Files
LocalAI/docs/content/reference/cli-reference.md
T
Ettore Di Giacinto dd9aff58ff feat(distributed): take the backend worker off NATS entirely
A local-ai worker no longer opens a bus connection. connectNATS and its
spec are gone; Run registers once, starts its tunnel, arms /readyz on that
tunnel, and heartbeats. The worker's bus credential flags (--nats-jwt,
--nats-user-seed, --nats-require-auth, the three TLS flags) and
Config.NatsAuthRequired go with it. --nats-url stays, accepted and
ignored, so an existing worker command line still parses.

/readyz was the thing most likely to wedge a tunnel-only worker: it
required a live NATS link, so a worker with no bus would have reported
itself unready forever. nodes.NATSReadiness becomes nodes.TunnelReadiness
over a local interface{ Connected() bool }, and worker.Tunnel gains
Connected(), backed by a mutex-guarded session field the loop publishes
and clears. A closed-but-not-yet-cleared session reads as disconnected:
the loop waits for every in-flight stream before it clears the field, and
the probe must answer not-ready through that wait.

The heartbeat gate is DELETED rather than re-pointed at the tunnel. The
heartbeat is the worker's own answer that its process is alive; whether
the frontend can reach it is a separate fact the frontend already holds
and ages against LOCALAI_WORKER_RECONNECT_GRACE. Withholding the
heartbeat would report an unreachable worker as an absent one on the one
path with no grace, where the health monitor marks it offline and its
pending backend ops are deleted behind it. heartbeatLoop is given no view
of the tunnel, so a gate cannot be added back without changing its
signature.

Removing the NATS credential manager from this path also removes a defect
it carried: its refresh loop re-registered on a timer to renew a JWT, and
Register CLEARS a node's NodeModel rows. Any backend worker running on
frontend-minted credentials had its replica rows deleted roughly every
18 hours.

Of core/cli/workerregistry, everything survives. The manager is still
used in full by core/cli/agent_worker.go, which still needs NATS: Acquire,
Provider, RefreshLoop, HasCredentials and TunnelToken are all untouched.
The backend worker simply calls RegisterFullWithRetry directly now.

WorkerPermissions is documented as serving agent nodes, and its non-agent
branch narrowed to _INBOX.> on both sides. It is NOT deleted: NATS reads
an empty allow list as no restriction, so returning nil would upgrade
every JWT the frontend still mints for a backend node from its own inbox
to the whole account.

Agent workers keep the bus everywhere: their CLI flags, their
subscriptions, the agent branch of WorkerPermissions, and the compose
service with its LOCALAI_NATS_URL and depends_on: nats.

Also corrected two flags the Nodes page advertised that do not exist
(--distributed-nats, --distributed-db), and a log line plus several
comments that still named a bus the code no longer touches.

Assisted-by: Claude Opus 5 [claude-code]
Signed-off-by: Ettore Di Giacinto <mudler@localai.io>
2026-09-03 01:14:29 +00:00

258 lines
19 KiB
Markdown

+++
disableToc = false
title = "CLI Reference"
weight = 25
url = '/reference/cli-reference'
+++
Complete reference for all LocalAI command-line interface (CLI) parameters and environment variables.
> **Note:** All CLI flags can also be set via environment variables. Environment variables take precedence over CLI flags. See [.env files]({{%relref "advanced/advanced-usage#env-files" %}}) for configuration file support.
## Global Flags
| Parameter | Default | Description | Environment Variable |
|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------------|
| `-h, --help` | | Show context-sensitive help | |
| `--log-level` | `info` | Set the level of logs to output [error,warn,info,debug,trace] | `$LOCALAI_LOG_LEVEL` |
| `--debug` | `false` | **DEPRECATED** - Use `--log-level=debug` instead. Enable debug logging | `$LOCALAI_DEBUG`, `$DEBUG` |
## Storage Flags
| Parameter | Default | Description | Environment Variable |
|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------------|
| `--models-path` | `BASEPATH/models` | Path containing models used for inferencing | `$LOCALAI_MODELS_PATH`, `$MODELS_PATH` |
| `--data-path` | `BASEPATH/data` | Path for persistent data (collectiondb, agent state, tasks, jobs). Separates mutable data from configuration | `$LOCALAI_DATA_PATH` |
| `--generated-content-path` | `TMPDIR/localai-UID/generated/content` | Location for assets generated by backends (e.g. stablediffusion, images, audio, videos). Defaults under the OS temp dir (`$TMPDIR`, falling back to `/tmp`), scoped to the current user's UID so accounts sharing a host never collide. | `$LOCALAI_GENERATED_CONTENT_PATH`, `$GENERATED_CONTENT_PATH` |
| `--upload-path` | `TMPDIR/localai-UID/upload` | Path to store uploads from files API. Defaults under the OS temp dir (`$TMPDIR`, falling back to `/tmp`), scoped to the current user's UID. | `$LOCALAI_UPLOAD_PATH`, `$UPLOAD_PATH` |
| `--localai-config-dir` | `BASEPATH/configuration` | Directory for dynamic loading of certain configuration files (currently runtime_settings.json, api_keys.json, and external_backends.json). See [Runtime Settings]({{%relref "features/runtime-settings" %}}) for web-based configuration. | `$LOCALAI_CONFIG_DIR` |
| `--localai-config-dir-poll-interval` | | Time duration to poll the LocalAI Config Dir if your system has broken fsnotify events (example: `1m`) | `$LOCALAI_CONFIG_DIR_POLL_INTERVAL` |
| `--models-config-file` | | YAML file containing a list of model backend configs (alias: `--config-file`) | `$LOCALAI_MODELS_CONFIG_FILE`, `$CONFIG_FILE` |
| `--artifact-download-concurrency` | `1` | How many files of a model artifact to download at once. `1` downloads sequentially. Raising it helps artifacts split into many files on a fast link, at the cost of more concurrent load on the models volume. Whole files only — a single file is never split, so resume and per-file checksum verification are unaffected | `$LOCALAI_ARTIFACT_DOWNLOAD_CONCURRENCY` |
## Backend Flags
| Parameter | Default | Description | Environment Variable |
|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------------|
| `--backends-path` | `BASEPATH/backends` | Path containing backends used for inferencing | `$LOCALAI_BACKENDS_PATH`, `$BACKENDS_PATH` |
| `--backends-system-path` | `/var/lib/local-ai/backends` | Path containing system backends used for inferencing | `$LOCALAI_BACKENDS_SYSTEM_PATH`, `$BACKEND_SYSTEM_PATH` |
| `--external-backends` | | A list of external backends to load from gallery on boot | `$LOCALAI_EXTERNAL_BACKENDS`, `$EXTERNAL_BACKENDS` |
| `--external-grpc-backends` | | A list of external gRPC backends (format: `BACKEND_NAME:URI`) | `$LOCALAI_EXTERNAL_GRPC_BACKENDS`, `$EXTERNAL_GRPC_BACKENDS` |
| `--backend-galleries` | | JSON list of backend galleries | `$LOCALAI_BACKEND_GALLERIES`, `$BACKEND_GALLERIES` |
| `--autoload-backend-galleries` | `true` | Automatically load backend galleries on startup | `$LOCALAI_AUTOLOAD_BACKEND_GALLERIES`, `$AUTOLOAD_BACKEND_GALLERIES` |
| `--max-active-backends` | `0` | Maximum number of active backends (loaded models). When exceeded, the least recently used model is evicted. Set to `0` for unlimited, `1` for single-backend mode | `$LOCALAI_MAX_ACTIVE_BACKENDS`, `$MAX_ACTIVE_BACKENDS` |
| `--single-active-backend` | `false` | **DEPRECATED** - Use `--max-active-backends=1` instead. Allow only one backend to be run at a time | `$LOCALAI_SINGLE_ACTIVE_BACKEND`, `$SINGLE_ACTIVE_BACKEND` |
| `--preload-backend-only` | `false` | Do not launch the API services, only the preloaded models/backends are started (useful for multi-node setups) | `$LOCALAI_PRELOAD_BACKEND_ONLY`, `$PRELOAD_BACKEND_ONLY` |
| `--enable-watchdog-idle` | `false` | Enable watchdog for stopping backends that are idle longer than the watchdog-idle-timeout | `$LOCALAI_WATCHDOG_IDLE`, `$WATCHDOG_IDLE` |
| `--watchdog-idle-timeout` | `15m` | Threshold beyond which an idle backend should be stopped | `$LOCALAI_WATCHDOG_IDLE_TIMEOUT`, `$WATCHDOG_IDLE_TIMEOUT` |
| `--enable-watchdog-busy` | `false` | Enable watchdog for stopping backends that are busy longer than the watchdog-busy-timeout | `$LOCALAI_WATCHDOG_BUSY`, `$WATCHDOG_BUSY` |
| `--watchdog-busy-timeout` | `5m` | Threshold beyond which a busy backend should be stopped | `$LOCALAI_WATCHDOG_BUSY_TIMEOUT`, `$WATCHDOG_BUSY_TIMEOUT` |
| `--watchdog-interval` | `500ms` | Interval between watchdog checks (e.g., `500ms`, `5s`, `1m`) | `$LOCALAI_WATCHDOG_INTERVAL`, `$WATCHDOG_INTERVAL` |
| `--force-eviction-when-busy` | `false` | Force eviction even when models have active API calls (default: false for safety). **Warning:** Enabling this can interrupt active requests | `$LOCALAI_FORCE_EVICTION_WHEN_BUSY`, `$FORCE_EVICTION_WHEN_BUSY` |
| `--lru-eviction-max-retries` | `30` | Maximum number of retries when waiting for busy models to become idle before eviction | `$LOCALAI_LRU_EVICTION_MAX_RETRIES`, `$LRU_EVICTION_MAX_RETRIES` |
| `--lru-eviction-retry-interval` | `1s` | Interval between retries when waiting for busy models to become idle (e.g., `1s`, `2s`) | `$LOCALAI_LRU_EVICTION_RETRY_INTERVAL`, `$LRU_EVICTION_RETRY_INTERVAL` |
| `--model-load-failure-cooldown` | `10s` | After a model load fails, refuse new load attempts for that model for this long (HTTP 503 + `Retry-After`) so a client polling a broken model doesn't respawn a crashing backend every request. Doubles per consecutive failure up to 5m; reset on success. `0` disables | `$LOCALAI_MODEL_LOAD_FAILURE_COOLDOWN`, `$MODEL_LOAD_FAILURE_COOLDOWN` |
For more information on VRAM management, see [VRAM and Memory Management]({{%relref "advanced/vram-management" %}}).
## Models Flags
| Parameter | Default | Description | Environment Variable |
|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------------|
| `--galleries` | | JSON list of galleries | `$LOCALAI_GALLERIES`, `$GALLERIES` |
| `--autoload-galleries` | `true` | Automatically load galleries on startup | `$LOCALAI_AUTOLOAD_GALLERIES`, `$AUTOLOAD_GALLERIES` |
| `--vram-persistent-cache` | `true` | Persist successful remote VRAM metadata probes across restarts | `$LOCALAI_VRAM_PERSISTENT_CACHE`, `$VRAM_PERSISTENT_CACHE` |
| `--preload-models` | | A list of models to apply in JSON at start | `$LOCALAI_PRELOAD_MODELS`, `$PRELOAD_MODELS` |
| `--models` | | A list of model configuration URLs to load | `$LOCALAI_MODELS`, `$MODELS` |
| `--preload-models-config` | | A list of models to apply at startup. Path to a YAML config file | `$LOCALAI_PRELOAD_MODELS_CONFIG`, `$PRELOAD_MODELS_CONFIG` |
| `--load-to-memory` | | A list of models to load into memory at startup | `$LOCALAI_LOAD_TO_MEMORY`, `$LOAD_TO_MEMORY` |
> **Note:** You can also pass model configuration URLs as positional arguments: `local-ai run MODEL_URL1 MODEL_URL2 ...`
## Performance Flags
| Parameter | Default | Description | Environment Variable |
|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------------|
| `--f16` | `false` | Enable GPU acceleration | `$LOCALAI_F16`, `$F16` |
| `-t, --threads` | | Number of threads used for parallel computation. Usage of the number of physical cores in the system is suggested | `$LOCALAI_THREADS`, `$THREADS` |
| `--context-size` | | Default context size for models (`-1` = each model's full trained context from GGUF metadata) | `$LOCALAI_CONTEXT_SIZE`, `$CONTEXT_SIZE` |
## API Flags
| Parameter | Default | Description | Environment Variable |
|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------------|
| `--address` | `:8080` | Bind address for the API server | `$LOCALAI_ADDRESS`, `$ADDRESS` |
| `--max-concurrent-backend-requests` | `1024` | Process-wide ceiling for concurrent backend inference operations. Excess inference receives HTTP 503 with `Retry-After`; UI and administrative endpoints remain available | `$LOCALAI_MAX_CONCURRENT_BACKEND_REQUESTS`, `$MAX_CONCURRENT_BACKEND_REQUESTS` |
| `--cors` | `false` | Enable CORS (Cross-Origin Resource Sharing) | `$LOCALAI_CORS`, `$CORS` |
| `--cors-allow-origins` | | Comma-separated list of allowed CORS origins | `$LOCALAI_CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS`, `$CORS_ALLOW_ORIGINS` |
| `--csrf` | `false` | Enable Fiber CSRF middleware | `$LOCALAI_CSRF` |
| `--disable-http-compression` | `false` | Disable gzip compression of HTTP responses. Compression is enabled by default; streaming endpoints (streaming chat completions, SSE bridges, WebSocket upgrades) and already-compressed formats are never compressed | `$LOCALAI_DISABLE_HTTP_COMPRESSION` |
| `--http-compression-min-length` | `1024` | Minimum response size in bytes before gzip compression is applied. Smaller responses are sent as-is because the gzip envelope would outweigh the saving | `$LOCALAI_HTTP_COMPRESSION_MIN_LENGTH` |
| `--upload-limit` | `15` | Default upload-limit in MB | `$LOCALAI_UPLOAD_LIMIT`, `$UPLOAD_LIMIT` |
| `--api-keys` | | List of API Keys to enable API authentication. When this is set, all requests must be authenticated with one of these API keys | `$LOCALAI_API_KEY`, `$API_KEY` |
| `--disable-webui` | `false` | Disables the web user interface. When set to true, the server will only expose API endpoints without serving the web interface | `$LOCALAI_DISABLE_WEBUI`, `$DISABLE_WEBUI` |
| `--disable-runtime-settings` | `false` | Disables the runtime settings feature. When set to true, the server will not load runtime settings from the `runtime_settings.json` file and the settings web interface will be disabled | `$LOCALAI_DISABLE_RUNTIME_SETTINGS`, `$DISABLE_RUNTIME_SETTINGS` |
| `--disable-gallery-endpoint` | `false` | Disable the gallery endpoints | `$LOCALAI_DISABLE_GALLERY_ENDPOINT`, `$DISABLE_GALLERY_ENDPOINT` |
| `--disable-metrics-endpoint` | `false` | Disable the `/metrics` endpoint | `$LOCALAI_DISABLE_METRICS_ENDPOINT`, `$DISABLE_METRICS_ENDPOINT` |
| `--machine-tag` | | If not empty, add that string to Machine-Tag header in each response. Useful to track response from different machines using multiple P2P federated nodes | `$LOCALAI_MACHINE_TAG`, `$MACHINE_TAG` |
## Hardening Flags
| Parameter | Default | Description | Environment Variable |
|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------------|
| `--disable-predownload-scan` | `false` | If true, disables the best-effort security scanner before downloading any files | `$LOCALAI_DISABLE_PREDOWNLOAD_SCAN` |
| `--opaque-errors` | `false` | If true, all error responses are replaced with blank 500 errors. This is intended only for hardening against information leaks and is normally not recommended | `$LOCALAI_OPAQUE_ERRORS` |
| `--use-subtle-key-comparison` | `false` | If true, API Key validation comparisons will be performed using constant-time comparisons rather than simple equality. This trades off performance on each request for resilience against timing attacks | `$LOCALAI_SUBTLE_KEY_COMPARISON` |
| `--disable-api-key-requirement-for-http-get` | `false` | If true, a valid API key is not required to issue GET requests to portions of the web UI. This should only be enabled in secure testing environments | `$LOCALAI_DISABLE_API_KEY_REQUIREMENT_FOR_HTTP_GET` |
| `--http-get-exempted-endpoints` | `^/$,^/app(/.*)?$,^/browse(/.*)?$,^/login/?$,^/explorer/?$,^/assets/.*$,^/static/.*$,^/swagger.*$` | If `--disable-api-key-requirement-for-http-get` is overridden to true, this is the list of endpoints to exempt. Only adjust this in case of a security incident or as a result of a personal security posture review | `$LOCALAI_HTTP_GET_EXEMPTED_ENDPOINTS` |
## Authentication Flags
| Parameter | Default | Description | Environment Variable |
|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------------|
| `--auth-enabled` | `false` | Enable user authentication and authorization | `$LOCALAI_AUTH` |
| `--auth-database-url` | `{DataPath}/database.db` | Database URL for auth - `postgres://...` for PostgreSQL, or a file path for SQLite | `$LOCALAI_AUTH_DATABASE_URL`, `$DATABASE_URL` |
| `--github-client-id` | | GitHub OAuth App Client ID (auto-enables auth when set) | `$GITHUB_CLIENT_ID` |
| `--github-client-secret` | | GitHub OAuth App Client Secret | `$GITHUB_CLIENT_SECRET` |
| `--oidc-issuer` | | OIDC issuer URL for auto-discovery | `$LOCALAI_OIDC_ISSUER` |
| `--oidc-client-id` | | OIDC Client ID (auto-enables auth when set) | `$LOCALAI_OIDC_CLIENT_ID` |
| `--oidc-client-secret` | | OIDC Client Secret | `$LOCALAI_OIDC_CLIENT_SECRET` |
| `--auth-base-url` | | Base URL for OAuth callbacks (e.g. `http://localhost:8080`) | `$LOCALAI_BASE_URL` |
| `--auth-admin-email` | | Email address to auto-promote to admin role on login | `$LOCALAI_ADMIN_EMAIL` |
| `--auth-registration-mode` | `open` | Registration mode: `open`, `approval`, or `invite` | `$LOCALAI_REGISTRATION_MODE` |
| `--disable-local-auth` | `false` | Disable local email/password registration and login (for OAuth/OIDC-only setups) | `$LOCALAI_DISABLE_LOCAL_AUTH` |
See [Authentication & Authorization]({{%relref "features/authentication" %}}) for full documentation.
## Chat Flags
Use `local-ai chat` to run the built-in terminal agent against a LocalAI server.
The agent can run shell commands, delegate to sub-agents, and use MCP tools. Read-only
calls run on their own; everything else goes through an approval prompt you answer.
See [Terminal agent]({{% relref "features/terminal-agent" %}}) for the full feature page.
| Parameter | Default | Description | Environment Variable |
|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------------|
| `--endpoint` | `http://127.0.0.1:8080` | LocalAI server endpoint. The `/v1` path is added automatically when omitted. | `$LOCALAI_CHAT_ENDPOINT` |
| `--model` | | Model to use. Defaults to the only model the server offers, or asks when there are several. | |
| `--api-key` | | API key to use when the LocalAI server requires authentication. | `$LOCALAI_API_KEY`, `$API_KEY` |
| `--config-dir` | `~/.config/localai/chat` | Directory holding the agent's config, plugins, and skills. | `$LOCALAI_CHAT_CONFIG_DIR` |
| `--trace-dir` | | Write a session LLM trace (NDJSON) to this directory. | `$LOCALAI_CHAT_TRACE_DIR` |
| `--cli` | `false` | Plain CLI mode instead of the full-screen interface. Pipe stdin for one-shot use. | |
| `--tui` | `false` | Force the full-screen interface. | |
| `--height` | | Run as an inline drop-down of this height, e.g. `40%`. | |
| `--tmux` / `--no-tmux` | | Control the tmux split. | |
| `--init` | | Print the shell integration script for `Ctrl+Space` (zsh, bash, or fish). | |
| `--yolo` | `false` | Auto-approve every tool call. Use with care. | `$LOCALAI_CHAT_YOLO` |
The agent's own subcommands are reached by passing them through. LocalAI's flags
must come first, because everything after the first positional argument is
forwarded verbatim:
```bash
local-ai chat plugin install https://github.com/user/plugin
local-ai chat skill list
local-ai chat mcp add my-server -- npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /tmp
local-ai chat --config-dir /srv/agent plugin list # flags first
```
{{% notice warning %}}
In a script, pass `--yes` to those subcommands. Without it, a non-interactive
`plugin install` installs the plugin, leaves it disabled, and still exits `0`.
{{% /notice %}}
Summon the agent from any shell prompt with `Ctrl+Space`:
```bash
echo 'eval "$(local-ai chat --init zsh)"' >> ~/.zshrc
```
Inside a session:
- `/models` lists the models the server offers, marking the current one.
- `/model <name>` switches model, keeping the conversation.
- `/compact` summarizes the conversation so far to free up context.
- `/skill <name>`, `/agent <name> <task>`, `/attach <file>`, `/goal <text>`.
If no server is reachable, the agent offers to start one for the session
(interactive terminals only) and otherwise points you at `local-ai run`.
Piped use needs `--cli`, and exits `0` when it answers:
```bash
echo "what is 2+2" | local-ai chat --cli
```
Read-only tools still run in a piped session. A tool call that is not read-only has
nobody to approve it, so it is denied and the session exits `3`, a code chosen to be
distinct from the `1` a failure reports.
## P2P Flags
| Parameter | Default | Description | Environment Variable |
|-----------|---------|-------------|----------------------|
| `--p2p` | `false` | Enable P2P mode | `$LOCALAI_P2P`, `$P2P` |
| `--p2p-dht-interval` | `360` | Interval for DHT refresh (used during token generation) | `$LOCALAI_P2P_DHT_INTERVAL`, `$P2P_DHT_INTERVAL` |
| `--p2p-otp-interval` | `9000` | Interval for OTP refresh (used during token generation) | `$LOCALAI_P2P_OTP_INTERVAL`, `$P2P_OTP_INTERVAL` |
| `--p2ptoken` | | Token for P2P mode (optional) | `$LOCALAI_P2P_TOKEN`, `$P2P_TOKEN`, `$TOKEN` |
| `--p2p-network-id` | | Network ID for P2P mode, can be set arbitrarily by the user for grouping a set of instances | `$LOCALAI_P2P_NETWORK_ID`, `$P2P_NETWORK_ID` |
| `--federated` | `false` | Enable federated instance | `$LOCALAI_FEDERATED`, `$FEDERATED` |
## Other Commands
LocalAI supports several subcommands beyond `run`:
- `local-ai models` - Manage LocalAI models and definitions
- `local-ai backends` - Manage LocalAI backends and definitions
- `local-ai chat` - Run the built-in terminal agent against a LocalAI server
- `local-ai tts` - Convert text to speech
- `local-ai sound-generation` - Generate audio files from text or audio
- `local-ai transcript` - Convert audio to text
- `local-ai agent` - Run agents standalone without the full LocalAI server
- `local-ai mcp-server` - Run the LocalAI admin tool surface as a stdio MCP server (controls a remote LocalAI instance over HTTP)
- `local-ai worker` - Start a worker for distributed mode (generic, backend-agnostic; needs only an outbound route to the frontend, no message bus)
- `local-ai p2p-worker` - Run workers to distribute workload via p2p (llama.cpp-only)
- `local-ai agent-worker` - Start an agent worker for distributed mode (executes agent chats via NATS, which this command still needs)
- `local-ai util` - Utility commands
- `local-ai explorer` - Run P2P explorer
- `local-ai federated` - Run LocalAI in federated mode
- `local-ai completion` - Generate shell completion scripts for bash, zsh, or fish
Use `local-ai <command> --help` for more information on each command.
## Examples
### Basic Usage
```bash
./local-ai run
./local-ai run --models-path /path/to/models --address :9090
./local-ai run --f16
```
### Environment Variables
```bash
export LOCALAI_MODELS_PATH=/path/to/models
export LOCALAI_ADDRESS=:9090
export LOCALAI_F16=true
./local-ai run
```
### Advanced Configuration
```bash
./local-ai run \
--models model1.yaml model2.yaml \
--enable-watchdog-idle \
--watchdog-idle-timeout=10m \
--p2p \
--federated
```
## Related Documentation
- See [Advanced Usage]({{%relref "advanced/advanced-usage" %}}) for configuration examples
- See [VRAM and Memory Management]({{%relref "advanced/vram-management" %}}) for memory management options