---
title: Ollama
description: Connect Ollama to SurfSense
---

# Connect Ollama

Connect to your Ollama local server. Add it from
**Workspace Settings > Models**.

## Base URL

Choose the URL from where the SurfSense backend runs.

### SurfSense Runs in Docker

Use this when SurfSense is running from Docker and Ollama is running on your computer.

```text
http://host.docker.internal:11434
```

<Callout type="info">
This is the default in SurfSense.
</Callout>

### Ollama Runs in Docker

Use this only when Ollama is a service in the same Compose stack as SurfSense.

```text
http://ollama:11434
```

### SurfSense Runs Without Docker

Use this when SurfSense and Ollama both run directly on the same computer.

```text
http://localhost:11434
```

### Ollama Runs on Another Computer

Use this when Ollama is running on another machine in your network.

```text
http://<host>:11434
```

Replace `<host>` with the LAN IP or domain for that machine.

## Embeddings on a Separate Ollama Server

Search-space model connections configure chat and completion models. The global
embedding model is configured in the backend environment.

Use Chonkie's LiteLLM embedding provider when embeddings run on Ollama:

```dotenv
EMBEDDING_MODEL=litellm://ollama/nomic-embed-text
EMBEDDING_BASE_URL=http://host.docker.internal:11434
```

If chat and embeddings run on different Ollama instances, keep the chat model
connection pointed at the chat server and set `EMBEDDING_BASE_URL` to the
embedding server. `OLLAMA_EMBEDDING_BASE_URL` is also supported as an
Ollama-specific fallback when `EMBEDDING_BASE_URL` is not set.

## Add the Connection

1. Open Workspace Settings.
2. Go to Models.
3. Select Ollama.
4. Set API Base URL.
5. Leave API Key empty unless your endpoint needs one.
6. Select the models you want to enable.
7. Save the connection.

Do not add `/v1` to the URL. SurfSense uses Ollama native routes such as `/api/version` and `/api/tags`.

## Verify

From the host:

```bash
curl http://localhost:11434/api/version
```

From the SurfSense backend container:

```bash
docker compose exec backend curl http://host.docker.internal:11434/api/version
docker compose exec backend curl http://host.docker.internal:11434/api/tags
```

## Troubleshooting

### Name or service not known

The backend cannot resolve the host name.

Use `http://host.docker.internal:11434` unless you run Ollama as a Compose service named `ollama`.

### Connection refused

Ollama is not reachable from the backend.

Start Ollama and confirm that port `11434` is open.

### No models found

Pull at least one model:

```bash
ollama pull llama3.2
```

Then refresh model discovery in SurfSense.