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HoloDesktop CLI needs a model to run a task. Hosted mode is the default; local mode kicks in the moment you pass a local base URL. The client and the agent are the same either way. The model ID holo3-1-35b-a3b works in both modes. The examples below use it throughout, so you can switch modes by changing only the base URL.

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Hosted mode

Sign in once:
This opens the H Platform in your browser. After sign-in, the CLI writes an API key to ~/.holo/.env. Check that the key is available:
You can also provide HAI_API_KEY through the process environment. When the key comes from the environment, holo whoami may not have a cached identity to print. To pick a model explicitly, pass its ID:
The larger holo3-122b-a10b is hosted only; there are no local weights. See the Models API for the model cards. MCP and ACP hosts launch the CLI non-interactively, so they cannot complete browser login. Run holo login in a terminal first, then restart the host so it sees the saved key.

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Local mode

Local mode runs Holo3.1 on your own machine or network. Bring up an OpenAI-compatible server, then point the CLI at it.

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Start a server

Follow Local inference in the Models API docs: it covers which size and precision to pick, memory needs, measured speed per hardware, and the tuned llama-server and vllm serve commands for Apple Silicon and DGX Spark.

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Connect the CLI

With the server running, open a new terminal and pass its address with --base-url. Local mode does not require holo login.
Need it faster still? holo run --fast takes one screenshot per step, skips thinking, and uploads smaller images. Expect lower accuracy on fiddly UIs; keep it for simple, well-known flows.

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Local mode from hosts

MCP and ACP hosts start the CLI over stdio and read model settings from the environment that launched the host. Set the server URL before the host starts:
When HAI_AGENT_RUNTIME_BASE_URL is set, MCP and ACP startup does not require HAI_API_KEY. Shell exports usually do not reach GUI apps launched from the Dock or Finder. If local mode works in your terminal but fails in a host, put both variables in the host’s own MCP or ACP environment config.

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Next steps

Local inference

Sizes, precisions, speed, and server commands.

Agent hosts

Wire local mode into an MCP or ACP host.