Getting Started

SwarmLLM lets you combine your hardware with others to run AI models too large for any single machine — for free, with no API tokens or cloud fees. It's open-source and your conversations are end-to-end encrypted.

This guide walks you through installation, downloading your first model, and chatting.

Prerequisites

• A computer running Windows, macOS, or Linux
• At least 4 GB of RAM (8+ GB recommended)
• At least 2 GB of free disk space (more for larger models)
• An internet connection (for downloading models and connecting to peers)

Chapters

• Installation — Download and run SwarmLLM on your platform
• First Model — Download and chat with your first AI model
• Joining the Network — Connect to peers for distributed inference

Quick Commands

./swarmllm run                  # Start the node (default port 8800)
./swarmllm run -p 9000          # Start on a different port
./swarmllm run -v               # Start with verbose logging
./swarmllm status               # Check if the node is running
./swarmllm chat                 # Interactive CLI chat
./swarmllm bench                # Benchmark inference performance
./swarmllm peers                # List connected peers
./swarmllm version              # Show version number