Verified project record

mozilla-ai/llamafile

A single-file executable that packages open large language models and speech-to-text tools to run locally on most operating systems and CPU architectures without installation. It accepts GGUF models and audio files as input, producing generated text, transcriptions, and translations entirely on-device.

Project overview

Project type: Model Runtime
Use cases: Chat Assistants · Meeting Notes · Audio & Speech
Deployment: Refer to project documentation
License: License pending

Best for

Developers and general users who need to run GGUF models or transcribe audio locally via a CLI without installation procedures.
Environments requiring an entirely local data boundary with no dependency on paid external services.

Key capabilities

Collapses all the complexity of large language models down to a single-file executable that runs locally on most operating systems and CPU architectures with no installation.
A single-file speech-to-text tool built on whisper.cpp supporting transcription and translation of audio files across supported platforms with no installation required.

Limitations and risks

Only executables under 4GB can run on Windows; larger files will not work directly without external weights.
Version 0.10.* uses a new build system that might be missing some features from previous versions.

Getting started

Users can get started by downloading the example model llamafile, making it executable (chmod +x), and running the executable.

Evidence and sources

GitHub project description: Distribute and run LLMs with a single file.
README: combining [llama.cpp](https://github.com/ggerganov/llama.cpp) with [Cosmopolitan Libc](https://github.com/jart/cosmopolitan) into one framework that collapses all the complexity o…
README: llamafile lets you distribute and run LLMs with a single file.
README: llamafile also includes **[whisperfile](https://docs.mozilla.ai/llamafile/whisperfile)**, a single-file speech-to-text tool built on [whisper.cpp](https://github.com/ggerganog/whi…
README: Download and run your first llamafile in minutes:

Reviewed at: 2026-07-17T10:43:19Z