Ollama Qwen Nothink#

Overview#

Create a new Ollama tag that reuses an existing Qwen model's weights but defaults to direct answers. Prefer a reversible derived tag such as qwen3.6:35b-mlx-nothink; do not modify or delete the source model.

This skill exists because prompt-only approaches usually fail for Qwen thinking models in Ollama. The reliable path is to combine a no-thinking chat template with a local manifest/config patch that removes thinking renderer metadata from the derived tag.

Quick Workflow#

1. Inspect the source model: bash

   ollama show SOURCE_MODEL
   ollama show --parameters SOURCE_MODEL
   ollama show --template SOURCE_MODEL
   
   

2. Verify the runtime switch works: bash

   ollama run --think=false SOURCE_MODEL "用一句话回答：1+1等于几？"
   
   

   If this still emits thinking content, stop and report that the local Ollama/model build does not honor the runtime switch.

3. Create a derived no-thinking tag with the bundled script: bash

   python3 scripts/create_qwen_nothink_ollama.py SOURCE_MODEL --target TARGET_MODEL
   
   

4. Confirm ollama show TARGET_MODEL lists completion and, if relevant, vision, but not thinking.

5. Verify both CLI and API output do not contain Thinking..., <think>, or reasoning prose: bash

   ollama run TARGET_MODEL "用一句话回答：1+1等于几？"
   curl -s http://127.0.0.1:11434/api/chat -d '{"model":"TARGET_MODEL","messages":[{"role":"user","content":"用一句话回答：1+1等于几？"}],"stream":false}'
   
   

In Codex sandboxes, local Ollama calls or writes under ~/.ollama may require user approval. Request escalation plainly when needed.

Using The Script#

Run the script from the skill directory or pass an absolute path:

bash

python3 /path/to/ollama-qwen-nothink/scripts/create_qwen_nothink_ollama.py qwen3.6:35b-mlx

Default target naming appends -nothink to the source tag:

text

qwen3.6:35b-mlx -> qwen3.6:35b-mlx-nothink
qwen3:latest -> qwen3-nothink:latest

Useful options:

bash

python3 scripts/create_qwen_nothink_ollama.py qwen3.6:35b-mlx --target qwen3.6:35b-mlx-nothink
python3 scripts/create_qwen_nothink_ollama.py qwen3.6:35b-mlx --dry-run
python3 scripts/create_qwen_nothink_ollama.py qwen3.6:35b-mlx --skip-verify
python3 scripts/create_qwen_nothink_ollama.py custom-model:latest --allow-non-qwen

The script:

• Builds a temporary Modelfile from the source model.
• Preserves existing generation parameters where possible.
• Uses a Qwen chat template that pre-fills an empty <think></think> block at the assistant prefix.
• Runs ollama create for the derived target.
• Patches only the target manifest/config in the local Ollama model store.
• Removes thinking from capabilities and clears renderer/ parser so Ollama CLI does not re-enable thinking mode.
• Verifies the target through the local Ollama chat API unless --skip-verify is set.

Tradeoffs#

This workflow is optimized for direct text answers. Clearing the thinking-aware renderer/parser can also remove Ollama's automatic tools capability for that derived tag, and vision behavior should be verified separately with a real image prompt if the user needs multimodal use. If tool calling or advanced renderer behavior matters more than a default no-think tag, prefer keeping the source model and calling it with --think=false or the API equivalent for each request.

Manual Fallback#

If the script cannot run, create a Modelfile like this:

modelfile

FROM SOURCE_MODEL
TEMPLATE """{{ if .System }}<|im_start|>system
{{ .System }}<|im_end|>
{{ end }}<|im_start|>user
{{ .Prompt }}<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>assistant
<think>

</think>

"""
PARAMETER stop "<|im_end|>"
SYSTEM """
你是一个直接回答的助手。
默认关闭思考模式；不要输出思考过程、推理草稿、<think>、thinking 或 reasoning 内容。
直接给出最终答案。
"""

Then run:

bash

ollama create TARGET_MODEL -f Modelfile

After creation, patch the target's local config blob as described in references/manifest-patch.md. This second step is important; without it, Ollama may still treat the target as a thinking model.

Safety Rules#

• Never edit the source model's manifest or blobs.
• Never use the target name equal to the source name.
• Prefer creating a new tag over overwriting a user's existing no-think tag unless the user asked for that exact tag.
• Keep a copy of the generated Modelfile in the working directory when useful; it documents how the tag was made.
• If verification fails, report the exact failing marker and suggest using --think=false at runtime as the reliable fallback.

Notes#

• PARAMETER think false is not accepted by many Ollama versions, even though ollama run --think=false works.
• /no_think in the system prompt often fails because Qwen thinking models may treat it as ordinary text after Ollama has already selected thinking rendering.
• Removing thinking from the target config is not enough by itself if renderer/ parser still point to a thinking-aware Qwen renderer.