# Huggingface Local Models

Use to select models to run locally with llama.cpp and GGUF on CPU, Mac Metal, CUDA, or...

- Repository: https://github.com/huggingface/skills (11249 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: Apache-2.0
- Last updated: 2026-10-30
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add huggingface/skills --skill huggingface-local-models -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add huggingface/skills --skill huggingface-local-models -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add huggingface/skills --skill huggingface-local-models -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add huggingface/skills --skill huggingface-local-models -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add huggingface/skills`

## Description

Use to select models to run locally with llama.cpp and GGUF on CPU, Mac Metal, CUDA, or ROCm. Covers finding GGUFs, quant selection, running servers, exact GGUF file lookup, conversion, and OpenAI-compatible local serving.

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Hugging Face Local Models

Search the Hugging Face Hub for llama.cpp-compatible GGUF repos, choose the right quant, and launch the model with `llama-cli` or `llama-server`.

## Default Workflow

1. Search the Hub with `apps=llama.cpp`.
2. Open `https://huggingface.co/<repo>?local-app=llama.cpp`.
3. Prefer the exact HF local-app snippet and quant recommendation when it is visible.
4. Confirm exact `.gguf` filenames with `https://huggingface.co/api/models/<repo>/tree/main?recursive=true`.
5. Launch with `llama-cli -hf <repo>:<QUANT>` or `llama-server -hf <repo>:<QUANT>`.
6. Fall back to `--hf-repo` plus `--hf-file` when the repo uses custom file naming.
7. Convert from Transformers weights only if the repo does not already expose GGUF files.

## Quick Start

### Install llama.cpp

```bash
brew install llama.cpp
winget install llama.cpp
```

```bash
git clone https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp
cd llama.cpp
make
```

### Authenticate for gated repos

```bash
hf auth login
```

### Search the Hub

```text
https://huggingface.co/models?apps=llama.cpp&sort=trending
https://huggingface.co/models?search=Qwen3.6&apps=llama.cpp&sort=trending
https://huggingface.co/models?search=<term>&apps=llama.cpp&num_parameters=min:0,max:24B&sort=trending
```

### Run directly from the Hub

```bash
llama-cli -hf unsloth/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-GGUF:UD-Q4_K_M
llama-server -hf unsloth/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-GGUF:UD-Q4_K_M
```

### Run an exact GGUF file

```bash
llama-server \
    --hf-repo unsloth/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-GGUF \
    --hf-file Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-UD-Q4_K_M.gguf \
    -c 4096
```

### Convert only when no GGUF is available

```bash
hf download <repo-without-gguf> --local-dir ./model-src
python convert_hf_to_gguf.py ./model-src \
    --outfile model-f16.gguf \
    --outtype f16
llama-quantize model-f16.gguf model-q4_k_m.gguf Q4_K_M
```

### Smoke test a local server

```bash
llama-server -hf unsloth/Qwen3.6-35B-A3B-GGUF:UD-Q4_K_M
```

The rest: https://github.com/huggingface/skills/blob/HEAD/skills/huggingface-local-models/SKILL.md