What is RWKV-Runner used for?

RWKV-Runner is a small cross-platform launcher that manages RWKV language models and exposes an OpenAI-compatible API for existing chat clients. It is a good fit for running local LLMs without cloud APIs and pointing ChatGPT clients at RWKV models.

Is RWKV-Runner open source?

Yes. RWKV-Runner is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at josStorer/RWKV-Runner and is written mainly in TypeScript.

Yes. RWKV-Runner is open source, so the software itself is free to use.

What are some alternatives to RWKV-Runner?

Similar open-source tools in the AI Infrastructure category include LocalAI, llamafile and Harbor. SaaS products in the same category include AI Stats, AnyRouter and api-hub.ai.

Is RWKV-Runner actively maintained?

Yes. The most recent commit to RWKV-Runner was on 4 September 2026, and the latest release is v1.9.12, published on 7 July 2026. The project has 6.5k stars on GitHub.

RWKV-Runner: open-source AI infrastructure

About RWKV-Runner

RWKV Runner is a desktop management and startup tool for RWKV, a large language model architecture that is fully open source and free for commercial use. Its goal is to lower the barrier to running local language models by automating setup, so users only need a lightweight executable of a few megabytes.

It provides an OpenAI API-compatible endpoint, so ChatGPT-style clients can talk to a local RWKV model without changes. Builds are available for Windows, macOS and Linux, and the project documents simple deploy examples, server deployment examples and a MIDI hardware input feature. The desktop app is built with Wails, a Go framework for apps with web front ends, and the front end is written in TypeScript.

The project is MIT-licensed and is run locally or on your own server. It suits hobbyists and developers who want to experiment with open models offline, or who want to put an OpenAI-style endpoint in front of RWKV for existing tools.

Key features

Automated RWKV model setup and startup
OpenAI API-compatible endpoint
Lightweight executable of a few megabytes
Windows, macOS and Linux builds
Server deployment examples
Wails-based desktop interface

Good fit for

→Running local LLMs without cloud APIs
→Pointing ChatGPT clients at RWKV models

Built with: TypeScript
Tags: rwkv; llm; openai-compatible; local-ai; api; desktop; wails

RWKV-Runner: questions and answers

What is RWKV-Runner used for?: RWKV-Runner is a small cross-platform launcher that manages RWKV language models and exposes an OpenAI-compatible API for existing chat clients. It is a good fit for running local LLMs without cloud APIs and pointing ChatGPT clients at RWKV models.
Is RWKV-Runner open source?: Yes. RWKV-Runner is open source under the MIT licence. Its source code is on GitHub at josStorer/RWKV-Runner and is written mainly in TypeScript.
Is RWKV-Runner free?: Yes. RWKV-Runner is open source, so the software itself is free to use.
What are some alternatives to RWKV-Runner?: Similar open-source tools in the AI Infrastructure category include LocalAI, llamafile and Harbor. SaaS products in the same category include AI Stats, AnyRouter and api-hub.ai.
Is RWKV-Runner actively maintained?: Yes. The most recent commit to RWKV-Runner was on 4 September 2026, and the latest release is v1.9.12, published on 7 July 2026. The project has 6.5k stars on GitHub.