warning

This tutorial is a community contribution and is not supported by the Open WebUI team. It serves only as a demonstration on how to customize Open WebUI for your specific use case. Want to contribute? Check out the contributing tutorial.

One-Click Ollama + Open WebUI Launcher (Linux)

This tutorial shows you how to create a convenient desktop launcher that automatically starts both Ollama and Open WebUI services with a single click, then opens your browser to the correct local address. This is perfect for users who have Open WebUI installed in a conda environment and want a streamlined startup experience.

Prerequisites

Before starting this tutorial, ensure you have:

• Linux system with GNOME desktop environment (or compatible terminal)
• Ollama installed as a system service
• Open WebUI installed in a conda environment
• Basic terminal knowledge and sudo access

Overview

This solution creates three components:

1. A script to properly stop the Ollama service (prevents port conflicts)
2. A main startup script that launches both services in separate terminal tabs
3. A desktop entry for one-click access from your application menu

Step 1: Create the Ollama Stop Script

First, we'll create a script to cleanly stop the Ollama service. This prevents the common "address already in use" error when restarting Ollama.

Create a directory for your scripts and the stop script:

mkdir -p ~/ollama-open-webui
cd ~/ollama-open-webui

Create stop_ollama.sh:

nano stop_ollama.sh

Add the following content:

#!/bin/bash
systemctl stop ollama

Make the script executable:

chmod +x ~/ollama-open-webui/stop_ollama.sh

Step 2: Configure Sudo Permissions

To avoid entering your password every time the script runs, we'll configure sudo to allow passwordless execution of our stop script.

⚠️ Important: This step requires careful attention to security. Only grant permissions to the specific script path.

Open the sudo configuration:

sudo visudo

Add this line at the bottom of the file (replace yourusername with your actual username):

yourusername ALL=(ALL) NOPASSWD: /home/yourusername/ollama-open-webui/stop_ollama.sh

Save and exit the editor (in nano: Ctrl+X, then Y, then Enter).

Step 3: Create the Main Startup Script

Now create the main script that orchestrates the entire startup process.

Create start_services.sh:

nano ~/ollama-open-webui/start_services.sh

Add the following content (make sure to replace yourusername with your actual username and openwebui with your actual conda environment name):

#!/usr/bin/env bash
######################################################
#  A script to start up Ollama and Open WebUI       #
######################################################

# Stop Ollama service to prevent port conflicts
sudo /home/yourusername/ollama-open-webui/stop_ollama.sh

# Start Ollama in a new terminal tab
gnome-terminal --tab --title="Ollama" -- bash -i -c "
    echo 'Starting Ollama service...';
    ollama serve;
    exec bash
"

# Start Open WebUI in another new terminal tab
gnome-terminal --tab --title="Open-WebUI" -- bash -i -c "
    echo 'Activating conda environment and starting Open WebUI...';
    conda activate openwebui;
    open-webui serve;
    exec bash
"

# Open browser tab after services have time to start
gnome-terminal --tab --title="Browser" -- bash -i -c "
    echo 'Waiting for services to start...';
    sleep 5;
    echo 'Opening browser...';
    xdg-open http://localhost:8080/;
    exec bash
"

echo "All services are starting. Check the terminal tabs for status."

Make the script executable:

chmod +x ~/ollama-open-webui/start_services.sh

Step 4: Test the Script

Before creating the desktop entry, test your script to ensure it works:

~/ollama-open-webui/start_services.sh

You should see:

• Three new terminal tabs opening
• Ollama starting in the first tab
• Open WebUI starting in the second tab (after conda activation)
• Your default browser opening to http://localhost:8080/ after a 5-second delay

If there are any errors, check that:

• Your conda environment name is correct
• Ollama is properly installed
• Open WebUI is installed in the specified conda environment

Step 5: Create the Desktop Entry

Create a desktop entry file to make this accessible from your application menu:

nano ~/.local/share/applications/start_ollama_webui.desktop

Add the following content (replace yourusername with your actual username):

[Desktop Entry]
Name=Ollama + Open WebUI
Comment=Start Ollama and Open WebUI services with one click
Exec=/home/yourusername/ollama-open-webui/start_services.sh
Icon=utilities-terminal
Terminal=true
Type=Application
Categories=Development;Utility;

Make the desktop entry executable:

chmod +x ~/.local/share/applications/start_ollama_webui.desktop

Step 6: Optional Customizations

Custom Icon

You can download an Ollama icon and use it instead of the default terminal icon:

1. Download an icon (PNG format recommended) and save it as ~/ollama-open-webui/ollama_icon.png
2. Update the desktop entry's Icon= line to point to your icon:

   Icon=/home/yourusername/ollama-open-webui/ollama_icon.png

Different Terminal Emulator

If you're not using GNOME Terminal, modify the gnome-terminal commands in the startup script. For example:

• For Konsole (KDE): Replace gnome-terminal --tab --title="Title" with konsole --new-tab -e
• For xterm: Use xterm -T "Title" -e
• For Terminal (XFCE): Use xfce4-terminal --tab --title="Title" --command

Different Conda Environment

If your Open WebUI is installed in a different conda environment, update the environment name in the startup script:

conda activate your-environment-name;

Usage

After completing all steps:

1. From Application Menu: Search for "Ollama" or "Open WebUI" in your application launcher
2. From Desktop: If you copied the desktop entry to your desktop, double-click it
3. From Terminal: Run the script directly with ~/ollama-open-webui/start_services.sh

The launcher will:

• Stop any existing Ollama service
• Start Ollama in a new terminal tab
• Start Open WebUI in another terminal tab
• Automatically open your browser to the correct URL
• Keep all terminal tabs open so you can monitor the services

Troubleshooting

Permission Denied Errors

If you get permission denied errors:

• Ensure all scripts have execute permissions (chmod +x)
• Verify the sudo configuration is correct
• Check that file paths match your actual username

Services Don't Start

If services fail to start:

• Check that Ollama is properly installed system-wide
• Verify your conda environment name is correct
• Ensure Open WebUI is installed in the specified environment
• Look at the terminal output for specific error messages

Browser Doesn't Open

If the browser doesn't open automatically:

• Check that xdg-open is available on your system
• Try manually opening http://localhost:8080/ in your browser
• Increase the sleep duration in the script if services need more time to start

Different Desktop Environment

For non-GNOME environments:

• Replace gnome-terminal with your system's terminal emulator
• Adjust the command-line arguments as needed for your terminal
• Test the modified script before creating the desktop entry

Security Considerations

This setup requires sudo access for stopping the Ollama service. The sudo configuration is limited to a specific script to minimize security risks, but you should:

• Regularly review your sudo configuration
• Ensure the stop script only contains the necessary systemctl command
• Keep your scripts in a secure location with appropriate permissions

Conclusion

You now have a convenient one-click solution for starting your Ollama and Open WebUI setup! This approach is particularly useful for development workflows where you frequently start and stop these services.

The terminal tabs remain open so you can monitor service logs and easily stop the services when needed (Ctrl+C in each respective tab).