Setting up Providers

Karpa supports multiple AI backends. Here's how to set up each one.

LM Studio (Local)

LM Studio is the recommended local AI runtime.

1. Install LM Studio

Download from lmstudio.ai and install for your platform (macOS, Windows, Linux).

2. Download a model

1. Open the Search tab in LM Studio.
2. Search for a translation model (HY-MT1.5-7B recommended).
3. Download a quantized variant (e.g. Q4_K_M).

Quantized models (like Q4_K_M) are smaller and faster while keeping good translation quality. Perfect for local use.

3. Start the local server

1. Go to the Local Server tab.
2. Load your downloaded model.
3. Set the port to 1234.
4. Click Start Server.
5. Confirm the status shows running.

4. Connect Karpa

In Karpa's Settings → Connection, select LM Studio as your provider. The default URL (http://localhost:1234) should work if you kept the default port.

Ollama (Local)

Ollama is an alternative local runtime.

1. Install Ollama

Download from ollama.com and install.

2. Pull a model

ollama pull llama3.2
# or any other model that works well for translation

3. Make sure the Ollama server is running

Ollama runs a background server automatically on port 11434 when you use the CLI. Verify with:

curl http://localhost:11434/api/tags

4. Connect Karpa

In Karpa's Settings → Connection, select Ollama as your provider. The default URL (http://localhost:11434) should work.

OpenAI (Cloud)

1. Create an account at platform.openai.com.
2. Generate an API key in the Dashboard.
3. In Karpa's Settings → Connection, select OpenAI.
4. Enter your API key and choose a model (default: gpt-4o-mini).

Anthropic (Cloud)

1. Create an account at console.anthropic.com.
2. Generate an API key.
3. In Karpa's Settings → Connection, select Anthropic.
4. Enter your API key and choose a model (default: claude-sonnet-4-20250514).

Google Gemini (Cloud)

1. Get an API key from aistudio.google.com.
2. In Karpa's Settings → Connection, select Google Gemini.
3. Enter your API key and choose a model (default: gemini-2.0-flash).

OpenRouter (Cloud)

1. Create an account at openrouter.ai.
2. Generate an API key.
3. In Karpa's Settings → Connection, select OpenRouter.
4. Enter your API key and choose from 200+ models.

That's it — Karpa now translates using your chosen provider. You can switch providers anytime from Settings without restarting the app.