What is elsieOS?
An operating system with one job: running AI on one NVIDIA graphics card. Chat models and ComfyUI share the card under one GPU manager, models switch in about a second, and updates that fail roll themselves back. It has no desktop; you use it from your other computers and apps.
Can I install it?
Not yet. elsieOS is in development and runs on its test machine. The installer comes in phase 7 (roadmap). Follow r/elsieOS or @getElsieOS to hear about test builds, and join the beta to be invited as a tester.
Which graphics cards does it support?
NVIDIA cards, because the AI programs it runs depend on NVIDIA's driver and CUDA. So far it is tested on an RTX 5090 (32 GB); RTX 30 and 40 series cards will be tested before release. AMD cards may come later.
Fast switching works best with plenty of RAM and a fast PCIe slot: parked models wait in RAM.
Does it replace Ollama?
For the apps that use it, yes. elsieOS speaks Ollama's API on the same port (11434) and
the OpenAI-style API, so apps made for Ollama work without changes. elsie models import brings your
models over from an existing Ollama install. Underneath, the models run on llama.cpp.
Which models can it run?
Models in GGUF format, the format llama.cpp and Ollama use, including models that read images. ComfyUI runs its own workflows and models for images and video.
How fast is switching, really?
On the test machine about 1 second per request, answer included, between a 24B and a 27B model that do not fit on the card together. Ollama on the same machine took 1.6-3 s with the model in RAM and 5-11 s from the SSD. Details on the benchmarks page.
Can I keep my current system?
elsieOS goes on its own drive. On the test machine it sits on a second SSD next to the existing system, and the firmware's boot menu decides which one starts.
How do I use it without a desktop?
Your apps talk to its API over the network. You set it up and manage it over SSH with the
elsie command (elsie setup, elsie models, elsie apps,
elsie update). A web dashboard is part of version 1.
Can I reach it from outside my home?
Yes: Tailscale is built in, and SSH tunnels work too. SSH only accepts keys, and by default the model server answers only this machine, your home network and your Tailscale network.
What happens if an update goes wrong?
The new version is written next to the one you run. If it fails to start cleanly three times, the machine starts the previous version by itself. How it works.
Does it phone home?
No. No telemetry, no tracking and no account. The same goes for this website: no cookies, no analytics, nothing loaded from other sites (privacy).
Is it open source?
The licence will be announced when the code is published on GitHub.