Ollama: 'Error: unknown command "update" for "ollama"' (also restart, uninstall)

Error: unknown command "update" for "ollama" means the Ollama command line has no subcommand with that name. On Ollama 0.40.16, update, restart and uninstall all gave this message. Run ollama --help to see the commands your version has; the list is below.

There is nothing to fix in the command line itself: the word is simply not one of its commands. Pick one from the help list, or do the job outside the ollama command.

The error

PS> ollama update
Error: unknown command "update" for "ollama"
PS> ollama restart
Error: unknown command "restart" for "ollama"
PS> ollama uninstall
Error: unknown command "uninstall" for "ollama"

Why it happens

update, restart and uninstall are not in the command list that ollama --help prints on this version, and each one stopped with this message and exit code 1. The word in the quotes is the one it did not know, so the message tells you exactly which part to change.

ollama start is different, and it is worth knowing before you try it. It was not refused as unknown: it tried to start a server on the address in OLLAMA_HOST, and because the test server already held that port it stopped with Error: listen tcp 127.0.0.1:15190: bind: Only one usage of each socket address (protocol/network address/port) is normally permitted. It does not appear in the help list below; the listed command for starting a server is serve.

The fix

PS> ollama --help
Large language model runner

Usage:
  ollama [flags]
  ollama [command]

Available Commands:
  serve        Start Ollama
  create       Create a model
  show         Show information for a model
  run          Run a model
  stop         Stop a running model
  pull         Pull a model from a registry
  push         Push a model to a registry
  signin       Sign in to ollama.com
  signout      Sign out from ollama.com
  list         List models
  ps           List running models
  cp           Copy a model
  rm           Remove a model
  launch       Launch the Ollama menu or an integration
  help         Help about any command
...

That is the whole list on 0.40.16. Nothing in it updates, restarts or uninstalls Ollama itself; going by the help text, stop is for a running model and rm removes a model. Run ollama <command> --help for the options of one command. This is the list 0.40.16 printed; read your own with ollama --help before you rely on a command from a guide.

How it was reproduced

On Windows 11 in Windows PowerShell 5.1 with Ollama 0.40.16. The client was pointed at a separate test server with OLLAMA_HOST=127.0.0.1:15190; update, restart, start and uninstall were each run once and their output and exit code saved, then ollama --help. Nothing was updated, restarted or uninstalled.

Frequently asked

Is there an ollama update command?

Not on Ollama 0.40.16. ollama update prints Error: unknown command "update" for "ollama", and the help list has no command that updates the program.

What commands does the ollama CLI have?

On 0.40.16: serve, create, show, run, stop, pull, push, signin, signout, list, ps, cp, rm, launch and help. Run ollama --help to see the list for your version.

What does ollama start do?

In the test it was not refused as unknown. It tried to start a server on the OLLAMA_HOST address and failed because that port was already in use. The listed command for starting a server is serve.

More decoded errors in the Fixes category. For a known command given the wrong number of names, see Ollama: 'accepts 1 arg(s), received 2'.