This skill covers using Ollama as the embedding provider for GrepAI, enabling 100% private, local code search.
When to Use This Skill
-
Setting up private, local embeddings
-
Choosing the right Ollama model
-
Optimizing Ollama performance
-
Troubleshooting Ollama connection issues
Why Ollama?
| 🔒 Privacy | Code never leaves your machine
| 💰 Free | No API costs or usage limits
| ⚡ Speed | No network latency
| 🔌 Offline | Works without internet
| 🔧 Control | Choose your model
Prerequisites
-
Ollama installed and running
-
An embedding model downloaded
# Install Ollama
brew install ollama # macOS
# or
curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh # Linux
# Start Ollama
ollama serve
# Download model
ollama pull nomic-embed-text
Configuration
Basic Configuration
# .grepai/config.yaml
embedder:
provider: ollama
model: nomic-embed-text
endpoint: http://localhost:11434
With Custom Endpoint
embedder:
provider: ollama
model: nomic-embed-text
endpoint: http://192.168.1.100:11434 # Remote Ollama server
With Explicit Dimensions
embedder:
provider: ollama
model: nomic-embed-text
endpoint: http://localhost:11434
dimensions: 768 # Usually auto-detected
Available Models
Recommended: nomic-embed-text
ollama pull nomic-embed-text
| Dimensions | 768
| Size | ~274 MB
| Speed | Fast
| Quality | Excellent for code
| Language | English-optimized
Configuration:
embedder:
provider: ollama
model: nomic-embed-text
Multilingual: nomic-embed-text-v2-moe
ollama pull nomic-embed-text-v2-moe
| Dimensions | 768
| Size | ~500 MB
| Speed | Medium
| Quality | Excellent
| Language | Multilingual
Best for codebases with non-English comments/documentation.
Configuration:
embedder:
provider: ollama
model: nomic-embed-text-v2-moe
High Quality: bge-m3
ollama pull bge-m3
| Dimensions | 1024
| Size | ~1.2 GB
| Speed | Slower
| Quality | Very high
| Language | Multilingual
Best for large, complex codebases where accuracy is critical.
Configuration:
embedder:
provider: ollama
model: bge-m3
dimensions: 1024
Maximum Quality: mxbai-embed-large
ollama pull mxbai-embed-large
| Dimensions | 1024
| Size | ~670 MB
| Speed | Medium
| Quality | Highest
| Language | English
Configuration:
embedder:
provider: ollama
model: mxbai-embed-large
dimensions: 1024
Model Comparison
| nomic-embed-text
| 768
| 274MB
| ⚡⚡⚡
| ⭐⭐⭐
| General use
| nomic-embed-text-v2-moe
| 768
| 500MB
| ⚡⚡
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐
| Multilingual
| bge-m3
| 1024
| 1.2GB
| ⚡
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
| Large codebases
| mxbai-embed-large
| 1024
| 670MB
| ⚡⚡
| ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐
| Maximum accuracy
Performance Optimization
Memory Management
Models load into RAM. Ensure sufficient memory:
| nomic-embed-text
| ~500 MB
| nomic-embed-text-v2-moe
| ~800 MB
| bge-m3
| ~1.5 GB
| mxbai-embed-large
| ~1 GB
GPU Acceleration
Ollama automatically uses:
-
macOS: Metal (Apple Silicon)
-
Linux/Windows: CUDA (NVIDIA GPUs)
Check GPU usage:
ollama ps
Keeping Model Loaded
By default, Ollama unloads models after 5 minutes of inactivity. Keep loaded:
# Keep model loaded indefinitely
curl http://localhost:11434/api/generate -d '{
"model": "nomic-embed-text",
"keep_alive": -1
}'
Verifying Connection
Check Ollama is Running
curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags
List Available Models
ollama list
Test Embedding
curl http://localhost:11434/api/embeddings -d '{
"model": "nomic-embed-text",
"prompt": "function authenticate(user, password)"
}'
Running Ollama as a Service
macOS (launchd)
Ollama app runs automatically on login.
Linux (systemd)
# Enable service
sudo systemctl enable ollama
# Start service
sudo systemctl start ollama
# Check status
sudo systemctl status ollama
Manual Background
nohup ollama serve > /dev/null 2>&1 &
Remote Ollama Server
Run Ollama on a powerful server and connect remotely:
On the Server
# Allow remote connections
OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0 ollama serve
On the Client
# .grepai/config.yaml
embedder:
provider: ollama
model: nomic-embed-text
endpoint: http://server-ip:11434
Common Issues
❌ Problem: Connection refused ✅ Solution:
# Start Ollama
ollama serve
❌ Problem: Model not found ✅ Solution:
# Pull the model
ollama pull nomic-embed-text
❌ Problem: Slow embedding generation ✅ Solutions:
-
Use a smaller model (
nomic-embed-text) -
Ensure GPU is being used (
ollama ps) -
Close memory-intensive applications
-
Consider a remote server with better hardware
❌ Problem: Out of memory ✅ Solutions:
-
Use a smaller model
-
Close other applications
-
Upgrade RAM
-
Use remote Ollama server
❌ Problem: Embeddings differ after model update ✅ Solution: Re-index after model updates:
rm .grepai/index.gob
grepai watch
Best Practices
-
Start with
nomic-embed-text: Best balance of speed/quality -
Keep Ollama running: Background service recommended
-
Match dimensions: Don't mix models with different dimensions
-
Re-index on model change: Delete index and re-run watch
-
Monitor memory: Embedding models use significant RAM
Output Format
Successful Ollama configuration:
✅ Ollama Embedding Provider Configured
Provider: Ollama
Model: nomic-embed-text
Endpoint: http://localhost:11434
Dimensions: 768 (auto-detected)
Status: Connected
Model Info:
- Size: 274 MB
- Loaded: Yes
- GPU: Apple Metal