Discrepancy in Model Discovery: CLI vs. C# API (NPU Variants Missing on Windows ARM) #411
Description
I am seeing inconsistent results when listing available models between the Foundry Local CLI and the C# SDK on a Windows ARM (Copilot+) device.
While the CLI correctly identifies and lists both CPU and NPU variants of models, the C# API (catalog.ListModelsAsync()) returns a significantly different list, specifically missing most NPU variants—even though the hardware supports them.
Environment
Hardware: Windows ARM Laptop (Copilot+ PC)
Processor: Snapdragon X Elite
SDK/Tooling: Microsoft Foundry Local (C# SDK)
OS: Windows 11
Steps to Reproduce
Run CLI Command: Execute foundry model list in the terminal.
Observation: The list includes a wide range of models with both cpu and npu variants visible.
Call API in C#: Initialize FoundryLocalManager and call catalog.ListModelsAsync().
Observation: The returned collection contains a different subset of models. Crucially, NPU variants are missing from the list, with the sole exception of one NPU model that had been previously downloaded.
Expected Behavior
The C# API should return the same comprehensive list of available models and hardware variants as the CLI, especially regarding NPU-optimized models compatible with the Snapdragon X Elite architecture.
Actual Behavior
The API appears to be filtering out NPU variants that are not already present locally, whereas the CLI shows the full remote/available catalog.
Questions/Context
Is the catalog.ListModelsAsync() method intended to default to a "local-only" or "compatible-only" view that differs from the CLI's default output?
Are there specific FoundryLocalConfiguration settings required to "unlock" the discovery of NPU variants via the API on ARM64?
Is it possible the API discovery logic is failing to detect the Snapdragon NPU capability during the initial catalog fetch?