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Ollama Client

Ollama quick start in Chrome or Firefox

Ollama Client lets you chat with a local LLM from the browser side panel. The fastest path is: start a local provider, install the extension, choose a model, and send your first message.

1. Start a local provider

Section titled “1. Start a local provider”

Use any supported local or OpenAI-compatible server.

Ollama

Section titled “Ollama”
Terminal window
ollama serve
ollama pull llama3.2

Default URL: http://localhost:11434

LM Studio

Section titled “LM Studio”

Open LM Studio, start the local server, and load a model.

Default URL: http://localhost:1234/v1

llama.cpp server

Section titled “llama.cpp server”
Terminal window
llama-server -m ~/Library/Caches/llama.cpp/model.gguf --port 8000 --host 0.0.0.0

Default URL: http://localhost:8000/v1

2. Install Ollama Client

Section titled “2. Install Ollama Client”

Install the extension, open the side panel, and go to Setup if the provider connection is not detected automatically.

Use Provider Setup for full provider-specific configuration.

3. Pick a model

Section titled “3. Pick a model”

Open the model selector and choose a model from your provider. If a model list is empty, check that the provider is running and that the base URL matches the server.

4. Send your first message

Section titled “4. Send your first message”

Ask a normal question. Ollama Client streams the answer into the side panel and stores the chat locally.

5. Add page context or files

Section titled “5. Add page context or files”

After the first chat works, enable the context controls you need:

  • Page & tabs for current-page and tab context.
  • Knowledge & web for uploaded files, local RAG, and optional web search.
  • Privacy & permissions for browser permissions and model-callable tools.

Common first-run problems

Section titled “Common first-run problems”

The provider says 403 or CORS

Section titled “The provider says 403 or CORS”

Firefox and strict local servers may reject browser-extension origins. For Ollama, set:

Terminal window
OLLAMA_ORIGINS="chrome-extension://*,moz-extension://*" ollama serve

See Fix Ollama CORS errors.

The model list is empty

Section titled “The model list is empty”

Confirm the provider is running, the base URL is correct, and at least one model is available locally.

Chat works but tools do not

Section titled “Chat works but tools do not”

Tool calling depends on model capability plus the enabled tool family settings. Check Privacy & permissions for the live tool inventory.

FAQ

Section titled “FAQ”

Does this require OpenAI?

Section titled “Does this require OpenAI?”

No. Ollama Client works with local and self-hosted providers. OpenAI-compatible means the server speaks the OpenAI API shape; it does not require OpenAI.

Does chat history stay local?

Section titled “Does chat history stay local?”

Yes. Chat history is stored locally in browser extension storage.

Can I use this as an Open WebUI alternative?

Section titled “Can I use this as an Open WebUI alternative?”

Yes, if you want a browser extension and side panel instead of a self-hosted web app.