
llmfit-hardware-model-matcher
Terminal tool that detects your hardware and recommends which LLM models will actually run well on your system
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Install
Works with every agent the skills CLI supports.
npx skills add https://github.com/reason-machines/trending-skills --skill llmfit-hardware-model-matcher- 01
Install
Run the command in your project. The CLI asks which agents to install for.
- 02
Describe the task
Ask your agent for something this skill covers. It loads llmfit-hardware-model-matcher automatically when relevant.
- 03
Review the result
The agent follows the SKILL.md steps, scripts and references bundled with the skill.
SKILL.md
The instructions your agent reads when the skill is triggered.
llmfit Hardware Model Matcher
Skill by ara.so — Daily 2026 Skills collection.
llmfit detects your system's RAM, CPU, and GPU then scores hundreds of LLM models across quality, speed, fit, and context dimensions — telling you exactly which models will run well on your hardware. It ships with an interactive TUI and a CLI, supports multi-GPU, MoE architectures, dynamic quantization, and local runtime providers (Ollama, llama.cpp, MLX, Docker Model Runner).
Installation
macOS / Linux (Homebrew)
brew install llmfit
Quick install script
curl -fsSL https://llmfit.axjns.dev/install.sh | sh
# Without sudo, installs to ~/.local/bin
curl -fsSL https://llmfit.axjns.dev/install.sh | sh -s -- --local
Windows (Scoop)
scoop install llmfit
Docker / Podman
docker run ghcr.io/alexsjones/llmfit
# With jq for scripting
podman run ghcr.io/alexsjones/llmfit recommend --use-case coding | jq '.models[].name'
From source (Rust)
git clone https://github.com/AlexsJones/llmfit.git
cd llmfit
cargo build --release
# binary at target/release/llmfit
Core Concepts
- Fit tiers:
perfect(runs great),good(runs well),marginal(runs but tight),too_tight(won't run) - Scoring dimensions: quality, speed (tok/s estimate), fit (memory headroom), context capacity
- Run modes: GPU, CPU+GPU offload, CPU-only, MoE
- Quantization: automatically selects best quant (e.g. Q4_K_M, Q5_K_S, mlx-4bit) for your hardware
- Providers: Ollama, llama.cpp, MLX, Docker Model Runner
Key Commands
Launch Interactive TUI
llmfit
CLI Table Output
llmfit --cli
Show System Hardware Detection
llmfit system
llmfit --json system # JSON output
List All Models
llmfit list
Search Models
llmfit search "llama 8b"
llmfit search "mistral"
llmfit search "qwen coding"
Fit Analysis
# All runnable models ranked by fit
llmfit fit
# Only perfect fits, top 5
llmfit fit --perfect -n 5
# JSON output
llmfit --json fit -n 10
Model Detail
llmfit info "Mistral-7B"
llmfit info "Llama-3.1-70B"
Recommendations
# Top 5 recommendations (JSON default)
llmfit recommend --json --limit 5
# Filter by use case: general, coding, reasoning, chat, multimodal, embedding
llmfit recommend --json --use-case coding --limit 3
llmfit recommend --json --use-case reasoning --limit 5
Hardware Planning (invert: what hardware do I need?)
llmfit plan "Qwen/Qwen3-4B-MLX-4bit" --context 8192
llmfit plan "Qwen/Qwen3-4B-MLX-4bit" --context 8192 --quant mlx-4bit
llmfit plan "Qwen/Qwen3-4B-MLX-4bit" --context 8192 --target-tps 25 --json
llmfit plan "Qwen/Qwen2.5-Coder-0.5B-Instruct" --context 8192 --json
REST API Server (for cluster scheduling)
llmfit serve
llmfit serve --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8787
Hardware Overrides
When autodetection fails (VMs, broken nvidia-smi, passthrough setups):
# Override GPU VRAM
llmfit --memory=32G
llmfit --memory=24G --cli
llmfit --memory=24G fit --perfect -n 5
llmfit --memory=24G recommend --json
# Megabytes
llmfit --memory=32000M
# Works with any subcommand
llmfit --memory=16G info "Llama-3.1-70B"
Accepted suffixes: G/GB/GiB, M/MB/MiB, T/TB/TiB (case-insensitive).
Context Length Cap
# Estimate memory fit at 4K context
llmfit --max-context 4096 --cli
# With subcommands
llmfit --max-context 8192 fit --perfect -n 5
llmfit --max-context 16384 recommend --json --limit 5
# Environment variable alternative
export OLLAMA_CONTEXT_LENGTH=8192
llmfit recommend --json
REST API Reference
Start the server:
llmfit serve --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8787
Endpoints
# Health check
curl http://localhost:8787/health
# Node hardware info
curl http://localhost:8787/api/v1/system
# Full model list with filters
curl "http://localhost:8787/api/v1/models?min_fit=marginal&runtime=llamacpp&sort=score&limit=20"
# Top runnable models for this node (key scheduling endpoint)
curl "http://localhost:8787/api/v1/models/top?limit=5&min_fit=good&use_case=coding"
# Search by model name/provider
curl "http://localhost:8787/api/v1/models/Mistral?runtime=any"
Query Parameters for /models and /models/top
| Param | Values | Description |
|---|---|---|
limit / n | integer | Max rows returned |
min_fit | perfect|good|marginal|too_tight | Minimum fit tier |
perfect | true|false | Force perfect-only |
runtime | any|mlx|llamacpp | Filter by runtime |
use_case | general|coding|reasoning|chat|multimodal|embedding | Use case filter |
provider | string | Substring match on provider |
search | string | Free-text across name/provider/size/use-case |
sort | score|tps|params|mem|ctx|date|use_case | Sort column |
include_too_tight | true|false | Include non-runnable models |
max_context | integer | Per-request context cap |
Scripting & Automation Examples
Bash: Get top coding models as JSON
#!/bin/bash
# Get top 3 coding models that fit perfectly
llmfit recommend --json --use-case coding --limit 3 | \
jq -r '.models[] | "\(.name) (\(.score)) - \(.quantization)"'
Bash: Check if a specific model fits
#!/bin/bash
MODEL="Mistral-7B"
RESULT=$(llmfit info "$MODEL" --json 2>/dev/null)
FIT=$(echo "$RESULT" | jq -r '.fit')
if [[ "$FIT" == "perfect" || "$FIT" == "good" ]]; then
echo "$MODEL will run well (fit: $FIT)"
else
echo "$MODEL may not run well (fit: $FIT)"
fi
Bash: Auto-pull top Ollama model
#!/bin/bash
# Get the top fitting model name and pull it with Ollama
TOP_MODEL=$(llmfit recommend --json --limit 1 | jq -r '.models[0].name')
echo "Pulling: $TOP_MODEL"
ollama pull "$TOP_MODEL"
Python: Query the REST API
import requests
BASE_URL = "http://localhost:8787"
def get_system_info():
resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/api/v1/system")
return resp.json()
def get_top_models(use_case="coding", limit=5, min_fit="good"):
params = {
"use_case": use_case,
"limit": limit,
"min_fit": min_fit,
"sort": "score"
}
resp = requests.get(f"{BASE_URL}/api/v1/models/top", params=params)
return resp.json()
def search_models(query, runtime="any"):
resp = requests.get(
f"{BASE_URL}/api/v1/models/{query}",
params={"runtime": runtime}
)
return resp.json()
# Example usage
system = get_system_info()
print(f"GPU: {system.get('gpu_name')} | VRAM: {system.get('vram_gb')}GB")
models = get_top_models(use_case="reasoning", limit=3)
for m in models.get("models", []):
print(f"{m['name']}: score={m['score']}, fit={m['fit']}, quant={m['quantization']}")
Python: Hardware-aware model selector for agents
import subprocess
import json
def get_best_model_for_task(use_case: str, min_fit: str = "good") -> dict:
"""Use llmfit to select the best model for a given task."""
result = subprocess.run(
["llmfit", "recommend", "--json", "--use-case", use_case, "--limit", "1"],
capture_output=True,
text=True
)
data = json.loads(result.stdout)
models = data.get("models", [])
return models[0] if models else None
def plan_hardware_requirements(model_name: str, context: int = 4096) -> dict:
"""Get hardware requirements for running a specific model."""
result = subprocess.run(
["llmfit", "plan", model_name, "--context", str(context), "--json"],
capture_output=True,
text=True
)
return json.loads(result.stdout)
# Select best coding model
best = get_best_model_for_task("coding")
if best:
print(f"Best coding model: {best['name']}")
print(f" Quantization: {best['quantization']}")
print(f" Estimated tok/s: {best['tps']}")
print(f" Memory usage: {best['mem_pct']}%")
# Plan hardware for a specific model
plan = plan_hardware_requirements("Qwen/Qwen3-4B-MLX-4bit", context=8192)
print(f"Min VRAM needed: {plan['hardware']['min_vram_gb']}GB")
print(f"Recommended VRAM: {plan['hardware']['recommended_vram_gb']}GB")
Docker Compose: Node scheduler pattern
version: "3.8"
services:
llmfit-api:
image: ghcr.io/alexsjones/llmfit
command: serve --host 0.0.0.0 --port 8787
ports:
- "8787:8787"
environment:
- OLLAMA_CONTEXT_LENGTH=8192
devices:
- /dev/nvidia0:/dev/nvidia0 # pass GPU through
TUI Key Reference
| Key | Action |
|---|---|
↑/↓ or j/k | Navigate models |
/ | Search (name, provider, params, use case) |
Esc/Enter | Exit search |
Ctrl-U | Clear search |
f | Cycle fit filter: All → Runnable → Perfect → Good → Marginal |
a | Cycle availability: All → GGUF Avail → Installed |
s | Cycle sort: Score → Params → Mem% → Ctx → Date → Use Case |
t | Cycle color theme (auto-saved) |
v | Visual mode (multi-select for comparison) |
V | Select mode (column-based filtering) |
p | Plan mode (what hardware needed for this model?) |
P | Provider filter popup |
U | Use-case filter popup |
C | Capability filter popup |
m | Mark model for comparison |
c | Compare view (marked vs selected) |
d | Download model (via detected runtime) |
r | Refresh installed models from runtimes |
Enter | Toggle detail view |
g/G | Jump to top/bottom |
q | Quit |
Themes
t cycles: Default → Dracula → Solarized → Nord → Monokai → Gruvbox
Theme saved to ~/.config/llmfit/theme
GPU Detection Details
| GPU Vendor | Detection Method |
|---|---|
| NVIDIA | nvidia-smi (multi-GPU, aggregates VRAM) |
| AMD | rocm-smi |
| Intel Arc | sysfs (discrete) / lspci (integrated) |
| Apple Silicon | system_profiler (unified memory = VRAM) |
| Ascend | npu-smi |
Common Patterns
"What can I run on my 16GB M2 Mac?"
llmfit fit --perfect -n 10
# or interactively
llmfit
# press 'f' to filter to Perfect fit
"I have a 3090 (24GB VRAM), what coding models fit?"
llmfit recommend --json --use-case coding | jq '.models[]'
# or with manual override if detection fails
llmfit --memory=24G recommend --json --use-case coding
"Can Llama 70B run on my machine?"
llmfit info "Llama-3.1-70B"
# Plan what hardware you'd need
llmfit plan "Llama-3.1-70B" --context 4096 --json
"Show me only models already installed in Ollama"
llmfit
# press 'a' to cycle to Installed filter
# or
llmfit fit -n 20 # run, press 'i' in TUI for installed-first
"Script: find best model and start Ollama"
MODEL=$(llmfit recommend --json --limit 1 | jq -r '.models[0].name')
ollama serve &
ollama run "$MODEL"
"API: poll node capabilities for cluster scheduler"
# Check node, get top 3 good+ models for reasoning
curl -s "http://node1:8787/api/v1/models/top?limit=3&min_fit=good&use_case=reasoning" | \
jq '.models[].name'
Troubleshooting
GPU not detected / wrong VRAM reported
# Verify detection
llmfit system
# Manual override
llmfit --memory=24G --cli
nvidia-smi not found but you have an NVIDIA GPU
# Install CUDA toolkit or nvidia-utils, then retry
# Or override manually:
llmfit --memory=8G fit --perfect
Models show as too_tight but you have enough RAM
# llmfit may be using context-inflated estimates; cap context
llmfit --max-context 2048 fit --perfect -n 10
REST API: test endpoints
# Spawn server and run validation suite
python3 scripts/test_api.py --spawn
# Test already-running server
python3 scripts/test_api.py --base-url http://127.0.0.1:8787
Apple Silicon: VRAM shows as system RAM (expected)
# This is correct — Apple Silicon uses unified memory
# llmfit accounts for this automatically
llmfit system # should show backend: Metal
Context length environment variable
export OLLAMA_CONTEXT_LENGTH=4096
llmfit recommend --json # uses 4096 as context cap
FAQ
What does the llmfit-hardware-model-matcher skill do?
Terminal tool that detects your hardware and recommends which LLM models will actually run well on your system
How do I install llmfit-hardware-model-matcher?
Run npx skills add https://github.com/reason-machines/trending-skills --skill llmfit-hardware-model-matcher in your project. The skills CLI detects the agents you use and copies the skill into the right folder. For Claude Code you can also place the skill folder at ~/.claude/skills/llmfit-hardware-model-matcher/ (personal) or .claude/skills/llmfit-hardware-model-matcher/ (project).
Which AI agents can use llmfit-hardware-model-matcher?
Any agent that supports the open Agent Skills format (a folder with a SKILL.md file), including Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, Windsurf, Cline, OpenCode and more.
Is llmfit-hardware-model-matcher safe to install?
No partner security audit is available yet. Skills can run commands and scripts, so read the SKILL.md and any bundled files before installing.
Who maintains llmfit-hardware-model-matcher?
It is published by reason-machines in reason-machines/trending-skills. It has 1,404 recorded installs.
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