chroma-core/chroma · error · Error

Please install the ollama package to use the OllamaEmbedding

Error message

Please install the ollama package to use the OllamaEmbeddingFunction, `npm install -S ollama`

What it means

OllamaEmbeddingFunction.initClient() lazily dynamic-imports the optional ollama npm package on the first generate() call and constructs new ollama.Ollama({ host: this.url }). If the import fails with MODULE_NOT_FOUND, this install-hint error is thrown; other errors are re-thrown unchanged. The package is optional so chromadb-core does not force it on users of other providers.

Source

Thrown at clients/js/packages/chromadb-core/src/embeddings/OllamaEmbeddingFunction.ts:38

    // for the openai npm package, and the constructor can not be async
    if (url && url.endsWith("/api/embeddings")) {
      this.url = url.slice(0, -"/api/embeddings".length);
    } else {
      this.url = url;
    }
    this.model = model;
  }

  private async initClient() {
    if (this.ollamaClient) return;
    try {
      // @ts-ignore
      const { ollama } = await OllamaEmbeddingFunction.import();
      this.ollamaClient = new ollama.Ollama({ host: this.url });
    } catch (e) {
      // @ts-ignore
      if (e.code === "MODULE_NOT_FOUND") {
        throw new Error(
          "Please install the ollama package to use the OllamaEmbeddingFunction, `npm install -S ollama`",
        );
      }
      throw e;
    }
  }

  /** @ignore */
  static async import(): Promise<{
    // @ts-ignore
    ollama: typeof import("ollama");
  }> {
    try {
      // @ts-ignore
      const { ollama } = await import("ollama").then((m) => ({ ollama: m }));
      // @ts-ignore
      return { ollama };
    } catch (e) {

View on GitHub (pinned to aecdd12c8a)

Solutions

npm install -S ollama in the app that runs the client, then retry
If installed but failing, test the import directly: node -e "import('ollama').then(()=>console.log('ok'),e=>console.error(e))"
Verify the Ollama server itself is reachable at the configured url once the package imports cleanly
Use an explicit different embedding function if you do not want the dependency

Example fix

// before
const ef = new OllamaEmbeddingFunction({ url: "http://localhost:11434", model: "nomic-embed-text" });
await ef.generate(["ping"]); // -> Please install the ollama package...

// after
// $ npm install -S ollama
await ef.generate(["ping"]); // ok

Defensive patterns

Strategy: validation

Validate before calling

async function ollamaPkgAvailable(): Promise<boolean> {
  try {
    await import("ollama");
    return true;
  } catch {
    return false;
  }
}
// before using the Ollama embedding function:
if (!(await ollamaPkgAvailable())) throw new Error("Install the ollama npm package (and ensure the Ollama server is running)");

Try / catch

try {
  await collection.add({ ids, documents });
} catch (e) {
  if (e instanceof Error && /install the ollama package/.test(e.message)) {
    // dependency missing: install it or switch embedding function
  }
  throw e;
}

Prevention

Add the ollama package as an explicit dependency if you use that embedding function
Smoke-test generate(["ping"]) at startup — it also surfaces a down Ollama server early
Keep the Ollama server URL in validated config, not ad-hoc strings

When it happens

Trigger: Creating a collection with the Ollama embedding function and triggering the first generate()/add() in a project where the ollama npm package is not installed (the Ollama server being down is a separate, later failure).

Common situations: Installing chromadb without the ollama client package; monorepo hoisting dropping optional deps; bundler builds where the error lacks .code (a raw error appears instead); slim Docker images.

Related errors

AI-assisted analysis of chroma-core/chroma@aecdd12c8a (2026-08-16). Data as JSON: /api/errors/6ced64895cb314be. Report an issue: GitHub.