This document is targeted for macOS applications, but the idea could easily be transferred to other operating systems.

Starting InstructLab on your local laptop is hard. It requires a significant amount of python knowledge and terminal work, that is unrealistic for a non technologist to use. Having to install git specific versions of python and xcode requires a level of expertise that will create barriers of adoption to the InstructLab project.

ollama has a macOS application that is a double-click installation for their server to run the commands locally. We propose creating the same "system bar" application, with the ability to run ilab model serve in the background and a possible way to do ilab model chat from said application.

Having the ilab dog up in the system bar telling you that ilab model serve is running, could open up the opportunity to have a model open to ask a quick question to the local model, and even an ability to open up a "long-running" conversation via a web browser or the like.

1. Create a simple MVP of starting the ilab model serve application, with controls for the serve options, including what model you'd like to run, i.e. Granite or Merlinite.
2. Create an option to ask a quick question (-qq option) to the via the drop-down
3. Create a ilab model chat type interface via a window or web browser.