gitbutlerapp/gitbutler

Add support for oMLX and generic OpenAI-compatible API as AI providers

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#13,352 opened on Apr 17, 2026

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Description

What is the improvement or update you wish to see?

Currently, GitButler supports AI providers including OpenAI, Anthropic, Ollama, and LM Studio for features like AI-generated commit messages and branch names. However, macOS users on Apple Silicon who use oMLX — a native MLX-based local LLM inference server — have no way to integrate it as an AI provider.

There are two proposed improvements:

  1. Add native oMLX support as a dedicated AI provider option, similar to how Ollama and LM Studio are supported. oMLX is an open-source, Apple Silicon-optimized LLM inference server that exposes an OpenAI-compatible API endpoint, leverages Apple's MLX framework for high-performance inference, and features a native macOS menubar app for easy management.

  2. Add a generic "Custom OpenAI-compatible API" provider option, allowing users to specify any base URL and API key for any inference server that implements the OpenAI Chat Completions API specification. This would future-proof the AI provider selection and avoid the need for new provider-specific code every time a new local inference server gains popularity.

Is there any context that might help us understand?

  • oMLX (https://github.com/jundot/omlx) is a local LLM inference server specifically built for Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4+), using Apple's MLX framework. It exposes an OpenAI-compatible REST API, making integration straightforward. It supports continuous batching and two-tier KV caching (memory + SSD), and comes as a signed/notarized DMG — no CLI setup required.

  • Many emerging local inference tools (e.g., oMLX, llama.cpp server, vLLM, LiteLLM, Jan, etc.) already implement the OpenAI-compatible API spec. Adding a generic "Custom Endpoint" option with configurable base URL, model name, and API key would unify support for all these tools without requiring individual integrations.

  • This is particularly valuable for macOS Apple Silicon users where oMLX significantly outperforms alternatives like Ollama for MLX-native model inference due to deeper hardware optimization.

  • Reference: The existing Ollama integration (PR #3741) demonstrates that custom endpoint support is architecturally feasible within the current AI client interface.

Does the docs page already exist? If so, please link to it.

https://docs.gitbutler.com/features/branch-management/ai-assistance

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