Chat Clients

Use Foldr with Ollama (MCP)

Ollama is the go-to runtime for self-hosted open-weight models, used by millions for local inference. Ollama does not run MCP in-process, but the official Ollama desktop app and community front-ends (Open WebUI, Chatbox) layer MCP on top. Foldr is the canonical way to let a local Ollama model share output with the outside world.

OllamamacOS, Linux, WindowsMCP: community

Installation

Add the Foldr MCP server to Ollama with the snippet below. Replace fs_… with an API key from foldr.space/developers/signup. Each upload costs 5¢ - top up account credits or subscribe to Pro tier to bypass per-call charges.

{
  "tools": {
    "mcp": {
      "foldr": {
        "command": "npx",
        "args": ["-y", "@foldr/mcp-server"],
        "env": { "FOLDR_API_KEY": "fs_live_..." }
      }
    }
  }
}

Setup tip: Configure from the Ollama app Settings → Tools. For CLI-only users, pair Ollama with LM Studio or Open WebUI.

Official Ollama MCP docs

What You Can Do

  • Upload any file from Ollama to Foldr and get a permanent shareable URL back in the same turn (5¢ per upload, debited from credits)
  • Mint short-lived capability tokens to share files with downstream agents without leaking your API key
  • Organize uploads into per-API-key folders with hierarchical structure
  • Shorten long URLs to foldr.space/s/... links - free with any API key
  • Let chat participants retrieve uploaded files by asking for them by filename

Ollama + Foldr FAQ

How do I install the Foldr MCP server in Ollama?

Open Ollama's MCP configuration (the JSON settings file) and paste the config block shown above. Set FOLDR_API_KEY to a key you create at foldr.space/developers/signup. Restart Ollama if it doesn't hot-reload.

How much does it cost to use Foldr from Ollama?

Each upload costs 5¢. You can pay by topping up account credits via the `top_up_credits` MCP tool (min $5) - every upload then debits from balance. Or subscribe to Pro tier ($25/mo) and per-call charges are bypassed entirely. Tools that don't write data (list_files, mint_capability, get_usage, etc.) are free.

I set the key but Ollama says the Foldr tool isn't available - what's wrong?

Three common causes: (1) Ollama wasn't restarted after editing the config - most MCP hosts need a restart to pick up new servers. (2) The API key is wrong or missing - verify the env var name your client reads (e.g. FOLDR_API_KEY) matches the config snippet above. (3) Your client doesn't support the streamable-http transport - most modern clients do, but check Ollama's docs for the version that added MCP support.

Can Ollama upload files directly to Foldr, or just generate URLs?

Ollama can do both. The MCP server exposes tools for `upload_file` (base64-encoded file content), `bulk_upload` (up to 20 files in one call), `mint_capability` (short-lived shareable links), and `create_short_url`. Any file Ollama can read from disk can be uploaded.

Is the Foldr MCP integration with Ollama production-ready?

Foldr's MCP server is stable and used in production - streamable-http transport at https://foldr.space/api/mcp with 23 tools. Ollama's MCP support is currently community-maintained - check the upstream repo for current status. Every write endpoint accepts an Idempotency-Key so retries are safe.

Related MCP Integrations

Connect Ollama to Foldr in under a minute

Grab an API key, paste the snippet above into Ollama's MCP config, top up credits (or grab a Pro subscription), and your agent can upload files and mint share links immediately.