Ollama Local
VerifiedManage and use local Ollama models. Use for model management (list/pull/remove), chat/completions, embeddings, and tool-use with local LLMs. Covers OpenClaw sub-agent integration and model selection guidance.
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# Ollama Local
Work with local Ollama models for inference, embeddings, and tool use.
Configuration
Set your Ollama host (defaults to `http://localhost:11434`):
```bash export OLLAMA_HOST="http://localhost:11434" # Or for remote server: export OLLAMA_HOST="http://192.168.1.100:11434" ```
Quick Reference
```bash # List models python3 scripts/ollama.py list
# Pull a model python3 scripts/ollama.py pull llama3.1:8b
# Remove a model python3 scripts/ollama.py rm modelname
# Show model details python3 scripts/ollama.py show qwen3:4b
# Chat with a model python3 scripts/ollama.py chat qwen3:4b "What is the capital of France?"
# Chat with system prompt python3 scripts/ollama.py chat llama3.1:8b "Review this code" -s "You are a code reviewer"
# Generate completion (non-chat) python3 scripts/ollama.py generate qwen3:4b "Once upon a time"
# Get embeddings python3 scripts/ollama.py embed bge-m3 "Text to embed" ```
Model Selection
See references/models.md for full model list and selection guide.
- Quick picks:
- Fast answers: `qwen3:4b`
- Coding: `qwen2.5-coder:7b`
- General: `llama3.1:8b`
- Reasoning: `deepseek-r1:8b`
Tool Use
Some local models support function calling. Use `ollama_tools.py`:
```bash # Single request with tools python3 scripts/ollama_tools.py single qwen2.5-coder:7b "What's the weather in Amsterdam?"
# Full tool loop (model calls tools, gets results, responds) python3 scripts/ollama_tools.py loop qwen3:4b "Search for Python tutorials and summarize"
# Show available example tools python3 scripts/ollama_tools.py tools ```
Tool-capable models: qwen2.5-coder, qwen3, llama3.1, mistral
OpenClaw Sub-Agents
Spawn local model sub-agents with `sessions_spawn`:
```python # Example: spawn a coding agent sessions_spawn( task="Review this Python code for bugs", model="ollama/qwen2.5-coder:7b", label="code-review" ) ```
Model path format: `ollama/<model-name>`
Parallel Agents (Think Tank Pattern)
Spawn multiple local agents for collaborative tasks:
```python agents = [ {"label": "architect", "model": "ollama/gemma3:12b", "task": "Design the system architecture"}, {"label": "coder", "model": "ollama/qwen2.5-coder:7b", "task": "Implement the core logic"}, {"label": "reviewer", "model": "ollama/llama3.1:8b", "task": "Review for bugs and improvements"}, ]
for a in agents: sessions_spawn(task=a["task"], model=a["model"], label=a["label"]) ```
Direct API
For custom integrations, use the Ollama API directly:
```bash # Chat curl $OLLAMA_HOST/api/chat -d '{ "model": "qwen3:4b", "messages": [{"role": "user", "content": "Hello"}], "stream": false }'
# Generate curl $OLLAMA_HOST/api/generate -d '{ "model": "qwen3:4b", "prompt": "Why is the sky blue?", "stream": false }'
# List models curl $OLLAMA_HOST/api/tags
# Pull model curl $OLLAMA_HOST/api/pull -d '{"name": "phi3:mini"}' ```
Troubleshooting
- Connection refused?
- Check Ollama is running: `ollama serve`
- Verify OLLAMA_HOST is correct
- For remote servers, ensure firewall allows port 11434
- Model not loading?
- Check VRAM: larger models may need CPU offload
- Try a smaller model first
- Slow responses?
- Model may be running on CPU
- Use smaller quantization (e.g., `:7b` instead of `:30b`)
- OpenClaw sub-agent falls back to default model?
- Ensure `ollama:default` auth profile exists in OpenClaw config
- Check model path format: `ollama/modelname:tag`
Use Cases
- Manage local Ollama models — pull, list, remove, and inspect model details from the CLI
- Run chat completions and text generation against local LLMs without cloud API costs
- Generate text embeddings locally using models like bge-m3 for RAG pipelines
- Implement tool-use patterns with local models that support function calling
- Spawn parallel local model sub-agents in OpenClaw for collaborative AI workflows
Pros & Cons
Pros
- +Comprehensive coverage of Ollama capabilities — model management, chat, embeddings, and tool use
- +Supports sub-agent spawning for multi-model orchestration patterns
- +High adoption with 4,200+ downloads and 8 stars indicating strong community validation
- +Zero cloud dependency — all inference runs locally for privacy and cost savings
Cons
- -Requires Ollama to be installed and running locally with sufficient GPU/CPU resources
- -Tool-use support varies by model — not all local models handle function calling reliably
FAQ
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