diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index e383a9f..793ce94 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ All notable changes to LLMProviderKit will be documented in this file.
 - Send Gemini tool results (`functionResponse` parts) in a `user` turn instead of `model`; Gemini only accepts `user`/`model` roles and mishandled tool results sent as `model`.
 
 ### Added
+- **In-process provider support.** `complete(_:)` and `stream(_:)` are now `LLMProvider` protocol requirements (with the existing HTTP implementations as defaults), so an on-device provider — e.g. an MLX or llama.cpp backend — can override them directly and be dispatched correctly through `any LLMProvider`, instead of the extension methods being statically bound to the HTTP path. The HTTP-shaped hooks (`prepareRequest`, `parseStreamLine`, `parseResponse`) gain default (throwing/empty) implementations so an in-process provider only implements `complete`/`stream` + `name`/`configuration`. Existing HTTP providers are unchanged. Regression coverage: an in-process provider overrides `complete`/`stream` and wins dispatch through the existential.
 - Latest curated models: OpenAI GPT-5.6 (`gpt-5.6`), Gemini 3.6 Flash (`gemini-3.6-flash`) and Gemini 3.5 Flash-Lite (`gemini-3.5-flash-lite`), and Anthropic Opus 4.7 / Opus 4.6. Gemini's default preset model is now Gemini 3.6 Flash.
 - Regression coverage for non-ASCII streaming text.
 - Regression coverage for the Anthropic version header and Gemini tool-result role.
diff --git a/Sources/LLMProviderKit/Protocols/LLMProvider.swift b/Sources/LLMProviderKit/Protocols/LLMProvider.swift
index 2fceeba..efd7ac0 100644
--- a/Sources/LLMProviderKit/Protocols/LLMProvider.swift
+++ b/Sources/LLMProviderKit/Protocols/LLMProvider.swift
@@ -43,11 +43,35 @@ public protocol LLMProvider: Sendable {
     /// Not every provider exposes a model list endpoint. The default
     /// implementation throws `LLMError.unsupportedOperation`.
     func availableModels() async throws -> [LLMModelInfo]
+
+    /// Non-streaming completion. Declared as a requirement (with a default HTTP
+    /// implementation below) so an **in-process** provider — e.g. an on-device
+    /// MLX/llama.cpp backend — can override it directly instead of going through
+    /// `prepareRequest`/`parseResponse`. HTTP providers rely on the default.
+    func complete(_ request: LLMRequest) async throws -> LLMResponse
+
+    /// Streaming completion. A requirement for the same reason as `complete`.
+    func stream(_ request: LLMRequest) -> AsyncThrowingStream<LLMStreamChunk, Error>
 }
 
 extension LLMProvider {
     public var urlSession: URLSession { .shared }
 
+    // Default (throwing) implementations of the HTTP-shaped hooks, so a provider
+    // that overrides `complete`/`stream` (in-process, no URLRequest) doesn't have
+    // to implement them. HTTP providers implement all three as before.
+    public func prepareRequest(_ request: LLMRequest, stream: Bool) throws -> URLRequest {
+        throw LLMError.unsupportedOperation("\(Self.name) does not build URL requests (override complete/stream instead).")
+    }
+
+    public func parseStreamLine(_ line: String, request: LLMRequest) throws -> [LLMStreamChunk] {
+        []
+    }
+
+    public func parseResponse(_ data: Data, request: LLMRequest) throws -> LLMResponse {
+        throw LLMError.unsupportedOperation("\(Self.name) does not parse HTTP responses (override complete instead).")
+    }
+
     public func resolvedModel(for request: LLMRequest) async throws -> String {
         if !request.model.isEmpty { return request.model }
         if let defaultModel = configuration.defaultModel, !defaultModel.isEmpty { return defaultModel }
diff --git a/Tests/LLMProviderKitTests/LLMKitTests.swift b/Tests/LLMProviderKitTests/LLMKitTests.swift
index 02edb58..3c7c694 100644
--- a/Tests/LLMProviderKitTests/LLMKitTests.swift
+++ b/Tests/LLMProviderKitTests/LLMKitTests.swift
@@ -764,3 +764,64 @@ extension ProviderTests {
         #expect(secondArgs["message"] as? String == "SwiftAgentKit")
     }
 }
+
+// MARK: - In-process provider (the pattern an on-device MLX backend uses)
+
+/// A provider that generates in-process — no HTTP. It overrides `complete`/
+/// `stream` and never touches `prepareRequest`/`parseResponse`. This is exactly
+/// how an `MLXProvider` will plug in.
+struct EchoLocalProvider: LLMProvider {
+    static let name = "echo-local"
+    let configuration: LLMProviderConfiguration
+
+    private func reply(_ request: LLMRequest) -> String {
+        "echo: " + (request.messages.last(where: { $0.role == .user })?.content ?? "")
+    }
+
+    func complete(_ request: LLMRequest) async throws -> LLMResponse {
+        LLMResponse(text: reply(request), finishReason: .stop, request: request, providerName: Self.name)
+    }
+
+    func stream(_ request: LLMRequest) -> AsyncThrowingStream<LLMStreamChunk, Error> {
+        let text = reply(request)
+        return AsyncThrowingStream { continuation in
+            continuation.yield(.text(text))
+            continuation.yield(.finish(reason: .stop, usage: nil))
+            continuation.finish()
+        }
+    }
+}
+
+struct InProcessProviderTests {
+    private func request() -> LLMRequest {
+        LLMRequest(model: "local", messages: [LLMMessage(role: .user, content: "hi there")])
+    }
+
+    /// Called through the existential `any LLMProvider`, the override must win —
+    /// proving `complete` is a dynamically-dispatched requirement, not a static
+    /// extension method (which would call the HTTP default and throw).
+    @Test func inProcessCompleteIsDynamicallyDispatched() async throws {
+        let provider: any LLMProvider = EchoLocalProvider(configuration: LLMProviderConfiguration(name: "echo-local", baseURL: URL(string: "inprocess://local")!))
+        let response = try await provider.complete(request())
+        #expect(response.text == "echo: hi there")
+        #expect(response.providerName == "echo-local")
+    }
+
+    @Test func inProcessStreamIsDynamicallyDispatched() async throws {
+        let provider: any LLMProvider = EchoLocalProvider(configuration: LLMProviderConfiguration(name: "echo-local", baseURL: URL(string: "inprocess://local")!))
+        var text = ""
+        for try await chunk in provider.stream(request()) {
+            if case .text(let t) = chunk { text += t }
+        }
+        #expect(text == "echo: hi there")
+    }
+
+    /// The default HTTP hooks now exist, so an in-process provider that doesn't
+    /// implement them fails loudly (unsupported) rather than failing to compile.
+    @Test func httpHooksHaveThrowingDefaults() throws {
+        let provider = EchoLocalProvider(configuration: LLMProviderConfiguration(name: "echo-local", baseURL: URL(string: "inprocess://local")!))
+        #expect(throws: (any Error).self) {
+            _ = try provider.prepareRequest(request(), stream: false)
+        }
+    }
+}