Getting Started with SillyTavern: A Complete Guide

Introduction

SillyTavern is a powerful frontend for interacting with various AI models. Whether you’re using OpenAI, Claude, or local models through Ollama, SillyTavern provides a consistent and feature-rich interface.

In this guide, we’ll cover everything you need to get started, from installation to creating your first character.

Prerequisites

Before we begin, make sure you have:

• Node.js 18 or higher installed
• Git (optional but recommended)
• An API key for your preferred AI service, OR a local model running

Installation

The easiest way to install SillyTavern is through Git:

git clone https://github.com/SillyTavern/SillyTavern.git
cd SillyTavern
npm install
npm start

Once started, open your browser and navigate to http://localhost:8000.

Connecting to an API

Click on the API Connections button in the top bar. Here you can configure various backends:

• OpenAI - For GPT-4, GPT-3.5, etc.
• Claude - Anthropic’s models
• Ollama - Local models
• And many more…

Creating Your First Character

Characters in SillyTavern are defined by a few key components:

1. Name - The character’s display name
2. Description - Background and personality
3. First Message - The opening message when starting a chat
4. Avatar - An image to represent the character

Conclusion

That’s the basics! SillyTavern has many more features to explore, including group chats, extensions, and advanced prompt formatting. Check out the official documentation for more details.