diff --git a/common/common.cpp b/common/common.cpp
index cfa892f61f..28ab9ac6c8 100644
--- a/common/common.cpp
+++ b/common/common.cpp
@@ -1195,7 +1195,9 @@ common_decision_type common_get_decision_type(const struct llama_model * model)
     return common_decision_type_from_string(buf);
 }
 
-common_decision_type common_get_decision_type(const std::string & fname) {
+common_gguf_info common_get_gguf_info(const std::string & fname) {
+    common_gguf_info info;
+
     struct gguf_init_params gguf_params = {
         /* .no_alloc = */ true,
         /* .ctx      = */ nullptr,
@@ -1203,67 +1205,32 @@ common_decision_type common_get_decision_type(const std::string & fname) {
 
     gguf_context_ptr gguf_ctx(gguf_init_from_file(fname.c_str(), gguf_params));
     if (!gguf_ctx) {
-        return COMMON_DECISION_TYPE_UNKNOWN; // missing or unreadable file
-    }
-
-    std::string arch;
-    const int64_t arch_id = gguf_find_key(gguf_ctx.get(), "general.architecture");
-    if (arch_id < 0) {
-        return COMMON_DECISION_TYPE_UNKNOWN; // no architecture in the metadata
-    }
-    if (gguf_get_kv_type(gguf_ctx.get(), arch_id) != GGUF_TYPE_STRING) {
-        return COMMON_DECISION_TYPE_UNKNOWN; // malformed metadata
-    }
-    arch = gguf_get_val_str(gguf_ctx.get(), arch_id);
-    if (arch.empty()) {
-        return COMMON_DECISION_TYPE_UNKNOWN;
-    }
-
-    const std::string key = arch + ".decision.type";
-    const int64_t type_id = gguf_find_key(gguf_ctx.get(), key.c_str());
-    if (type_id < 0) {
-        return COMMON_DECISION_TYPE_NONE;
-    }
-    if (gguf_get_kv_type(gguf_ctx.get(), type_id) != GGUF_TYPE_STRING) {
-        return COMMON_DECISION_TYPE_UNKNOWN; // malformed metadata
-    }
-    return common_decision_type_from_string(gguf_get_val_str(gguf_ctx.get(), type_id));
-}
-
-uint32_t common_get_gguf_n_ctx_train(const std::string & fname) {
-    struct gguf_init_params gguf_params = {
-        /* .no_alloc = */ true,
-        /* .ctx      = */ nullptr,
-    };
-
-    gguf_context_ptr gguf_ctx(gguf_init_from_file(fname.c_str(), gguf_params));
-    if (!gguf_ctx) {
-        return 0; // missing or unreadable file
+        return info; // missing or unreadable file
     }
 
     const int64_t arch_id = gguf_find_key(gguf_ctx.get(), "general.architecture");
     if (arch_id < 0 || gguf_get_kv_type(gguf_ctx.get(), arch_id) != GGUF_TYPE_STRING) {
-        return 0;
+        return info; // no architecture in the metadata
+    }
+    const std::string arch = gguf_get_val_str(gguf_ctx.get(), arch_id);
+    if (arch.empty()) {
+        return info;
     }
 
-    const std::string key = std::string(gguf_get_val_str(gguf_ctx.get(), arch_id)) + ".context_length";
-    const int64_t key_id = gguf_find_key(gguf_ctx.get(), key.c_str());
-    if (key_id < 0) {
-        return 0;
+    const int64_t type_id = gguf_find_key(gguf_ctx.get(), (arch + ".decision.type").c_str());
+    if (type_id < 0) {
+        info.decision_type = COMMON_DECISION_TYPE_NONE;
+    } else if (gguf_get_kv_type(gguf_ctx.get(), type_id) == GGUF_TYPE_STRING) {
+        info.decision_type = common_decision_type_from_string(gguf_get_val_str(gguf_ctx.get(), type_id));
     }
 
-    // writers are not strict about the width of the hparams, so accept both
-    switch (gguf_get_kv_type(gguf_ctx.get(), key_id)) {
-        case GGUF_TYPE_UINT32:
-            return gguf_get_val_u32(gguf_ctx.get(), key_id);
-        case GGUF_TYPE_UINT64:
-            {
-                const uint64_t val = gguf_get_val_u64(gguf_ctx.get(), key_id);
-                return val <= UINT32_MAX ? (uint32_t) val : 0;
-            }
-        default:
-            return 0;
+    // same key and type as the model loader
+    const int64_t ctx_id = gguf_find_key(gguf_ctx.get(), (arch + ".context_length").c_str());
+    if (ctx_id >= 0 && gguf_get_kv_type(gguf_ctx.get(), ctx_id) == GGUF_TYPE_UINT32) {
+        info.n_ctx_train = gguf_get_val_u32(gguf_ctx.get(), ctx_id);
     }
+
+    return info;
 }
 
 common_init_result::common_init_result(common_params & params, bool model_only) :
diff --git a/common/common.h b/common/common.h
index d8c05e7b7d..d2fe10fd79 100644
--- a/common/common.h
+++ b/common/common.h
@@ -970,13 +970,13 @@ enum common_decision_type {
 
 common_decision_type common_get_decision_type(const struct llama_model * model);
 
-// same as above, but reads a GGUF file; it does not load the model
-// returns COMMON_DECISION_TYPE_UNKNOWN if the file is missing, unreadable, or invalid
-common_decision_type common_get_decision_type(const std::string & fname);
+// metadata of a GGUF file, read without loading the model
+struct common_gguf_info {
+    common_decision_type decision_type = COMMON_DECISION_TYPE_UNKNOWN; // UNKNOWN if the file is missing, unreadable, or invalid
+    uint32_t             n_ctx_train   = 0;                            // 0 if unknown
+};
 
-// reads the trained context of a GGUF file from its metadata; it does not load the model
-// returns 0 if the file is missing, unreadable, invalid, or reports no context length
-uint32_t common_get_gguf_n_ctx_train(const std::string & fname);
+common_gguf_info common_get_gguf_info(const std::string & fname);
 
 // note: defines the model, context, samplers, ets. lifetimes
 struct common_init_result {
diff --git a/tools/server/server-models.cpp b/tools/server/server-models.cpp
index 454522f04f..60353240ac 100644
--- a/tools/server/server-models.cpp
+++ b/tools/server/server-models.cpp
@@ -540,6 +540,7 @@ void server_model_meta::update_args(common_preset_context & ctx_preset, std::str
 void server_model_meta::update_caps(const common_params & base) {
     // reset to the default so a failed refresh cannot keep old values
     architecture = server_model_architecture_json(false, false, false, {"text"});
+    n_ctx_train  = 0;
 
     // resolve the model file offline; do not download
     common_params params;
@@ -564,10 +565,12 @@ void server_model_meta::update_caps(const common_params & base) {
         return;
     }
 
-    // read the output modalities from the GGUF metadata
+    // read the output modalities and the trained context from the GGUF metadata
     std::vector<std::string> output_modalities = {"text"};
     if (!params.model.path.empty()) {
-        output_modalities = server_model_output_modalities(common_get_decision_type(params.model.path));
+        const common_gguf_info info = common_get_gguf_info(params.model.path);
+        output_modalities = server_model_output_modalities(info.decision_type);
+        n_ctx_train       = info.n_ctx_train;
     }
 
     bool inp_image = false;
@@ -585,11 +588,6 @@ void server_model_meta::update_caps(const common_params & base) {
 
     // offline discovery cannot see video; a loaded model reports it
     architecture = server_model_architecture_json(inp_image, inp_audio, false, output_modalities);
-
-    // the trained context, read from the GGUF metadata
-    if (!params.model.path.empty()) {
-        n_ctx_train = common_get_gguf_n_ctx_train(params.model.path);
-    }
 }
 
 //
@@ -2127,7 +2125,7 @@ void server_models_routes::init_routes() {
                 {"source",        server_model_source_to_string(meta.source)},
                 {"can_remove",    meta.source == SERVER_MODEL_SOURCE_CACHE},
                 // {"need_download", meta.need_download},
-                // TODO: add other fields, may require reading GGUF metadata
+                // TODO: add other fields from the GGUF metadata
             };
 
             if (meta.n_ctx_train > 0) {