CLI reference

The olace command manages your whole network from the terminal: models, pairing, settings, the Bridge, and chat itself. It is the same binary as the daemon, so every machine that runs Olace already has it. The install script puts olace on your PATH; if you installed the desktop app instead, the binary is at ~/.olace/bin/olace-daemon and every command below works through it.

Usage: olace <command> [options]

Common flows:

olace setup                 # install a local AI runtime
olace pull qwen3.5:4b       # download a model to this computer
olace signin                # add Olace cloud models and paired devices
olace pair                  # pair with another of your devices
olace bridge on             # serve your models at 127.0.0.1:5578/v1
olace status                # see everything at a glance

Conventions that apply across commands:

--json on read commands prints machine-readable output.
--yes skips confirmations on destructive commands.
Familiar aliases work: ls, get, rm, remove, delete, stop, login, logout.

Remote management with --device

--device <host> targets a paired host by its label or id prefix, and it works across the operational surface. A machine you can use is also a machine you can manage:

olace list --device home-pc                    # its model library
olace pull qwen3.5:14b --device home-pc        # install a model there
olace rm qwen3.5:14b --device home-pc          # remove one
olace unload --device home-pc                  # free its GPU memory
olace status --device home-pc                  # its daemon, tunnel, models
olace settings keep-alive 60 --device home-pc  # tune its runtime
olace logs --device home-pc                    # read its recent logs
olace bridge on --device home-pc               # serve its models to local apps
olace service restart --device home-pc         # restart its daemon
olace chat --device home-pc                    # chat on its models

Everything rides the same end-to-end encrypted pairing as inference. Two things stay host-local on purpose: bridge key (the API key never travels over the relay; set a paired host's port with bridge on --device --port <n>) and logs -f (remote logs are a snapshot; following is local-only).

Exit codes, for scripting: 0 success, 1 failure, 2 usage error, 3 not signed in, 4 network error, 5 daemon not running, 6 update required.

Account

Sign in or create an account with an email or phone code. Passwordless: --email <addr> or --phone <+number>, then a 6-digit one-time code. Offers to install the background service when it is not set up yet. Alias: login.

olace signout

Sign out and clear this machine's daemon state. This signs out the whole computer, including the desktop app, and clears pairing and bridge settings. Asks first; --yes skips. Alias: logout.

olace whoami

Show the signed-in account, plan, and credits. --json for scripts.

olace upgrade

Show your plan and how to upgrade it, with direct links.

olace devices

List devices signed in to your account. olace devices revoke <name> signs one out remotely and drops its pairings.

Models

olace setup

Check local AI runtimes and install one if missing, with your consent, showing the exact command first. --provider ollama|lms forces a choice.

olace list

List models on this machine plus Olace Cloud models when signed in, with size and capabilities. Works offline for local models. --device <host> lists a paired host's models.

olace pull

Download a model: olace pull qwen3.5:14b. The provider is inferred from the tag (: means Ollama, / means LM Studio); override with --provider ollama|lms|llamacpp, or qualify the tag as llamacpp/qwen3.5:14b. --device <host> installs on a paired host.

olace rm

Remove a model. Asks first; --yes skips. --device works here too.

olace unload

Free GPU memory now: olace unload frees everything, olace unload <model> just one. Models reload on next use.

Chat

olace chat

Chat with your local or remote models from the terminal.

olace chat                          # interactive, with your default model
olace chat qwen3.5:4b "explain recursion"    # one-shot
cat notes.md | olace chat qwen3.5:4b         # piped input

Flags: --model <id>, --device <host>, --direct (keep the turn on your devices, no cloud), --no-web, --think, -f/--file <path> to attach, --continue, --resume <needle>, --session <name>, --json for NDJSON output. Inside the REPL: /model, /attach, /think, /web, /direct, /save, /clear, /exit. olace chat list shows saved sessions.

Model ids take the same forms everywhere: ollama/qwen3.5:4b, lmstudio/google/gemma-4-e4b, home-pc/ollama/qwen3.5:14b, or a cloud model id.

Network

olace pair

Pair with your devices. Bare olace pair lists your other signed-in machines and pairs in one pick. olace pair --code shows a code and QR so another device can use this computer's models. olace pair claim <CODE> does the reverse.

olace pair list shows every pairing on your account, not just this computer's. Pairings between two of your other devices appear with the role elsewhere, and the list closes with how many of your plan's pairings are in use — so a full limit is legible here rather than only when a new pairing is refused. olace pair remove <name or id> releases one, including a pairing this computer is not part of, which is how you free a slot held by a device you no longer have. Unattended (--yes or no terminal), those must be addressed by pair id.

olace pair list --json returns {pairs, other_pairs, pairing_usage}.

olace bridge

Manage the Olace Bridge, the OpenAI-compatible endpoint at 127.0.0.1:5578/v1.

olace bridge                # status
olace bridge on             # enable; add --port <n> or --require-key
olace bridge off
olace bridge key --require-key    # mint a key (shown once)
olace bridge key --regenerate     # rotate it
olace bridge port 5578

status, on, and off accept --device <host>. key and port are host-local on purpose: the key never travels over the relay.

Machine

olace settings

Show and change model settings here or on a paired host: keep-alive <minutes|always>, auto-optimize <on|off>, context <auto|N>. See Configuration.

olace status

Service, daemon, tunnel, account, bridge, loaded models, and pairings at a glance. --device, --json.

olace logs

Recent daemon logs. -f to follow, -n <count>, --level <level>, --sub <subsystem>, --device <host>.

olace service

install, uninstall, restart, or status for the background service. See Daemon overview.

olace update

Update to the latest version: checks the release manifest, verifies the checksum, swaps the binary, restarts the service. --check only reports.

olace run

Run the daemon in the foreground, replacing the service instance. For debugging.

olace version

Print the version.