# ModelDeck 0.8.0-beta.1 (build 1)

ModelDeck is a Mac app for running local AI models and seeing what they do on every turn. This is a beta release for Macs with Apple silicon.

## In this beta

- Finds the GGUF, MLX and Splash models already on your Mac, and runs them with llama.cpp, MLX or Splash.
- Tells you whether a model fits in memory before you load it, counting memory that other apps use.
- Plain load settings, with the exact engine command one click away.
- Streaming chat with time to first token and tokens per second on every turn, plus reasoning, tool calls, edit and regenerate.
- An inspector with the exact request, stream, response and timing behind any reply.
- A local OpenAI-compatible endpoint for your tools, on this Mac only, with a per-request log, an optional API key, loading on first request and unloading when idle.
- Hugging Face search, with resumable downloads and a checksum check.
- Benchmarks on your own Mac, plus a decision lab and test suites for scoring models.
- ⌘K for commands and ⌘L to load a model.
- Close the window and the server keeps answering from the menu bar.
- ModelDeck sends no telemetry.

## Engines are installed separately

ModelDeck does not include model engines or models. Install the engines for the models you want to run:

- **GGUF models:** install llama.cpp with Homebrew (`brew install llama.cpp`). ModelDeck uses its `llama-server`.
- **Splash models:** install Splash with Homebrew (`brew install incoai/tap/splash`).
- **MLX models:** ModelDeck offers to set up a private Python environment in `~/.modeldeck/mlx-venv` the first time you load an MLX model. It shows the commands first and runs them only if you agree. It needs Python 3.10 or newer for Apple silicon, for example `brew install python` or the macOS installer from python.org. ModelDeck finds it but never installs Python itself. The setup downloads `mlx-lm` 0.32 from the Python Package Index (pypi.org), about 300 MB plus dependencies.

## Requirements

- A Mac with Apple silicon. Intel Macs are not supported.
- macOS 13 Ventura or later. This floor comes from the app framework. Testing so far has been on macOS 27.
- Disk space and memory for the models you choose. ModelDeck shows whether a model fits before you load it.

## Install

1. Open the downloaded disk image.
2. Drag ModelDeck to Applications.
3. Open ModelDeck from Applications.

To check the download, run `shasum -a 256` on the disk image and compare the result with the SHA-256 on the download page or in the `.sha256` file next to the download.

## Known limitations

- This is beta software. Expect rough edges, and verify model outputs before relying on them.
- No automatic updates. Check the ModelDeck site for new versions.
- Apple silicon only.
- Engines and models are installed separately, as described above.

## Network use

ModelDeck sends no telemetry. Discover connects to Hugging Face when you browse, search or download models, and the MLX setup, which runs only after you approve it, downloads `mlx-lm` from the Python Package Index (pypi.org). Models run on your Mac.