ollama create - Ollama

Synopsis

ollama create MODEL
ollama create MODEL -f MODELFILE

Description

The create command builds a custom model from a Modelfile. A Modelfile is a blueprint that defines:

Base model to build from
Custom system prompts
Model parameters (temperature, context length, etc.)
Additional files (adapters, weights)

This allows you to customize existing models or create entirely new ones.

Arguments

string

required

Name for your new modelExamples:

mymodel
myusername/custom-assistant
code-helper:latest

Options

string

default:"Modelfile"

Short: -fPath to the Modelfile. Defaults to Modelfile in the current directory.

ollama create mymodel -f ./custom/Modelfile

string

Short: -qQuantization level for the model (reduces size and memory usage)Options: q4_K_M, q4_K_S, q5_K_M, q5_K_S, q8_0

ollama create mymodel -f Modelfile -q q4_K_M

boolean

default:"false"

Enable experimental safetensors model creation from local weights

ollama create mymodel --experimental

Modelfile Syntax

A Modelfile contains instructions for building a model:

# Base model
FROM llama3.2

# System prompt
SYSTEM You are a helpful coding assistant specialized in Python.

# Parameters
PARAMETER temperature 0.7
PARAMETER top_p 0.9
PARAMETER top_k 40

# Template
TEMPLATE """{{ .System }}

User: {{ .Prompt }}
Assistant: """

Available Instructions

string

required

Base model to build from. Can be:

Model name: FROM llama3.2
Local model: FROM ./model-weights
Model with tag: FROM mistral:7b-instruct

string

System prompt that sets the behavior and context for the model

SYSTEM You are a helpful assistant that speaks like a pirate.

string

Chat template that formats prompts. Uses Go template syntax.

TEMPLATE """{{ .System }}

{{ .Prompt }}"""

string

Set model parameters:

temperature (float): Randomness (0.0-2.0)
top_p (float): Nucleus sampling (0.0-1.0)
top_k (int): Top-k sampling
num_ctx (int): Context window size
repeat_penalty (float): Penalty for repetition

PARAMETER temperature 0.8
PARAMETER num_ctx 4096

string

License information for the model

LICENSE """MIT License

Copyright (c) 2024..."""

path

Path to LoRA adapter files

ADAPTER ./fine-tune-adapter.bin

Examples

Basic Custom Model

Create a Modelfile:

Modelfile

FROM llama3.2

SYSTEM You are a helpful assistant named Bob.

PARAMETER temperature 0.8

Create the model:

ollama create bob

Run it:

ollama run bob

Coding Assistant

Modelfile

FROM codellama:7b

SYSTEM """
You are an expert programmer. Always:
- Write clean, well-commented code
- Follow best practices
- Explain your reasoning
"""

PARAMETER temperature 0.2
PARAMETER top_p 0.9

TEMPLATE """### System:
{{ .System }}

### User:
{{ .Prompt }}

### Assistant:
"""

ollama create code-assistant -f Modelfile

Quantized Model

Create a smaller, faster version:

ollama create small-model -f Modelfile -q q4_K_M

From Local Weights

Create from a directory containing model weights:

Modelfile

FROM ./local-model-weights

SYSTEM You are a helpful assistant.

ollama create custom-model -f Modelfile

With LoRA Adapter

Add fine-tuned adapter weights:

Modelfile

FROM llama3.2

ADAPTER ./my-lora-adapter.bin

SYSTEM This model is fine-tuned for medical advice.

ollama create medical-assistant -f Modelfile

Advanced Examples

Multi-File Model

Modelfile

FROM mistral:7b

# Load multiple adapters
ADAPTER ./adapter1.bin
ADAPTER ./adapter2.bin

SYSTEM You are a multilingual assistant.

PARAMETER temperature 0.7
PARAMETER num_ctx 8192
PARAMETER stop "User:"
PARAMETER stop "Assistant:"

Function Calling Model

Modelfile

FROM mistral:7b-instruct

SYSTEM """
You are a function-calling assistant. When the user needs data:
1. Determine which function to call
2. Format the call as JSON
3. Return the result
"""

PARAMETER temperature 0.1
PARAMETER num_predict 2048

TEMPLATE """[INST] {{ .System }}

{{ .Prompt }} [/INST]
"""

Model Creation Process

When you run ollama create, it:

Parses the Modelfile
Downloads base model (if needed)
Processes any adapter files
Combines configuration and weights
Generates model manifest
Saves to local model library

Output example:

gathering model components
pulling llama3.2:latest
pulling manifest
pulling model.bin: 100%
copying file adapter.bin: 100%
writing manifest
success

Quantization Levels

Level	Size	Quality	Speed	Description
q4_K_M	~4 bits/weight	Good	Fast	Recommended for most use cases
q4_K_S	~4 bits/weight	Moderate	Fastest	Smaller, faster, lower quality
q5_K_M	~5 bits/weight	Better	Medium	Higher quality, larger
q5_K_S	~5 bits/weight	Good	Medium	Balanced medium quality
q8_0	~8 bits/weight	Best	Slow	Highest quality, largest

Environment Variables

string

default:"http://127.0.0.1:11434"

Ollama server address

Exit Codes

0 - Success, model created
1 - Error occurred (invalid Modelfile, missing base model, etc.)

Troubleshooting

Modelfile Not Found

Error: specified Modelfile wasn't found

Solution: Create a Modelfile in the current directory or use -f to specify the path:

ollama create mymodel -f /path/to/Modelfile

Invalid Model Name

Error: invalid model name

Solution: Model names must be lowercase and can contain letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores.

Base Model Not Found

Error: model 'basemodel' not found

Solution: Pull the base model first:

ollama pull llama3.2
ollama create mymodel -f Modelfile

Server Not Running

Error: could not connect to ollama server

Solution: Start the Ollama server:

ollama serve

Best Practices

Clear System Prompts

Write specific, detailed system prompts that clearly define the model’s role and behavior.

Test Parameters

Experiment with temperature and other parameters to find the right balance for your use case.

Version Your Models

Use tags to version your models: mymodel:v1, mymodel:v2

Document Changes

Keep your Modelfile in version control and document what each version changes.

ollama run - Run your created model
ollama show - View model details
ollama push - Share your model
ollama rm - Delete a model
ollama list - List all models

​Synopsis

​Description

​Arguments

​Options

​Modelfile Syntax

​Available Instructions

​Examples

​Basic Custom Model

​Coding Assistant

​Quantized Model

​From Local Weights

​With LoRA Adapter

​Advanced Examples

​Multi-File Model

​Function Calling Model

​Model Creation Process

​Quantization Levels

​Environment Variables

​Exit Codes

​Troubleshooting

​Modelfile Not Found

​Invalid Model Name

​Base Model Not Found

​Server Not Running

​Best Practices

Clear System Prompts

Test Parameters

Version Your Models

Document Changes

​Related Commands

Synopsis

Description

Arguments

Options

Modelfile Syntax

Available Instructions

Examples

Basic Custom Model

Coding Assistant

Quantized Model

From Local Weights

With LoRA Adapter

Advanced Examples

Multi-File Model

Function Calling Model

Model Creation Process

Quantization Levels

Environment Variables

Exit Codes

Troubleshooting

Modelfile Not Found

Invalid Model Name

Base Model Not Found

Server Not Running

Best Practices

Related Commands