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Create a copy of an existing model with a new name. This creates a new model reference without duplicating the underlying model files.

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Request

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Endpoint

POST /api/copy

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Request Body

​
source
string
required
Name of the source model to copy from
​
destination
string
required
Name for the destination model (the copy)

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Response

Returns HTTP status code 200 on success with no response body.

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Examples

curl http://localhost:11434/api/copy -d '{
  "source": "llama3.2",
  "destination": "my-llama"
}'

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Copy with Namespace

curl http://localhost:11434/api/copy -d '{
  "source": "llama3.2:latest",
  "destination": "myuser/llama3.2:custom"
}'

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Verify Copy (Python Example)

import requests

# Copy the model
response = requests.post(
    'http://localhost:11434/api/copy',
    json={
        'source': 'llama3.2',
        'destination': 'backup/llama3.2'
    }
)

if response.status_code == 200:
    # Verify it exists
    models = requests.get('http://localhost:11434/api/tags').json()
    model_names = [m['name'] for m in models['models']]
    
    if 'backup/llama3.2' in model_names:
        print("Copy verified successfully")

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Error Responses

​
error
string
Description of the error

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Common Errors

  • 400 Bad Request: Invalid source or destination name
  • 404 Not Found: Source model not found
  • 500 Internal Server Error: Error creating model copy

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Example Error Response

{
  "error": "model 'nonexistent-model' not found"
}

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Use Cases

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Create Backup Before Modification

# Create a backup
curl http://localhost:11434/api/copy -d '{
  "source": "llama3.2",
  "destination": "llama3.2-backup"
}'

# Now safe to modify the original
curl http://localhost:11434/api/create -d '{
  "model": "llama3.2",
  "from": "llama3.2",
  "system": "New system prompt"
}'

​
Create Named Versions

# Create version snapshots
curl http://localhost:11434/api/copy -d '{
  "source": "my-model",
  "destination": "my-model:v1.0"
}'

curl http://localhost:11434/api/copy -d '{
  "source": "my-model",
  "destination": "my-model:v1.1"
}'
Copying a model creates a new manifest entry but does not duplicate the underlying model files. Both models share the same layers, saving disk space.
If the destination model already exists, it will be overwritten without warning.