Transformer Lab is an open-source, cross-platform GUI application designed for advanced LLM engineering. It empowers users to interact with, train, fine-tune, and evaluate a wide range of large language models locally, simplifying complex LLM workflows for researchers and developers.

How It Works

The application provides a unified interface for downloading hundreds of popular LLMs from Hugging Face and supports multiple inference engines including MLX (for Apple Silicon), Huggingface Transformers, vLLM, and Llama CPP. It facilitates fine-tuning with options for RLHF (DPO, ORPO, SIMPO) and RAG, leveraging both pre-built datasets and user-provided data via drag-and-drop.

Quick Start & Requirements

• Install: Download pre-built applications for Windows, macOS, or Linux from the project's download page.
• Build: Requires Node.js v22. Run npm install and npm start.
• Prerequisites: GPU acceleration is recommended for training/fine-tuning.
• Docs: https://transformerlab.ai/docs/
• Demo: https://transformerlab.ai/demo/

Highlighted Details

• One-click download for numerous LLMs (DeepSeek, Llama3, Phi4, Gemma, Mistral, etc.).
• Supports fine-tuning on Apple Silicon via MLX and GPUs via Huggingface.
• Features RAG with a drag-and-drop UI and plugin support for extensibility.
• Includes model conversion tools (Huggingface, MLX, GGUF) and a REST API.

Maintenance & Community

The project is actively developed, with support from Mozilla through the Mozilla Builders Program. Users are encouraged to join the Discord server for updates and feedback.

Licensing & Compatibility

Distributed under the AGPL V3 License. This license may impose copyleft restrictions on derivative works, potentially requiring modifications to be open-sourced if distributed.

Limitations & Caveats

The application is noted as "actively being developed," suggesting potential for ongoing changes and instability. Tool Use / Function Calling is currently in alpha. The build process explicitly states it does not work on Node v23.