diff --git a/llm-proxy.py b/llm-proxy.py
index 5030cd5..dd67468 100644
--- a/llm-proxy.py
+++ b/llm-proxy.py
@@ -75,6 +75,25 @@ def _load_friendly_names():
 FRIENDLY_NAMES = _load_friendly_names()
 
 
+# Optional list of local model-id substrings whose thinking should be split into a
+# separate `reasoning` stream (via the chat-template `enable_thinking` kwarg), so
+# clients can surface the model's reasoning instead of having it inlined or dropped.
+# From $LLM_PROXY_CONFIG_DIR/reasoning-models.json (a JSON list of substrings).
+# Absent / empty = feature off, so this changes nothing unless configured.
+def _load_reasoning_models():
+    try:
+        with open(os.path.join(CONFIG_DIR, "reasoning-models.json")) as f:
+            data = json.load(f)
+        return [s for s in data if isinstance(s, str)] if isinstance(data, list) else []
+    except Exception:
+        return []
+REASONING_LOCAL_MODELS = _load_reasoning_models()
+
+
+def _is_reasoning_local(model):
+    return bool(model) and any(sub in model for sub in REASONING_LOCAL_MODELS)
+
+
 CONNECT_TIMEOUT      = 3
 READ_TIMEOUT         = 1800
 DISCOVERY_TTL        = 30
@@ -992,6 +1011,16 @@ class Handler(http.server.BaseHTTPRequestHandler):
                     total_chars = sum(len(str(m.get("content", ""))) for m in j.get("messages", []))
                     stream = j.get("stream", False)
                     hint = f" model={model} msgs={n_msgs} in_chars={total_chars} max_tok={max_t} stream={stream}"
+                    # reasoning passthrough: ask reasoning-capable local models to split
+                    # their thinking into a separate `reasoning` stream (chat-template kwarg),
+                    # so clients can surface it. The byte-relay forwards the field untouched.
+                    if _is_reasoning_local(model):
+                        ck = j.get("chat_template_kwargs")
+                        ck = ck if isinstance(ck, dict) else {}
+                        if "enable_thinking" not in ck:
+                            ck["enable_thinking"] = True
+                            j["chat_template_kwargs"] = ck
+                            body = json.dumps(j).encode()
                 except Exception:
                     pass
 
diff --git a/reasoning-models.example.json b/reasoning-models.example.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000..b9f72f2
--- /dev/null
+++ b/reasoning-models.example.json
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+["dspark"]