ollama - 💡(How to fix) Fix Feature: Improve CLI help output with more examples [1 participants]

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ollama/ollama#14635Fetched 2026-04-08 00:33:30
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Problem

The ollama --help and command-specific help outputs provide basic information about commands, but they do not include many practical usage examples.

For new users, it can be difficult to quickly understand how to use commands like run, pull, serve, and list.

Proposed Solution

Enhance the CLI help output by adding example usages for common commands.

Example:

ollama run llama3 ollama pull llama3 ollama list ollama serve

Benefits

  • Improves developer experience for new users
  • Makes the CLI more self-explanatory
  • Reduces the need to check external documentation

Additional Context

Many CLI tools include examples directly in their help output, which helps users quickly understand typical workflows.

extent analysis

Fix Plan

To enhance the CLI help output, we will modify the command handlers to include example usages.

Steps:

  • Update the --help handler to include a section for examples
  • Add example usages for each command (run, pull, serve, list)

Example Code:

import click

@click.group()
def ollama():
    pass

@ollama.command()
@click.argument('name')
def run(name):
    """Run a command"""
    # command implementation
    pass

@ollama.command()
@click.argument('name')
def pull(name):
    """Pull a command"""
    # command implementation
    pass

@ollama.command()
def list():
    """List commands"""
    # command implementation
    pass

@ollama.command()
def serve():
    """Serve commands"""
    # command implementation
    pass

# Update the --help handler to include examples
@ollama.command()
def help():
    """Display help"""
    click.echo("ollama --help")
    click.echo("ollama run <name>  # Run a command")
    click.echo("ollama pull <name> # Pull a command")
    click.echo("ollama list        # List commands")
    click.echo("ollama serve       # Serve commands")

# Alternatively, use the click help system
@ollama.command()
@click.argument('name')
def run(name):
    """Run a command

    Examples:
        ollama run llama3
    """
    # command implementation
    pass

# Repeat for other commands

Verification

To verify the fix, run the ollama --help command and check that the example usages are displayed.

Extra Tips

  • Use the click library's built-in help system to generate help output
  • Keep example usages concise and relevant to common use cases
  • Consider adding a link to external documentation for more detailed information

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ollama - 💡(How to fix) Fix Feature: Improve CLI help output with more examples [1 participants]