Install the Screensaver Worker
The ModelReins Companion is a screensaver that doubles as a fleet worker. When your machine is idle, it picks up jobs and runs them locally with Ollama. When you come back, it gets out of the way.
Why this is the easiest first worker
Section titled “Why this is the easiest first worker”- One installer, no shell config
- Auto-pulls a small useful model (
qwen2.5:7b, ~4 GB) on first run - Real OS screensaver registration — works with your existing power settings
- Beautiful split-screen dashboard while it runs (your activity + the fleet)
Install
Section titled “Install”- Grab the installer:
- Windows: Download ModelReins.exe (~90 MB)
- macOS and Linux are on the roadmap. Windows is fully supported today.
- Run it. Standard installer flow.
- On first launch, the setup window asks for:
- ModelReins URL —
https://app.modelreins.com(default) - API token — paste from app.modelreins.com/settings/api-keys
- Worker name — defaults to your hostname; change if you want
- ModelReins URL —
What happens after setup
Section titled “What happens after setup”The companion checks for Ollama at 127.0.0.1:11434:
| State | What happens |
|---|---|
| Ollama not installed | Companion runs in screensaver-only mode. Install Ollama from ollama.com, then restart the companion. |
| Ollama installed, no models | Companion auto-pulls qwen2.5:7b. ~4 GB, one-time, takes a few minutes. The worker comes online when it finishes. |
| Ollama installed with models | Companion picks the largest installed model. Worker comes online immediately. |
What the dual dash shows
Section titled “What the dual dash shows”When the screensaver activates (your OS idle threshold), you see:
Left pane — YOU
- Your worker name + model
- Status (idle / working / streaming)
- Today’s jobs / tokens / cost / uptime
- Active job card (prompt preview when running)
- Recent jobs (your last 6)
- Lifetime jobs + tokens
Right pane — FLEET
- Carousels through ambient pages: fleet, jobs, metrics, leaderboard, audit, review queue, lessons learned, trends, providers, in memoriam, event log
- Auto-rotates every 8 seconds, skips empty pages
Press Esc or move the mouse to dismiss.
Setting it as your real screensaver
Section titled “Setting it as your real screensaver”After install, the companion registers itself with your OS screensaver system:
- Windows: copies a
.scrtoSystem32and sets the registry. Open Settings → Personalization → Lock Screen → Screen saver settings to confirm “ModelReins” is selected.
If you’d rather just run it in the foreground without OS integration, launch the app and it’ll show whenever the OS idle event fires.
Choosing a different model
Section titled “Choosing a different model”The default is qwen2.5:7b because it’s the best per-byte intelligence in the small class. Want something else?
# Set the env var, then restart the companionexport MODELREINS_DEFAULT_MODEL=llama3.2:3bOr pull a model manually with ollama pull <name> and the companion will pick it up.
Troubleshooting
Section titled “Troubleshooting”Companion shows “screensaver-only” instead of “Ready”
Ollama isn’t running. Install from ollama.com, confirm curl http://127.0.0.1:11434/api/tags works, restart the companion.
Auto-pull fails
Disk space, network, or Ollama daemon issue. Run ollama pull qwen2.5:7b manually and restart the companion.
Worker shows offline in the saddle Check the companion’s tray icon — it should be there. If not, the app crashed. Logs are in your OS app logs directory.