc539e8418057786ded4c0
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/handoff/src/model-utils.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,52 @@
+// SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Amolith <amolith@secluded.site>
+//
+// SPDX-License-Identifier: MIT
+
+import type { ExtensionAPI, ExtensionContext } from "@mariozechner/pi-coding-agent";
+
+export type SetModelResult =
+	| { ok: true }
+	| { ok: false; reason: "invalid-format" | "unknown-model" | "set-failed"; detail: string };
+
+/**
+ * Parse a "provider/modelId" string, look it up in the model registry, and
+ * set it as the active model. Returns a result describing what happened.
+ */
+export async function parseAndSetModel(spec: string, ctx: ExtensionContext, pi: ExtensionAPI): Promise<SetModelResult> {
+	const slashIdx = spec.indexOf("/");
+	if (slashIdx <= 0 || slashIdx === spec.length - 1) {
+		return { ok: false, reason: "invalid-format", detail: `Invalid model format "${spec}", expected provider/modelId` };
+	}
+
+	const provider = spec.slice(0, slashIdx);
+	const modelId = spec.slice(slashIdx + 1);
+	const model = ctx.modelRegistry.find(provider, modelId);
+
+	if (!model) {
+		return { ok: false, reason: "unknown-model", detail: `Unknown model: ${spec}` };
+	}
+
+	try {
+		await pi.setModel(model);
+	} catch (err) {
+		const msg = err instanceof Error ? err.message : String(err);
+		return { ok: false, reason: "set-failed", detail: `Failed to set model ${spec}: ${msg}` };
+	}
+
+	return { ok: true };
+}
+
+/**
+ * Convenience wrapper: parse and set the model, notifying the user on failure.
+ */
+export async function parseAndSetModelWithNotify(
+	spec: string,
+	ctx: ExtensionContext,
+	pi: ExtensionAPI,
+): Promise<SetModelResult> {
+	const result = await parseAndSetModel(spec, ctx, pi);
+	if (!result.ok) {
+		ctx.ui.notify(result.detail, "warning");
+	}
+	return result;
+}