add-ollama-provider
This Claude Code skill configures a NanoClaw agent group to run locally using Ollama instead of the Anthropic API, leveraging Ollama's native support for the Anthropic messages format. Use it when deploying agents that should run offline, reduce API costs, or test open-weight models without changing core provider code, requiring only environment variable overrides and container host blocking.
git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/nanocoai/nanoclaw /tmp/add-ollama-provider && cp -r /tmp/add-ollama-provider/.claude/skills/add-ollama-provider ~/.claude/skills/add-ollama-providerSKILL.md
# Add Ollama Provider
Routes an agent group to a local Ollama instance instead of the Anthropic API.
See `docs/ollama.md` for how this works and the tradeoffs involved.
## Prerequisites
1. **Ollama is installed and running** on the host — verify: `curl -s http://localhost:11434/api/tags`
2. **A model is pulled** — e.g. `ollama pull gemma4` or `ollama pull qwen3-coder`
3. **The agent group already exists** — run `/init-first-agent` first if needed
## 1. Check source support
The feature requires two fields in `ContainerConfig` (`env` and `blockedHosts`) and their
corresponding wiring in `container-runner.ts`. Check if already present:
```bash
grep -c 'blockedHosts' src/container-config.ts src/container-runner.ts
```
If either count is 0, apply the changes in steps 1a and 1b. Otherwise skip to step 2.
### 1a. Extend ContainerConfig
In `src/container-config.ts`, add to the `ContainerConfig` interface:
```typescript
env?: Record<string, string>;
blockedHosts?: string[];
```
And in `readContainerConfig`, add inside the returned object:
```typescript
env: raw.env,
blockedHosts: raw.blockedHosts,
```
### 1b. Wire into container-runner
In `src/container-runner.ts`, after the `NANOCLAW_MCP_SERVERS` block, add:
```typescript
// Per-agent-group env overrides — applied last to win over OneCLI values.
if (containerConfig.env) {
for (const [key, value] of Object.entries(containerConfig.env)) {
args.push('-e', `${key}=${value}`);
}
}
// Blocked hosts: resolve to 0.0.0.0 so they are unreachable inside the container.
if (containerConfig.blockedHosts) {
for (const host of containerConfig.blockedHosts) {
args.push('--add-host', `${host}:0.0.0.0`);
}
}
```
### 1c. Fix home directory permissions (if not already done)
The container may run as your host uid (not uid 1000). Check the Dockerfile:
```bash
grep 'chmod.*home/node' container/Dockerfile
```
If it shows `chmod 755`, change it to `chmod 777` so any uid can write there.
Then rebuild the container image: `./container/build.sh`
## 2. Identify the setup
Ask the user (plain text, not AskUserQuestion):
1. **Which agent group?** List available groups: `pnpm exec tsx scripts/q.ts data/v2.db "SELECT folder, name FROM agent_groups;"`
2. **Which Ollama model?** List available: `curl -s http://localhost:11434/api/tags | grep '"name"'`
3. **Block Anthropic API?** Recommended yes — prevents accidental spend if config drifts.
Record as `FOLDER`, `MODEL`, and `BLOCK_ANTHROPIC`.
## 3. Configure container.json
Read `groups/<FOLDER>/container.json`. Add (or merge into) an `env` block and optionally `blockedHosts`:
```json
{
"env": {
"ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL": "http://host.docker.internal:11434",
"ANTHROPIC_API_KEY": "ollama",
"NO_PROXY": "host.docker.internal",
"no_proxy": "host.docker.internal"
},
"blockedHosts": ["api.anthropic.com"]
}
```
Omit `blockedHosts` if the user declined step 2.
**Why these vars:** `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL` redirects the Anthropic SDK to Ollama.
`ANTHROPIC_API_KEY=ollama` satisfies the SDK's key requirement (Ollama ignores it).
`NO_PROXY` bypasses the OneCLI HTTPS proxy for requests to `host.docker.internal`
so they reach Ollama directly instead of going through the credential gateway.
## 4. Set the model
Read the agent group's shared Claude settings:
```bash
# Find the agent group ID
AG_ID=$(pnpm exec tsx scripts/q.ts data/v2.db "SELECT id FROM agent_groups WHERE folder='<FOLDER>';")
SETTINGS=data/v2-sessions/$AG_ID/.claude-shared/settings.json
```
Add `"model": "<MODEL>"` to that settings file. Create the file if it doesn't exist:
```json
{
"model": "gemma4:latest"
}
```
If the file already has content, merge the `model` key in — don't overwrite existing keys.
**Why here and not container.json:** Claude Code reads its model from its own settings
file, not from env vars. This file is bind-mounted into the container as `~/.claude/settings.json`.
## 5. Build and restart
Run from your NanoClaw project root:
```bash
export PATH="/opt/homebrew/bin:$PATH"
pnpm run build
source setup/lib/install-slug.sh
launchctl unload ~/Library/LaunchAgents/$(launchd_label).plist
launchctl load ~/Library/LaunchAgents/$(launchd_label).plist
# Linux: systemctl --user restart $(systemd_unit)
```
## 6. Verify
Send a message to the agent. Then confirm:
```bash
# Ollama shows the model as active
curl -s http://localhost:11434/api/ps | grep '"name"'
# Container has the right env vars
CTR=$(docker ps --filter "name=nanoclaw-v2-<FOLDER>" --format "{{.Names}}" | head -1)
docker inspect "$CTR" --format '{{json .HostConfig.ExtraHosts}}'
docker exec "$CTR" env | grep ANTHROPIC
```
Expected: `api.anthropic.com:0.0.0.0` in ExtraHosts, `ANTHROPIC_BASE_URL=http://host.docker.internal:11434`.
## Reverting to Claude
To switch back to the Anthropic API:
1. Remove the `env` and `blockedHosts` keys from `groups/<FOLDER>/container.json`
2. Remove `"model"` from the shared settings file
3. Restart the service
No rebuild needed — both files are read at container spawn time.
## Troubleshooting
**Agent hangs, no response:** Ollama may be loading the model cold (large models take 10–30s).
Watch `curl -s http://localhost:11434/api/ps` — the model appears once loaded.
**"model not found" error in container logs:** The model name in settings.json doesn't match
what Ollama has. Run `ollama list` on the host and use the exact name shown.
**Responses claim to be Claude:** The model was trained on data that includes Claude conversations.
Add a line to `groups/<FOLDER>/CLAUDE.md` telling it what model it runs on.
**Agent responds but Ollama shows no activity:** `NO_PROXY` may not have taken effect for
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