Ollama Setup Guide

Use Offline AI mode with private local models via Ollama. Your files are processed by a model on your device instead of a cloud AI provider.

Download Ollama Recommended models

What Offline AI Mode Means

When Offline AI mode is enabled in Zush, supported file analysis runs through your local Ollama server. Zush does not send analysis content to Zush cloud or third-party AI providers in this mode. You still control which model is installed, where Ollama stores it, and when Ollama is running.

Setup Steps

  1. Install Ollama
    Download Ollama for macOS from the official website, install it, and open the app once so the local server can start.

Open Ollama download page

  1. Download a vision model
    Zush works best with a vision-capable model because many files are images, screenshots, PDFs, or visual previews. Start with:

    ollama pull qwen2.5vl:3b

  2. Check that Ollama is running
    Ollama usually runs in the background after you open it. If Zush cannot connect, start it from Terminal:

    ollama serve

  3. Enable Offline AI mode in Zush
    Open Zush, go to AI Setup, turn on Offline AI mode, refresh the model list, select your model, and run Test.

Recommended Models

Pick a model based on the job: qwen2.5vl:3b for speed, gemma3:4b for balance, or granite3.2-vision:2b for documents.

qwen2.5vl:3b

For speed
The fastest first choice for everyday screenshots and images. Use it when you want local processing to feel responsive on most Macs.

ollama pull qwen2.5vl:3b

gemma3:4b

For balance
A good default when you want better descriptions without jumping to a large model. Start here if speed and quality both matter.

ollama pull gemma3:4b

granite3.2-vision:2b

For documents
A compact vision model that is useful for document previews, scans, and structured visual content.

ollama pull granite3.2-vision:2b

Or choose another vision-capable model from the Ollama model catalog.

Troubleshooting

Zush does not see any models

Run ollama list in Terminal. If the list is empty, pull a model first, then click refresh in Zush.

Connection test fails

Make sure Ollama is running and the host is set to http://127.0.0.1:11434 in Zush connection settings.

Processing is too slow

Use a smaller model like qwen2.5vl:3b, close memory-heavy apps, or switch back to Cloud when you need faster batch processing.

Offline AI mode is separate from Cloud and BYOK. Cloud uses Zush credits by default, BYOK uses your provider key for cloud renames, and Offline AI mode uses Ollama on your device.