diff --git a/internal/config/uploads.go b/internal/config/uploads.go
index f428eba..442ba26 100644
--- a/internal/config/uploads.go
+++ b/internal/config/uploads.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package config
 import (
 	"fmt"
 	"os"
+	"regexp"
 	"strconv"
 	"strings"
 	"time"
@@ -116,6 +117,9 @@ func loadUploadConfig() (UploadConfig, error) {
 	if err := u.validateReconcile(); err != nil {
 		return UploadConfig{}, err
 	}
+	if !IsLocalModel(u.UploadChatModel) {
+		return UploadConfig{}, fmt.Errorf("config: TAPIR_UPLOAD_CHAT_MODEL=%q is not a local model (koala/ or iguana/): the whole private transcript is sent to it", u.UploadChatModel)
+	}
 
 	chars, err := intOr("TAPIR_MAX_UPLOADED_TRANSCRIPT_CHARS", defaultMaxUploadedChars)
 	if err != nil {
@@ -141,18 +145,18 @@ func positiveInt(key string, fallback int) (int, error) {
 	return n, nil
 }
 
-// localPrefixes are the host prefixes of the models that run on the homelab. Private
-// meeting content may be sent to these and to nothing else for reconciliation
-// (ADR-034): a cloud alias is refused at start-up rather than discovered later.
-var localPrefixes = []string{"koala/", "iguana/"}
+// localAlias is the shape of a model alias that runs on the homelab: a local host
+// prefix, then one plain name. A bare prefix check let through aliases that are shaped
+// like an escape (koala/../berget/x, koala//x, koala/x?host=berget): whether the
+// gateway would route them elsewhere is unknown, so they are refused (ADR-035 review).
+var localAlias = regexp.MustCompile(`^(koala|iguana)/[A-Za-z0-9][A-Za-z0-9._:-]*$`)
 
-func isLocalModel(alias string) bool {
-	for _, p := range localPrefixes {
-		if strings.HasPrefix(alias, p) {
-			return true
-		}
-	}
-	return false
+// IsLocalModel reports whether alias is a local model. Private meeting content may be
+// sent to these and to nothing else: reconciliation (ADR-034) and chat over an uploaded
+// recording (ADR-035) are both held to it, and a cloud alias is refused at start-up
+// rather than discovered later.
+func IsLocalModel(alias string) bool {
+	return localAlias.MatchString(alias) && !strings.Contains(alias, "..")
 }
 
 // validateReconcile checks the two-engine settings. They are inert while no base
@@ -168,7 +172,7 @@ func (u UploadConfig) validateReconcile() error {
 		{"TAPIR_RECONCILE_BASE_MODEL", u.ReconcileBaseModel},
 		{"TAPIR_RECONCILE_MODEL", u.ReconcileModel},
 	} {
-		if !isLocalModel(m.alias) {
+		if !IsLocalModel(m.alias) {
 			return fmt.Errorf("config: %s=%q is not a local model (koala/ or iguana/): private meeting content must not leave the homelab for reconciliation", m.name, m.alias)
 		}
 	}