Build from source

Clone, build and run the open-source LM Mini core on Android, iPhone, iPad and Mac.

What you get

A source build is the free LM Mini: chat with LM Studio, Ollama, oMLX, JAN AI and Unsloth on your network, starter on-device models, personas, voice, SearXNG and MCP tools, image generation, widgets, Shortcuts, and the Mac app (LM Mini Home).

• No Pro. Pro features (Group Chat, Remote Access, cloud providers, Memory, App Lock, Cloud Backup and the rest) are not in the repository. A source build hides them and their upgrade prompts.
• No purchases. The in-app purchase code is replaced by a stub, so nothing can be bought or restored.
• No LM Mini backend. Features that use our Firebase project (sign-in, feature requests, community themes, the voice catalog, the in-app changelog) stay off until you connect your own project.

The full Free vs Pro table is on the open source page.

Requirements

• Flutter, stable channel, 3.27 or newer (the app needs Dart 3.6+). Check with flutter --version.
• Android: Android Studio with the Android SDK, and a device or emulator.
• iPhone and iPad: a Mac with Xcode and CocoaPods. The app targets iOS 16 or later.
• Mac: Xcode and CocoaPods. LM Mini Home targets macOS 14 or later.
• Something to chat with: LM Studio or Ollama on your network, or an on-device starter model.

Clone and configure

1. Clone the repository

   git clone https://github.com/slim-elephant/lm-mini.git
   cd lm-mini

2. Copy the Firebase placeholders

   The repo ships example Firebase files that point at placeholder projects, so the app compiles and starts. Firebase features stay off. Android needs no Firebase file.

   cp lib/firebase_options.example.dart lib/firebase_options.dart
   cp ios/Runner/GoogleService-Info.example.plist ios/Runner/GoogleService-Info.plist
   cp macos/Runner/GoogleService-Info.example.plist macos/Runner/GoogleService-Info.plist

3. Fetch packages

   flutter pub get

The copies (lib/firebase_options.dart and the two GoogleService-Info.plist files) are gitignored, so they never end up in a commit.

Run on each platform

Android

1. Run on a device or emulator

   flutter run -d android

The Google Services Gradle plugin is only applied when android/app/google-services.json exists, so Android builds without it. Add your own file to turn on Firebase (see Firebase below).

iPhone and iPad

1. Check ios/Runner/GoogleService-Info.plist

   The Xcode project expects it. The placeholder you copied above is enough; for Firebase features, use your own (see Firebase below).

2. Set up signing

   Open ios/Runner.xcworkspace in Xcode. Under Signing & Capabilities, choose your team and change the bundle identifier (net.neuro9.lmmini belongs to the official app). Remove capabilities your account can't use, such as App Groups, iCloud, Sign in with Apple or Push Notifications, or give them your own identifiers.

3. Run it

   flutter run -d <your-device-id>

flutter devices lists the device IDs.

Mac (LM Mini Home)

1. Check macos/Runner/GoogleService-Info.plist

   Same as on iPhone: the copied placeholder builds; your own file turns on Firebase.

2. Set up signing

   Open macos/Runner.xcworkspace, choose your team and change the bundle identifier.

3. Run it

   flutter run -d macos

Firebase

LM Mini uses Firebase for sign-in, feature requests and a few catalogs. Chat does not need it. The repository ships only placeholders (*.example.*); the real config files are gitignored:

• android/app/google-services.json
• ios/Runner/GoogleService-Info.plist
• macos/Runner/GoogleService-Info.plist

The quickest way to get all three, plus a matching lib/firebase_options.dart, is a free Firebase project of your own:

1. Create a project

   Go to console.firebase.google.com and add a project. You don't need Analytics.

2. Run the FlutterFire CLI in the repo

   It registers the Android, iOS and macOS apps with your bundle IDs and writes the config files.

   dart pub global activate flutterfire_cli
   flutterfire configure

3. Rebuild

   flutter clean
   flutter pub get
   flutter run

Everything Firebase stores then goes to your project, not ours. If you skip this, keep the copied example options; chat, on-device models and local servers work without Firebase.

Run tests

flutter analyze
flutter test

Our CI runs the same two commands on every pull request. Analyzer errors fail the build; warnings and infos don't.

Contributing

1. Open an issue first for anything bigger than a small fix

   Use GitHub issues for bugs in the free core. Bugs in Pro features go to [email protected].

2. Fork the repo and create a branch
3. Run flutter analyze and flutter test
4. Open a pull request

   Describe what changed and how you tested it. Keep packages/premium_stub API-compatible; the official build swaps in the real Pro package behind the same API.

Security issues: email [email protected] with the details. Please don't open a public issue for a vulnerability.

Feature ideas: use Feature Requests in the official app, or open a GitHub issue.

Name and logo

The MIT License covers the code. It doesn't cover the LM Mini name or app icon. If you publish a build, give it your own name, icon and bundle ID, and don't present it as LM Mini or as the official app. Saying it is based on LM Mini is fine. More on the open source page.

Troubleshooting