Want a ChatGPT-like experience where your AI can search the web, read your files, query databases, and run code? Open WebUI + MCP makes it possible - all running locally on your hardware.
The Model Context Protocol (MCP) is an open standard that lets AI connect to external tools. Open WebUI supports MCP natively, turning your local Ollama setup into a tool-equipped AI assistant.
Create a docker-compose.yml
:
services:
open-webui:
image: ghcr.io/open-webui/open-webui:main
environment:
- OLLAMA_BASE_URL=http://ollama:11434
- MCP_ENABLE=true
- ENABLE_TOOLS=true
volumes:
- open-webui:/app/backend/data
ports:
- "3000:8080"
ollama:
image: ollama/ollama:latest
volumes:
- ollama:/root/.ollama
ports:
- "11434:11434"
deploy:
resources:
reservations:
devices:
- driver: nvidia
count: all
capabilities: [gpu]
volumes:
ollama:
open-webui:
docker compose up -d
Pull a model with strong tool-calling:
docker exec ollama ollama pull qwen3:14b:q8_0
Open ** http://localhost:3000** and create your admin account.
Go to Admin Panel → Settings → External Tools in Open WebUI.
npx -y @anthropic/mcp-server-brave-search
npx -y @modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem /allowed/path
Configure each tool in the Open WebUI admin panel to give your AI real-world capabilities.
Start a new chat and click the tools icon (wrench) next to the input box. Select which tools the AI can use, then ask:
The AI decides when to call tools and incorporates results into its responses.
With Qwen3 14B Q8 on an RTX 4070 Super: tool calls complete in 3-5 seconds. Web search results are returned in 2-3 seconds. All data stays on your machine.
Originally published on everylocalai.com