Verity Mod Ollama Setup Guide

Why You Need Ollama

Verity supports two AI modes: cloud (Groq/OpenRouter) and local (Ollama). This guide covers the local mode, which gives you:

• Your conversations never leave your computer
• Works offline after you’ve downloaded the model
• No rate limits or usage caps
• Completely free
• You can use any compatible LLM you want

Prefer cloud mode? Verity also supports Groq API and OpenRouter for cloud-based AI. These require an API key but offer faster responses without local hardware requirements. See the FAQ for more details on choosing between cloud and local modes.

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System Requirements

Minimum specs

• RAM: 8GB (16GB if you want good performance)
• Storage: 5GB free for the model files
• CPU: Modern multi-core processor (Intel i5/AMD Ryzen 5 or better)
• OS: Windows 10+, macOS 12+, or Linux (Ubuntu 20.04+)

What you’ll actually want

• RAM: 16GB+
• GPU: NVIDIA with 4GB+ VRAM (makes a huge difference in speed)
• Storage: SSD for faster model loading
• CPU: Intel i7/AMD Ryzen 7 or better

No dedicated GPU? Varmite’s advice: skip local mode and use Groq or OpenRouter instead. Local AI without a dedicated GPU will be slow and frustrating.

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Step 1: Install Ollama

Windows

1. Download Ollama from https://ollama.com/download
2. Run the installer (OllamaSetup.exe)
3. Follow the installation wizard
4. Ollama will start automatically

Verify it’s working:

ollama --version

macOS

1. Download from https://ollama.com/download
2. Open the .dmg file
3. Drag Ollama to Applications folder
4. Launch Ollama from Applications

Verify it’s working:

ollama --version

Linux

Ubuntu/Debian:

curl -fsSL https://ollama.com/install.sh | sh

Verify it’s working:

ollama --version

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Step 2: Download an AI Model

Recommended models for Verity

Model	Size	Speed	Quality	Best for
qwen2.5:0.5b	~350 MB	Very Fast	Basic	Any GPU, lowest spec
qwen2.5:1.5b	~900 MB	Fast	Good	Low-end systems (Varmite’s pick)
llama3.2:3b	2.0 GB	Fast	Good	Low-end systems
qwen2.5:8b	~4.5 GB	Medium	Better	Balanced - smarter, but slower
llama3.1:8b	4.7 GB	Medium	Better	Balanced performance
mistral:7b	4.1 GB	Medium	Good	General use
codellama:7b	3.8 GB	Medium	Good	Technical responses
llama3.1:70b	40 GB	Slow	Best	High-end systems

All Qwen 2.5 models work well with Verity - you can swap sizes based on your hardware.

Download your first model

For most users (balanced):

ollama pull llama3.1:8b

For low-end systems (Varmite’s recommendation):

ollama pull qwen2.5:1.5b

Only 900MB, runs on most RTX cards, and is fast enough for real-time chat. The 0.5B version is even smaller if you need it.

For low-end systems (alternative):

ollama pull llama3.2:3b

For high-end systems:

ollama pull qwen2.5:8b

Way smarter than 1.5B, but needs better hardware and responds slower.

Check what you’ve downloaded:

ollama list

You should see your model in the list.

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Step 3: Configure Verity to Use Ollama

Find the mod configuration

1. Open Minecraft
2. Load a world with Verity installed
3. Press Esc to open menu
4. Go to Mods → Verity Mod → Config
5. Make sure “Use Ollama” is checked - this is compulsory. Without it, the mod won’t connect to your local Ollama instance

Configuration settings

In the mod’s AI settings, point it at Ollama:

• Select Ollama as the AI provider. Without it, the mod won’t connect to your local instance.
• Set the model name to exactly what you pulled — check the exact name with ollama list. Examples: llama3.1:8b, llama3.2:3b, mistral:7b. llama3.1 or llama3 won’t match; it needs the full tag.
• Ollama’s address stays at its default (http://localhost:11434) unless you’ve changed it.

The other config options (Day Count, True Darkness, and the rest) control Verity’s behavior, not the AI connection — they’re covered in the troubleshooting guide.

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Step 4: Start Ollama

Windows

Ollama should start automatically. If it doesn’t:

ollama serve

Keep this terminal open while you’re playing.

macOS

Ollama runs as a background service. Check if it’s running:

curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags

Should return JSON with your models.

Linux

Start the Ollama service:

# Start the service
systemctl start ollama

# Enable auto-start on boot
systemctl enable ollama

# Check if it's running
systemctl status ollama

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Step 5: Test the Connection

Verify Ollama is running

curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags

Expected response:

{
  "models": [
    {
      "name": "llama3.1:8b",
      "size": 4700000000,
      "digest": "..."
    }
  ]
}

Test the model directly

curl http://localhost:11434/api/generate -d '{
  "model": "llama3.1:8b",
  "prompt": "Hello, how are you?",
  "stream": false
}'

Should return an AI response in JSON format.

Test in Minecraft

1. Launch Minecraft with Verity mod
2. Load a world
3. Walk up to the Verity entity
4. Say hello to Verity — press its talk key or use voice input
5. Should get a response generated by Ollama

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Performance Optimization

GPU Acceleration (NVIDIA)

If you have an NVIDIA GPU, Ollama will use it automatically. Check if it’s working:

nvidia-smi

You should see the ollama process using GPU memory.

Real-world performance: Varmite tested Ollama + Verity with Qwen 2.5 1.5B and the game ran smoothly with the GPU barely being used. Local AI doesn’t have to hurt your game performance at all - even with a small model running alongside Minecraft.

If Ollama isn’t using your GPU

Ollama picks up a working GPU setup automatically — there’s no flag to force it. If ollama ps shows the model running on CPU:

1. Update your graphics drivers
2. Make sure you installed the right Ollama build for your platform
3. Check Ollama’s own logs for why it fell back to CPU

Optimize for low-end systems

Use a smaller model:

ollama pull llama3.2:3b

Close background apps:

• Web browsers (especially Chrome)
• Video players
• Other games

Optimize for high-end systems

Use a larger model:

ollama pull llama3.1:70b

A bigger model answers smarter but responds slower — if the wait gets annoying mid-game, step back down to an 8B.

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Troubleshooting Ollama

Error: “Connection refused”

Ollama isn’t running. Start it:

# Start Ollama
ollama serve

# Or on Linux
systemctl start ollama

Error: “Model not found”

The model name doesn’t match. Check what you have:

# List your models
ollama list

# Update config with the exact name
# Example: llama3.1:8b (not llama3.1 or llama3)

Error: “Timeout”

Model’s too heavy or your system’s too slow. Try:

1. Use a smaller model: ollama pull llama3.2:3b
2. Close background applications
3. Give Minecraft more RAM

Issue: Verity speaks Chinese (or other unexpected languages)

Small models like Qwen 2.5 1.5B sometimes randomly switch to Chinese or other languages mid-conversation. This is a known quirk of smaller models - they’re multilingual but don’t always stay in English.

Fixes:

1. Tell Verity to switch back: just say “speak English” and it usually will
2. Try a different model - larger models (8B+) tend to stick to English better
3. Restart Ollama and the world
4. If English-only matters to you, consider using cloud mode (Groq/OpenRouter) instead

This isn’t a bug - it’s just how small models behave. AI is unpredictable, especially at the lower end.

Issue: Very slow responses

Running on CPU instead of GPU. Fix:

1. Check GPU: nvidia-smi (should show ollama process)
2. Update GPU drivers
3. Use a smaller model

Issue: Out of memory

Model doesn’t fit in your RAM. Try:

1. Use a smaller model
2. Close background applications
3. Increase system swap space (Linux)
4. Upgrade RAM

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Advanced Configuration

Custom models

Create a custom model with specific personality:

# Create Modelfile
cat > VerityCustom <<EOF
FROM llama3.1:8b
SYSTEM "You are Verity, a helpful AI companion in Minecraft. Keep responses brief and friendly."
PARAMETER temperature 0.7
PARAMETER num_ctx 2048
EOF

# Build custom model
ollama create verity-custom -f VerityCustom

# Use in Minecraft
# Set the model name in the mod's AI settings to "verity-custom"

Multiple models

Switch between models easily:

# Download multiple models
ollama pull llama3.1:8b
ollama pull mistral:7b
ollama pull codellama:7b

# List all models
ollama list

# Switch in Minecraft config
# Just change the model name in the mod's AI settings

Network configuration

Change Ollama port:

export OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0:8080
ollama serve

Then update Minecraft config:

ollama_url = "http://localhost:8080"

Allow remote connections:

export OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0:11434
ollama serve

LiteLLM Proxy (Advanced)

Most users don’t need this. Skip this section if you just want Verity to work with Ollama directly.

LiteLLM is a Python proxy that sits between the Verity mod and Ollama. It can route requests to different backends or add extra processing. Varmite’s setup uses it, but it’s optional.

Setup (if you want it):

# Install Python 3.12 first (video recommends this version)
# Then install LiteLLM
pip install litellm

# Run the proxy pointing to your Ollama model
litellm --model ollama/qwen2.5:1.5b

The proxy starts on a port (shown in terminal). Update your Verity mod config to point to that port instead of Ollama directly. The Ollama URL in the mod must match exactly what LiteLLM shows.

Note: Video says “Light LLM” - this is LiteLLM (a Python library).

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Best Practices

1. Start with smaller models — Test with llama3.2:3b before trying larger ones
2. Monitor system resources — Watch RAM and CPU usage
3. Keep models updated — Run ollama pull [model] regularly
4. Backup your worlds — Before big mod or model changes
5. Test offline — Verify Ollama works without internet
6. Use GPU if available — Significantly faster responses

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Getting Help

Ollama Documentation

• Official docs: https://ollama.com/docs
• GitHub: https://github.com/ollama/ollama
• Discord: https://discord.gg/ollama

Verity Mod Support

• Discord: https://discord.gg/f6DpBDVjMq (invite also on the Modrinth and CurseForge pages)
• Check the troubleshooting guide

Community Resources

• Reddit: r/Ollama
• Minecraft forums
• YouTube tutorials

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Still Need Help?

Once Ollama is running and Verity responds in text, you might want actual voice output. The Voice Setup Guide covers connecting Fish Audio for TTS.

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Last updated: 2026-07-26 | Tested with Ollama v0.3.0 and Verity Mod v5.7.3 (Forge) / v3.4.1 (NeoForge)

By Verity Mod Hub Team · Last updated: July 2026