You’re engaged in an intense sci-fi roleplay with your AI character, setting the stage for a showdown between the forces of good and evil.. A fierce battle is about to determine the fate of the universe. Suddenly, you’re interrupted.
The online platform you use filters your roleplay because of mature content. Or worse, you reach your daily free messages limit and have to pay to keep going. The restrictions placed by online platforms ruin yet another roleplay session you were enjoying. It’s about time you switch to local AI roleplay.
What Is KoboldCpp?
KoboldCpp is a free, open-source backend that lets you run Large Language Models (LLMs) locally on your device. It’s a fork of llama.cpp and adds many additional features. Using it with a frontend like SillyTavern provides an entirely local and private AI roleplay experience.
Read More: SillyTavern: Your Ultimate Local AI Roleplay Playground
Besides letting you run text-generation LLMs locally, KoboldCpp also provides options to run image and audio generative AI models. The ability to run these models and their performance depend on your device’s hardware.
KoboldCpp Features
Model Support: KoboldCpp supports GGUF models of any size. It’s got your back, whether you have a high-end gaming setup that can run large models or your hardware limits you to 4B or 8B models.
Easy to Get Started: KoboldCpp works on Windows, macOS, and Linux as a single self-contained file. It supports GPU and CPU inference with default backend presets optimized for your hardware. You download the file, load a GGUF model, and launch with the default preset to start interacting with your LLM using KoboldCpp’s API on your frontend.
Also Read: Optimizing KoboldCpp For Roleplaying With AI
Optimize for AI Roleplay: KoboldCpp lets you control model offloading options, manage context size, optimize KV Cache, and fine-tune other settings for optimizing model quality and performance based on your hardware and the selected GGUF model.
Easy Frontend Integration: Multiple frontends for AI roleplay, like SillyTavern, support KoboldCpp as a backend through KoboldCpp’s API. KoboldCpp also includes Kobold Lite, a lightweight Web UI to interact with your LLM.
Host KoboldCpp Instance Online: If your hardware restricts you from running LLMs locally, you can set up a KoboldCpp instance on an online service like Runpod*, enabling you to access powerful models on rented GPUs.
* The Runpod link is a referral link that benefits KoboldCpp directly. By signing up with their referral link, you get a one-time credit from Runpod when you add $10 to your account.
Share Your Instance: You can use TryCloudflare Tunnel to access your KoboldCpp installation or allow others to access your instance.
Why Use KoboldCpp?
Using KoboldCpp to run LLMs locally lets you enjoy inference without any extra cost besides your electricity bills. Forget about daily limits and filters imposed by online platforms, or expensive subscriptions to chat with AI-powered characters.
Multiple frontends designed for AI roleplay support KoboldCpp as a backend, letting you run an entirely local setup. You have complete control over your data. No one can snoop in and invade your privacy by viewing your prompts and generated outputs.
Your Hardware Is The Bottleneck
Consumer-grade hardware can’t run large, powerful models often accessed through official APIs and proxy services. Your hardware is the main limiting factor for running LLMs locally. However, large models aren’t always better for AI roleplay.
Also Read: Context Rot: Large Context Size Negatively Impacts AI Roleplay
Smaller, fine-tuned models can deliver a better experience because they are specifically trained for roleplay. Many users run 4B and 8B fine-tuned models locally for AI roleplay and optimize aspects like instructions, prompts, and context to enhance their AI roleplay experience.
KoboldCpp: Enabling Local AI Roleplay and Adventures
Running LLMs locally with KoboldCpp gives you limitless, uninterrupted, free, and private inference. It supports any GGUF model, runs on any hardware, and offers powerful optimization features to help you balance quality and performance based on your hardware.
Several frontends support KoboldCpp as a backend to communicate with LLMs through KoboldCpp’s API, making it a great choice to enable your local AI roleplay and adventures.
