# Autopilot - Running addon with local OLLAMA LLM
**URL:** https://discourse.getcockpit.com/t/autopilot-running-addon-with-local-ollama-llm/3271
**Category:** Addons
**Created:** [November 30, 2025, 10:21am UTC](https://discourse.getcockpit.com/t/autopilot-running-addon-with-local-ollama-llm/3271 "2025-11-30T10:21:52Z")
**Posts on this page:** 2
**Page:** 1
### Author:  [@mickov3r](https://discourse.getcockpit.com/u/mickov3r)
#### Post date: [November 30, 2025, 10:21am UTC](https://discourse.getcockpit.com/t/autopilot-running-addon-with-local-ollama-llm/3271/1 "2025-11-30T10:21:52Z")
I wanted to share my working configuration for running the Autopilot addon with a local Ollama instance instead of OpenAI API. This might be useful for those who want to use local LLMs for privacy or cost reasons.
**Environment:**
- Cockpit CMS Pro with Autopilot addon
- Ollama server running locally
**Step 1: Configure `config/config.php`**
Add the following to your config file:
```php
'autopilot' => [
'openAI' => [
'apiKey' => 'ollama',
'chatModel' => 'gemma3:latest',
'useTools' => false,
'baseUri'=> 'http://your-ollama-server-ip:port/v1'
]
],
```
**Notes:**
- `apiKey` can be any non-empty string (Ollama doesn’t require authentication)
- `chatModel` - I’m using `gemma3:latest`, but you can use any model available in your Ollama instance
- `useTools` must be set to `false` (tool calling is not supported by most local models)
- `baseUri` - point this to your Ollama server’s OpenAI-compatible endpoint
**Step 2: Modify `addons/Autopilot/Controller/Autopilot.php`**
The addon has `useTools` hardcoded to `true` by default. To make it configurable, modify line 52:
**Before:**
```php
$useTools = $this->param('useTools', true);
```
**After:**
```php
$configUseTools = $this->app->retrieve('autopilot/openAI/useTools', true);
$useTools = $this->param('useTools', $configUseTools);
```
This change allows the `useTools` setting from the config file to be respected, while still maintaining backward compatibility (defaults to `true` if not specified).
**Result:** The Autopilot addon now works with my local Ollama instance running Gemma 3. Response times depend on your hardware, but it’s a great solution for local development or privacy-focused deployments.
---
### Author:  [@artur](https://discourse.getcockpit.com/u/artur)
#### Post date: [December 29, 2025, 12:38am UTC](https://discourse.getcockpit.com/t/autopilot-running-addon-with-local-ollama-llm/3271/2 "2025-12-29T00:38:41Z")
I hear you. `useTools` will be a config option for autopilot in the next release 👍