Connect blindGram to a Custom AI Service

Connect blindGram Assistant to any custom, self-hosted, local (Ollama, vLLM, LocalAI), or proxy AI endpoint. Learn how to configure base URLs, custom model IDs, and authentication.

blindGram supports any service implementing the standard OpenAI-compatible `/chat/completions` API format. This allows you to connect private enterprise endpoints, local offline AI servers running on your home network, or custom reverse proxies.

Supported Custom Gateways

You can connect blindGram to:

• Local AI frameworks: Ollama, vLLM, LocalAI, or [llama.cpp server]. #
• Third-party aggregators: Groq, Together AI, DeepInfra, Mistral AI, Fireworks, or self-hosted proxy endpoints. #
• Enterprise gateways: Company-internal AI endpoints with custom security rules. #

Step 1: Prepare your endpoint URL

Identify the base URL of your OpenAI-compatible service:

• If using Ollama on your local network: `http://192.168.1.50:11434/v1`
• If using vLLM or LocalAI: `http://YOUR-SERVER-IP:8000/v1`
• If using an online aggregator or proxy: `https://api.your-service.com/v1`

> Note on Android Networking: If connecting to a local computer on your Wi-Fi network, use the computer's local IP address (e.g., `192.168.1.X`), not `localhost` or `127.0.0.1`.

Step 2: Configure blindGram Assistant

1. Open blindGram on your Android device.

2. Navigate to Settings > blindGram Area > Assistant > AI.

3. Under The service:

• Tap Provider and choose Custom.
• A new row labeled Provider address will appear immediately below Provider.
• Tap Provider address and enter the full base URL (e.g., `https://api.example.com/v1`).
• Tap API key and paste your authentication token (or type any dummy text like `none` if your self-hosted server does not require authentication).
• Tap Model and enter the exact model identifier (e.g., `llama3.2-vision`, `mistral-small`, `qwen2.5-coder`).
• Tap Save to confirm.

Step 3: Configure speech recognition (Optional)

If your custom endpoint also implements the `/audio/transcriptions` endpoint (such as a local Whisper server), you can configure the Speech model row to upload voice notes directly to your custom server. Otherwise, leave it unset to use the offline speech engine built into your phone.

Step 4: Turn on AI features

Enable your desired features:

• Describe image: In Describe image, enable Detailed description (make sure your custom model supports vision inputs, such as `llama3.2-vision` or `llava`). #
• Voice summary: In Voice summary, enable Summarize with AI. #
• Text summary: In Text summary, enable Summarize messages. #
• Ask AI: In Ask about messages, enable Ask AI about any message. #

Troubleshooting Common Problems

Problem: "Connection refused" or "Network Error"

• Cause: Android cannot reach the server address. #
• Solution: #

1. Ensure your phone and server are on the same Wi-Fi network.

2. Verify that your server firewall allows incoming connections on the specified port.

3. Use the computer's actual LAN IP address (such as `http://192.168.1.100:11434/v1`), never `localhost`.

Problem: Image descriptions return errors

• Cause: The selected model does not support multimodal vision inputs. #
• Solution: Ensure your custom endpoint is running a vision-capable model (for example, `llama3.2-vision`, `bakllava`, or `qwen-vl`). #

Problem: 404 Not Found on requests

• Cause: Missing or extra `/v1` suffix in the provider address. #
• Solution: Most OpenAI-compatible servers expect `/v1` at the end of the base URL (e.g., `http://192.168.1.100:11434/v1`). #

Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use blindGram completely offline with a local model?

Yes. By running Ollama or LocalAI on a computer in your local network and pointing blindGram Custom Provider to its LAN IP, all AI summaries and descriptions stay strictly inside your local home network.

Where are past answers kept?

All generated results are saved for one week in AI Conversations.