SillyTavern

SillyTavern is a locally installed interface for interacting with text-generation models, image-generation systems, and text-to-speech services. It does not provide hosted AI models itself.

The project began in February 2023 as a fork of TavernAI 1.2.8. It is distributed under the AGPL-3.0 license and is maintained as a community open-source project.

Users can connect local model servers or cloud providers, then manage characters, personas, prompts, chat histories, lorebooks, and generation settings from one interface.

SillyTavern supports chat-completion and text-completion workflows. Supported connections include OpenAI-compatible services, Claude, Google AI services, Mistral, OpenRouter, NovelAI, AI Horde, Kobold-family backends, Ollama, llama.cpp, and other providers.

Character tools support character cards, personas, group conversations, alternate greetings, branching chats, lorebooks, author notes, and customizable prompt formatting.

Built-in extensions provide chat translation, image captioning, image generation, chat summarization, vectorized chat retrieval, text-to-speech, quick replies, and token counting.

Additional extensions can add web search, speech recognition, code execution, LaTeX, Mermaid diagrams, live model interfaces, push notifications, and other functions.

SillyTavern is free to download and use. The project states that it does not provide hosted services and remains free and open source.

Users may still incur separate charges from connected AI providers, paid model services, image-generation APIs, voice providers, hosting services, or local hardware.

Pros

• Free and open-source under the AGPL-3.0 license.
• Connects to a wide range of local and cloud AI providers.
• Provides detailed control over prompts, context, presets, and generation parameters.
• Includes character cards, personas, lorebooks, group chats, and branching conversations.
• Supports extensibility through built-in, installable, and server-side plugins.
• Can run locally without requiring a SillyTavern-hosted account.

Cons

• Initial setup requires technical familiarity with Git, Node.js, APIs, or Docker.
• The application does not include an AI model or hosted inference service.
• Provider costs and usage limits depend on external services.
• The large configuration surface can overwhelm users seeking a simple chat app.
• Third-party extensions can introduce compatibility or security risks.

Comparable products include TavernAI, Agnaistic, Backyard AI, and Faraday. TavernAI and Agnaistic provide character-focused chat interfaces, while Backyard AI offers web and desktop character-chat experiences. Faraday focuses on local desktop roleplay.

SillyTavern is most suitable when users want provider flexibility, local control, prompt customization, and an extensible interface rather than a managed consumer chatbot.

Does SillyTavern generate responses by itself?

No. It is an interface that connects to local or cloud AI APIs. Users must configure a compatible provider or local model backend.

Is SillyTavern free?

Yes. The software is free and open source. Connected providers may charge separately for model usage.

Which operating systems support SillyTavern?

Official installation documentation covers Windows, Linux, macOS, Android through Termux, and Docker deployments.

Does SillyTavern have an API?

SillyTavern connects to external LLM, image, and voice APIs. It also supports extensions and server plugins that can add functionality and endpoints.

Is there a free trial?

There is no separate trial period because the SillyTavern software itself is free. Any trial or free allowance depends on the selected external provider.

Can SillyTavern run entirely locally?

Yes, when paired with a local model server such as Ollama, llama.cpp, KoboldCpp, or another supported backend. Hardware requirements then depend on the selected model.