Remote ollama Model

[lohitslohit]

Is there a way to connect a remote Ollama instance (running on another machine/server) to VS Code Chat so that it can be used for MCP-based tool calling?

[alefragnani]

Hi @lohitslohit ,

I'm not entirely sure, but It seems possible, using the github.copilot.chat.ollama.endpoint setting. Worth a try.

BTW, for further questions about VS Code usage, you should use Stack Overflow, which is the official channel accordingly to the VS Code documentation. This discussion forum is intended to extension development only, for now.

Hope this helps

[himalbhattaraiofficial]

Hi! Yes, you can connect a remote Ollama instance to VS Code Chat. Here's how to set it up:

Setup Steps

1. Configure Remote Ollama Server

First, ensure your remote Ollama instance is accessible over the network:

On your remote machine/server:

1. Set Ollama to listen on all interfaces (not just localhost):

   # Set environment variable
   export OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0:11434
   
   # Start Ollama
   ollama serve

2. Or configure it permanently by editing the Ollama service:

   # For systemd (Linux)
   sudo systemctl edit ollama.service

   Add these lines:

   [Service]
   Environment="OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0:11434"

   Then restart:

   sudo systemctl daemon-reload
   sudo systemctl restart ollama

3. Important: Make sure port 11434 is open in your firewall:

   # Example for UFW (Ubuntu)
   sudo ufw allow 11434/tcp

2. Configure VS Code to Use Remote Ollama

In VS Code settings:

1. Open VS Code Settings (Ctrl+, or Cmd+,)
2. Search for "chat" or "ollama"
3. Look for settings related to language model providers

Or configure via settings.json:

{
  "chat.models": [
    {
      "provider": "ollama",
      "model": "llama2",  // or your preferred model
      "endpoint": "http://YOUR_REMOTE_IP:11434"
    }
  ]
}

3. For MCP (Model Context Protocol) Integration

If you're specifically using MCP for tool calling:

1. Install the MCP extension in VS Code if not already installed
2. Configure your MCP settings to point to the remote Ollama endpoint:

{
  "mcp.providers": [
    {
      "name": "remote-ollama",
      "type": "ollama",
      "baseUrl": "http://YOUR_REMOTE_IP:11434",
      "models": ["llama2", "codellama"]  // Your available models
    }
  ]
}

4. Test the Connection

1. Open VS Code Chat (Ctrl+Shift+I or Cmd+Shift+I)
2. Try sending a message
3. Check if the remote Ollama is responding

You can also test the connection directly:

curl http://YOUR_REMOTE_IP:11434/api/tags

This should return a list of available models if the connection is working.

Security Considerations

⚠️ Important: Exposing Ollama on 0.0.0.0 makes it accessible to anyone who can reach that IP. Consider:

1. Use a VPN or SSH tunnel for secure access:

   # SSH tunnel example
   ssh -L 11434:localhost:11434 user@remote-server

   Then use http://localhost:11434 in VS Code

2. Use a reverse proxy (nginx/Caddy) with authentication

3. Restrict firewall rules to only your IP address

Troubleshooting

If it doesn't work:

1. Check Ollama is running:

   # On remote machine
   curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags

2. Verify network connectivity:

   # From your local machine
   telnet YOUR_REMOTE_IP 11434
   # or
   nc -zv YOUR_REMOTE_IP 11434

3. Check VS Code extension logs:

   • Open Output panel (Ctrl+Shift+U)
   • Select "Chat" or "MCP" from dropdown

4. Ensure models are pulled:

   # On remote machine
   ollama pull llama2
   ollama list

Alternative Approach: Using Continue.dev

If the built-in VS Code Chat doesn't support remote Ollama well, consider using the Continue extension:

1. Install "Continue" extension from VS Code marketplace
2. Configure it with remote Ollama:

// ~/.continue/config.json
{
  "models": [
    {
      "title": "Remote Llama2",
      "provider": "ollama",
      "model": "llama2",
      "apiBase": "http://YOUR_REMOTE_IP:11434"
    }
  ]
}

Continue has excellent support for remote Ollama instances and MCP-style tool calling.

Additional Resources

• Ollama API Documentation
• VS Code Chat Documentation
• Continue Extension

[oldregime]

Yes! You can connect a remote Ollama instance to VS Code for use with MCP-based tool calling.

Setting up Remote Ollama:

1. On your remote server, start Ollama with the host binding:

   OLLAMA_HOST=0.0.0.0:11434 ollama serve

2. In VS Code, you can configure the Ollama endpoint in your settings. The exact configuration depends on which extension you are using:

   For Continue extension:

   {
     "models": [{
       "provider": "ollama",
       "model": "llama2",
       "apiBase": "http://your-server-ip:11434"
     }]
   }

   For other Ollama-compatible extensions, look for an apiBase, baseUrl, or endpoint setting.

3. Make sure the port 11434 is accessible (check firewall rules on your server).

For MCP tool calling specifically:
MCP (Model Context Protocol) support depends on the specific extension implementing it. Extensions like Continue and some others support MCP tools with Ollama models that have function/tool calling capabilities (like llama3.1, mistral, etc.).

Security note: If exposing Ollama over a network, consider using a reverse proxy with authentication or SSH tunneling rather than exposing it directly.

Hope this helps!