# Run a model with hbay

Native hbay can download and verify a GGUF model, then run a prompt on your CPU; the published install route is for macOS and Linux.

Sources checked: 2026-10-17

## 1. Check the requirements

Open Terminal on macOS or Linux. You need `curl` and OpenSSL 3 or newer. Check:

```sh
curl --version
openssl version
```

If the second command reports LibreSSL or an older OpenSSL, follow [the install requirements](/install) before continuing. Windows signed installation is not published; follow [the Windows guide](/learn/windows).

## 2. Install the native tool

The live [install page](/install) publishes this command. It runs the installer, which verifies the release signature and archive hash:

```sh
curl -fsSL https://huggingbay.xyz/cli/install.sh | sh
export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
hbay --version
```

The PATH line applies to this terminal session. If installation refuses a signature or prerequisite check, stop and use the [troubleshooting guide](/learn/troubleshooting). The earlier Node CLI packages are a different tool.

## 3. Inspect and download a small model

These commands use a model record checked on 17 October 2026:

```sh
hbay catalog "Qwen2.5-0.5B-Instruct-GGUF"
hbay info hf-model-qwen-qwen2-5-0-5b-instruct-gguf
hbay download hf-model-qwen-qwen2-5-0-5b-instruct-gguf
```

Read the license, chosen file and current readiness before downloading. Save the path and SHA-256 printed after success. If there is no ready file, return to the catalog; availability can change.

## 4. Run one prompt

In the next command, replace `/path/from/download.gguf` with the saved path and `HASH_FROM_DOWNLOAD` with the full 64-character SHA-256 from that download. Keep the quotes:

```sh
hbay prompt "/path/from/download.gguf" --sha256 "HASH_FROM_DOWNLOAD" --prompt "Explain a rainbow in three short sentences." --max-tokens 96
```

hbay checks the hash before loading. A successful prompt prints a reply. This is a CPU runner; a large model may be slow. `hbay help prompt` shows the options in your installed version.

## About hbay run

The source docs describe `hbay run` as a 0.2.0 candidate requiring `HBAY_ENABLE_RUN=1`. This guide uses the documented download and prompt commands. A published installer does not prove that the one-shot candidate is in your installed release.

## Sources

- [Hugging Bay install status](https://huggingbay.xyz/install)
- [Native hbay installation and release status](https://huggingbay.xyz/developers/cli)
- [Qwen 0.5B file record](https://huggingbay.xyz/api/artifacts/hf-model-qwen-qwen2-5-0-5b-instruct-gguf)

[Next: check what stays on your device](/learn/privacy)