Ollama Cheatsheet

Compiled this Ollama command list sime time ago...

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Here is the list and examples of the most useful Ollama commands (Ollama commands cheatsheet) I compiled some time ago. Hopefully it will be useful to you too.

ollama cheatsheet

This Ollama cheatsheet is focusing on CLI commands, model management, and customization

Installation

  • Option 1: Download from Website
    • Visit ollama.com and download the installer for your operating system (Mac, Linux, or Windows).
  • Option 2: Install via Command Line
    • For Mac and Linux users, use the command:
      curl https://ollama.ai/install.sh | sh
      
    • Follow the on-screen instructions and enter your password if prompted.

System Requirements

  • Operating System: Mac or Linux (Windows version in development)
  • Memory (RAM): 8GB minimum, 16GB or more recommended
  • Storage: At least ~10GB free space (model files could be really big, see here more Move Ollama Models to Different Drive )
  • Processor: A relatively modern CPU (from the last 5 years).

Basic Ollama CLI Commands

Command Description
ollama serve Starts Ollama on your local system.
ollama create <new_model> Creates a new model from an existing one for customization or training.
ollama show <model> Displays details about a specific model, such as its configuration and release date.
ollama run <model> Runs the specified model, making it ready for interaction.
ollama pull <model> Downloads the specified model to your system.
ollama list Lists all the downloaded models. The same as ollama ls
ollama ps Shows the currently running models.
ollama stop <model> Stops the specified running model.
ollama rm <model> Removes the specified model from your system.
ollama help Provides help about any command.

Model Management

  • Download a Model:

    ollama pull mistral-nemo:12b-instruct-2407-q6_K
    

    This command downloads the specified model (e.g., Gemma 2B, or mistral-nemo:12b-instruct-2407-q6_K) to your system. The model files could be quite large, so keep an eye on the space used by models on the hard drive, or ssd. You might even want to move all Ollama models from you home directory to another bigger and better drive

  • Run a Model:

    ollama run qwen2.5:32b-instruct-q3_K_S
    

    This command starts the specified model and opens an interactive REPL for interaction.

  • List Models:

    ollama list
    

    the same as:

    ollama ls
    

    This command lists all the models that have been downloaded to your system, like

    $ ollama ls
    NAME                                                    ID              SIZE      MODIFIED     
    deepseek-r1:8b                                          6995872bfe4c    5.2 GB    2 weeks ago     
    gemma3:12b-it-qat                                       5d4fa005e7bb    8.9 GB    2 weeks ago     
    LoTUs5494/mistral-small-3.1:24b-instruct-2503-iq4_NL    4e994e0f85a0    13 GB     3 weeks ago     
    dengcao/Qwen3-Embedding-8B:Q4_K_M                       d3ca2355027f    4.7 GB    4 weeks ago     
    dengcao/Qwen3-Embedding-4B:Q5_K_M                       7e8c9ad6885b    2.9 GB    4 weeks ago     
    qwen3:8b                                                500a1f067a9f    5.2 GB    5 weeks ago     
    qwen3:14b                                               bdbd181c33f2    9.3 GB    5 weeks ago     
    qwen3:30b-a3b                                           0b28110b7a33    18 GB     5 weeks ago     
    devstral:24b                                            c4b2fa0c33d7    14 GB     5 weeks ago  
    
  • Stop a Model:

    ollama stop llama3.1:8b-instruct-q8_0
    

    This command stops the specified running model.

Customizing Models

  • Set System Prompt: Inside the Ollama REPL, you can set a system prompt to customize the model’s behavior:

    >>> /set system For all questions asked answer in plain English avoiding technical jargon as much as possible
    >>> /save ipe
    >>> /bye
    

    Then, run the customized model:

    ollama run ipe
    

    This sets a system prompt and saves the model for future use.

  • Create Custom Model File: Create a text file (e.g., custom_model.txt) with the following structure:

    FROM llama3.1
    SYSTEM [Your custom instructions here]
    

    Then, run:

    ollama create mymodel -f custom_model.txt
    ollama run mymodel
    

    This creates a customized model based on the instructions in the file".

Using Ollama with Files

  • Summarize Text from a File:

    ollama run llama3.2 "Summarize the content of this file in 50 words." < input.txt
    

    This command summarizes the content of input.txt using the specified model.

  • Log Model Responses to a File:

    ollama run llama3.2 "Tell me about renewable energy." > output.txt
    

    This command saves the model’s response to output.txt.

Common Use Cases

  • Text Generation:

    • Summarizing a large text file:
      ollama run llama3.2 "Summarize the following text:" < long-document.txt
      
    • Generating content:
      ollama run llama3.2 "Write a short article on the benefits of using AI in healthcare." > article.txt
      
    • Answering specific questions:
      ollama run llama3.2 "What are the latest trends in AI, and how will they affect healthcare?"
      

    .

  • Data Processing and Analysis:

    • Classifying text into positive, negative, or neutral sentiment:
      ollama run llama3.2 "Analyze the sentiment of this customer review: 'The product is fantastic, but delivery was slow.'"
      
    • Categorizing text into predefined categories: Use similar commands to classify or categorize text based on predefined criteria.

Using Ollama with Python

  • Install Ollama Python Library:
    pip install ollama
    
  • Generate Text Using Python:
    import ollama
    
    response = ollama.generate(model='gemma:2b', prompt='what is a qubit?')
    print(response['response'])
    
    This code snippet generates text using the specified model and prompt.