Guide · Agent skill
How to use the Ollama Command-Line Helper agent skill
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
This guide explains the Ollama Command-Line Helper agent skill, which teaches an AI agent to drive a command-line tool called cli-anything-ollama. That tool talks to Ollama, a program that runs large language models on your own computer. By the end you will know how to install the skill, ask the agent for model management, chat, and embedding tasks in plain language, and check the safety points before you run it.
Ollama Command-Line HelperHKUDS/CLI-Anything · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Install Ollama and start it. Make sure Ollama is installed and running with ollama serve, and that Python 3.10 or newer is available.
- 2Install the cli-anything-ollama package. Run pip install cli-anything-ollama to install the command-line tool.
- 3Add the skill folder. Download the ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder, or upload it under Settings → Capabilities → Skills in the Claude apps.
- 4Confirm the server is up. Run cli-anything-ollama server status to check that Ollama is reachable.
- 5Ask the agent a task. Request an action in plain language, such as listing models or pulling llama3.2.
- 6Review results. Check the JSON output and, for destructive actions like rm, confirm you meant to change local models.
What an agent skill is and what this one does
An agent skill is a folder containing a SKILL.md file that tells an AI agent how to use a tool. This skill covers the cli-anything-ollama command-line interface, which works through the Ollama REST API. Once installed, the agent can list, download, inspect and delete local models, send prompts or chat messages, and create text embeddings, all through terminal commands.
- List locally available models and show their details (parameters, template, license)
- Download (pull), copy, and delete (rm) models
- List models currently loaded in memory (ps)
- Generate text, run chat completions, and create embeddings
- Return machine-readable JSON output for the agent to parse
Install the Ollama Command-Line Helper skill
Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it into one of these locations: ~/.claude/skills/ for all your projects, or a project's .claude/skills/ folder for one project only. Alternatively, in the Claude apps go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP there.
The skill itself tells you to install the underlying tool with pip. Before that, make sure Python 3.10 or newer is available and that Ollama is installed and running.
- Python 3.10 or newer
- Ollama installed and running (start it with ollama serve)
- Pip package cli-anything-ollama
pip install cli-anything-ollamaTrigger the skill with natural requests
You do not need to type commands yourself. Ask the agent in plain language, for example to list the models on your machine, pull llama3.2, show the details of a model, or generate embeddings for a set of sentences. The agent should pick the matching cli-anything-ollama command.
If you want to run the commands yourself, the basic checks are below.
- Ask: "Which Ollama models do I have installed?"
- Ask: "Download llama3.2 with Ollama."
- Ask: "Create embeddings with nomic-embed-text for these two sentences."
cli-anything-ollama --help
cli-anything-ollama model list
cli-anything-ollama --json model listExamples: text, chat and embeddings
For a single prompt, the agent can use generate text with --no-stream and --json so it gets a complete response it can parse. For conversations, it can send one message or several, or read them from a JSON file. For embeddings, it can pass one input or several.
To use a model on another machine on your network, the agent can add the --host flag with the server address.
cli-anything-ollama --json generate text --model llama3.2 --prompt "Hello" --no-stream
cli-anything-ollama generate chat --model llama3.2 --message "user:What is Python?"
cli-anything-ollama generate chat --model llama3.2 --file messages.json
cli-anything-ollama embed text --model nomic-embed-text --input "Hello" --input "World"
cli-anything-ollama --host http://192.168.1.100:11434 model listSafety notes: scripts and network access
This skill runs scripts and uses the network. The tool is installed with pip, and the commands can change files and models on the system they run on. Commands such as pull and rm download or delete models in local storage, so install and use the skill only on a machine you control.
Before other commands, the source says to verify Ollama is running with server status. Check return codes, where 0 means success and non-zero means an error, and read stderr when a command fails.
- Only install on machines you control, because pip installs the package and model commands change local storage
- Pulling and deleting models changes what is stored on disk
- The --host flag sends requests to whatever server address you give it
cli-anything-ollama server statusTips for getting reliable results
Ask the agent to use JSON output and to run server status first, since the source recommends both for programmatic use. For generation, the source recommends --no-stream so the agent receives the full response. The interactive REPL mode is useful for exploring by hand, with tab-completion and history.
The package includes README.md, TEST.md and HARNESS.md documentation, which are referenced in the source and are useful if something behaves unexpectedly.
- Always include --json when the output will be parsed
- Use --no-stream for complete responses
- Start with server status if commands fail
- Use the REPL (run cli-anything-ollama with no subcommand) for exploration
What people use it for
- Listing installed models and checking their parameters before choosing one for a project
- Scripting model downloads with pull on a development machine
- Generating embeddings from a local model such as nomic-embed-text without a GUI
- Sending chat messages from an agent to a local model and collecting JSON responses
- Driving an Ollama server on another machine on your network with --host
Frequently asked questions
How do I install the Ollama agent skill?
Download the skill ZIP from this page and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ or a project's .claude/skills/ folder. You can also upload the ZIP in the Claude apps under Settings → Capabilities → Skills. The underlying tool is installed with pip install cli-anything-ollama.
What do I need before using cli-anything-ollama?
You need Python 3.10 or newer, Ollama installed and running with ollama serve, and the pip package cli-anything-ollama. The tool only works against a running Ollama server.
Is this skill free?
The source lists the project under the Apache-2.0 licence. This page does not state any price, so check the repository for licence terms before using it.
Does it work with cloud model APIs?
No. The source says this skill targets the local Ollama REST API, so it is not suited to situations that need a hosted cloud model API.
Can the agent control Ollama on another computer?
Yes. Use the --host flag with the server address, for example http://192.168.1.100:11434. Only do this on a network and machine you are allowed to use.
Why does the agent get errors when I run commands?
Start by running cli-anything-ollama server status to confirm Ollama is running. The source says to check return codes (0 for success, non-zero for errors) and to read stderr for error messages.
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Our verdict
This skill suits developers and data users who already run Ollama locally and want an agent to manage models, chat, or create embeddings through JSON-friendly commands. It is a poor fit if you do not have Ollama, want a hosted cloud model API, or are installing it on a machine you do not control, since it can change files and models there.
Download the skill