Ollama's New Claude Toggle Lets You Run Local Models Inside Claude Desktop
dr_cintas · x · 2026-08-29
Ollama launched a Claude toggle that lets you use your own local models inside the Claude Desktop UI.
Setup:
- Open Ollama, go to Apps, toggle Claude on — Ollama configures the gateway for you.
- Pick any local or Ollama-cloud model in Ollama Settings → Apps, then hit Restart Claude.
- Toggle off to restore the Anthropic setup.
On privacy: prompts with a local model stay on your machine; telemetry is off by default and Ollama cloud runs zero data retention. If the model picker is empty, you can point Claude Desktop's third-party inference at http://127.0.0.1:11434. The author uses this when a task fits a local coder but they still want the Claude Desktop UI.
Related event: Ollama Adds Claude Integration for Local Models in Claude Desktop(2 posts)→
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