Local runtime - Element Labs, Inc. - verified
LM Studio: install, API, platforms and features
LM Studio is a local LLM runtime from Element Labs, Inc. As its docs describe it: People who want a desktop app with a chat interface for downloading and running GGUF and MLX models locally, plus a local OpenAI-compatible server and a headless daemon (llmster) for servers and CI. The latest release is 0.4.26, published October 13, 2026. License: LM Studio Terms of Use for the app, MIT for the lms CLI (not open source).
Homepage - LM Studio Terms of Use for the app, MIT for the lms CLI
- Latest release
- 0.4.26
- Released
- 2026-10-13
- License
- Not open source
- OpenAI API
- Yes
Install
Copied verbatim from the page linked under each command. Labels are worded as the source words them.
macOS / Linux (llmster headless daemon)
curl -fsSL https://lmstudio.ai/install.sh | bashSource: lmstudio.ai/download
Windows (llmster headless daemon)
irm https://lmstudio.ai/install.ps1 | iexSource: lmstudio.ai/download
Run a model
The first-run example from the official docs. OpenAI-compatible endpoint: http://localhost:1234/v1
lms load openai/gpt-oss-20bFeatures
What the LM Studio docs say it supports. Not stated means the docs do not say either way.
| Feature | Value | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Interface | Desktop app, CLI, Server | See sources below |
| Platforms | macOS, Windows, Linux | lmstudio.ai/docs/app/system-requirements |
| Backends | CPU, CUDA, Vulkan, ROCm, Metal | lmstudio.ai/blog/lmstudio-v0.3.9 |
| Model formats | GGUF, MLX | lmstudio.ai/docs/app |
| OpenAI-compatible API | Yeshttp://localhost:1234/v1 | lmstudio.ai/docs/developer/openai-compat |
| Anthropic-compatible API | Yes | lmstudio.ai/docs/developer/anthropic-compat |
| Tool calling | Yes | lmstudio.ai/docs/developer/openai-compat/tools |
| Structured outputs | Yes | lmstudio.ai/docs/developer/openai-compat/structured-output |
| Vision (image input) | Yes | lmstudio.ai/docs/developer/openai-compat |
| Multi-GPU | Yes | lmstudio.ai/blog/lmstudio-v0.3.14 |
| MCP client | Yes | lmstudio.ai/docs/app |
| License | LM Studio Terms of Use for the app, MIT for the lms CLINot open source | lmstudio.ai/terms |
| Latest release | 0.4.26October 13, 2026 | lmstudio.ai/changelog/lmstudio/lmstudio-v0.4.26 |
Using LM Studio as an MCP client? How to add an MCP server to LM Studio, with the config location and the transports its docs list.
Models to run with LM Studio
2 of the open-weight models in our local models directory list a command for it on their official pages:
Compare LM Studio
FAQ
Does LM Studio have an OpenAI-compatible API?
Yes. Endpoint, per its docs: http://localhost:1234/v1. Source: https://lmstudio.ai/docs/developer/openai-compat
Does LM Studio have an Anthropic-compatible API?
Yes, per https://lmstudio.ai/docs/developer/anthropic-compat
Which platforms and GPUs does LM Studio support?
Its docs list macOS, Windows and Linux, with these backends: CPU, CUDA, Vulkan, ROCm and Metal.
How do I install LM Studio?
On macOS / Linux (llmster headless daemon): "curl -fsSL https://lmstudio.ai/install.sh | bash", as shown at https://lmstudio.ai/download. This page lists 2 install commands: macOS / Linux (llmster headless daemon) and Windows (llmster headless daemon).
Is LM Studio open source?
No. It is released under LM Studio Terms of Use for the app, MIT for the lms CLI; the license is at https://lmstudio.ai/terms.
What is the latest version of LM Studio?
0.4.26, published October 13, 2026 (https://lmstudio.ai/changelog/lmstudio/lmstudio-v0.4.26), as of October 18, 2026.
Which model formats does LM Studio run?
GGUF and MLX, per https://lmstudio.ai/docs/app
Sources
Last verified from the pages below.
- Download page - lmstudio.ai
- LM Studio changelog - lmstudio.ai
- 0.4.26 release notes - lmstudio.ai
- Docs overview - lmstudio.ai
- System requirements - lmstudio.ai
- OpenAI compatibility endpoints - lmstudio.ai
- Anthropic compatibility endpoints - lmstudio.ai
- Tool use docs - lmstudio.ai
- Structured output docs - lmstudio.ai
- Using MCP via API - lmstudio.ai
- llmster headless setup - lmstudio.ai
- lms CLI docs - lmstudio.ai
- Blog: LM Studio 0.3.14 multi-GPU controls - lmstudio.ai
- Blog: LM Studio 0.3.9 runtimes - lmstudio.ai
- Terms of use - lmstudio.ai
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