SillyTavern for iOS — Run SillyTavern on iPhone & iPad

A fork of SillyTavern with a full native iOS port — runs the complete SillyTavern backend on-device, no server required. Use SillyTavern on your iPhone or iPad without a PC, a VPN, or a remote server.

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What is SillyTavern for iOS?

SillyTavern for iOS lets you run the full SillyTavern experience natively on your iPhone or iPad — no Mac staying on, no external server, no cloud. The complete Node.js backend runs entirely on-device using nodejs-mobile.

This is the only open-source iOS port of SillyTavern that runs the full backend on-device. Connect to any remote LLM API (OpenAI, Claude, OpenRouter, Kobold, etc.) directly from your iPhone.

Supported devices: iPhone and iPad
Minimum iOS: 15.0
SillyTavern version: currently 1.16

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Why use this instead of other options?

	SillyTavern for iOS	Browser (remote server)	Other iOS apps
Full SillyTavern UI	✅	✅	❌
Runs on-device	✅	❌	varies
No server needed	✅	❌	✅
Open source	✅	—	rarely
Character cards & lorebooks	✅	✅	❌
Free	✅	depends	often paid

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Features

• ✅ Full SillyTavern experience on iOS — same UI as desktop
• ✅ Runs entirely on-device — no external server, no Wi-Fi dependency
• ✅ Character cards, lorebooks, presets — everything syncs to your Files app
• ✅ Data persists in Files app → SillyTavern folder (accessible outside the app)
• ✅ Works with any remote LLM API: OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, OpenRouter, KoboldAI, Ollama...
• ⚠️ No JIT (Apple restriction) — slower than desktop, but fully functional
• ⚠️ No local AI models (no transformers, captioning, TTS/STT)
• ⚠️ No Extension support
• ⚠️ Sliders don't work
• ⚠️ First start may not launch — force restart may be required
• ⚠️ Many other known issues

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Installing SillyTavern on iPhone or iPad

You will need a Mac, Xcode, and an Apple ID (free) to sideload.
An IPA will be distributed later for use with SideStore, AltStore, or Sideloadly.

Prerequisites

• macOS with Xcode 15+
• iPhone or iPad running iOS 15+
• Apple ID (free account works)

Quick install

# 1. Clone this repo
git clone https://github.com/elouannd/SillyTavern-iOS.git
cd SillyTavern-iOS/ios-app

# 2. Install dependencies and build the iOS bundle
npm install
bash scripts/prepare-ios.sh

# 3. Open in Xcode
open ios/App/App.xcodeproj

Then in Xcode:

1. Select your device in the toolbar
2. Go to Signing & Capabilities → set your Team to your Apple ID
3. Hit Run (▶)

First launch is slow — Node.js parses a 14MB bundle without JIT. Budget 1–3 minutes. Subsequent launches are fast (~1–2s).

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Frequently Asked Questions

Can I use SillyTavern on iPhone without a computer running?
Yes — that's the whole point of this port. The Node.js server runs directly on your iPhone using nodejs-mobile. No PC or Mac needs to stay on.

Does it support local AI models on iPhone?
Not yet. Local model inference (transformers, llama.cpp, etc.) is blocked by Apple's no-JIT policy. You can still connect to any remote API like OpenRouter, OpenAI, or a home server.

Is this available on the App Store?
No. Due to Apple's policies on sideloading and AI apps, this must be sideloaded via Xcode or AltStore/SideStore. An IPA release is planned.

What LLM APIs work with this?
Any API supported by SillyTavern works: OpenAI, Anthropic Claude, OpenRouter, KoboldAI, TabbyAPI, Ollama (remote), and more.

Is this different from NativeTavern or MiniTavern?
Yes. This is a direct port of the full upstream SillyTavern codebase, running the actual Node.js backend on-device. It is not a rewrite or a simplified client.

What iOS version do I need?
iOS 15.0 or later.

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For Developers — Project Structure

SillyTavern-iOS/
├── src/                        ← SillyTavern backend (upstream)
├── public/                     ← SillyTavern frontend (upstream)
│   ├── scripts/ios-init.js     ← iOS-specific frontend init
│   └── css/ios-overrides.css   ← iOS layout fixes
└── ios-app/
    ├── nodejs-project/         ← Node.js project copied to device
    │   ├── server-ios.js       ← iOS entry point (replaces server.js)
    │   └── server-ios-entry.js ← esbuild entry shim
    ├── nodejs-project-deploy/  ← What Xcode copies to the bundle
    ├── scripts/
    │   ├── prepare-ios.sh      ← Full build pipeline
    │   └── bundle-server.mjs   ← esbuild config
    └── ios/App/App/
        ├── AppDelegate.swift               ← Bundle path config
        └── SillyTavernViewController.swift ← Loading overlay + polling

How it works

1. prepare-ios.sh bundles the SillyTavern backend with esbuild into server-bundle.mjs (~14MB) and pre-builds lib.js with webpack
2. Xcode copies everything into the app bundle
3. On launch, AppDelegate writes bundle paths to st_config.json
4. nodejs-mobile starts server-ios.js which imports server-bundle.mjs
5. SillyTavernViewController polls localhost:8000 and loads the WebView when the server is ready

Building after upstream updates

cd ios-app
npm install          # if dependencies changed
bash scripts/prepare-ios.sh
# Then rebuild in Xcode

Key technical notes

• SIGPIPE: process.stdout.write and process.stderr.write are replaced with no-ops — nodejs-mobile's pipes have no reader and any write triggers SIGPIPE
• No ICU: Intl is polyfilled in server-ios.js since nodejs-mobile has no ICU data
• No webpack at runtime: public/lib.js must be pre-built (done by prepare-ios.sh)
• Xcode overwrites: Always edit nodejs-project/server-ios.js and sync to nodejs-project-deploy/ — Xcode reads from there

See ios-app/IOS-PORT.md for full technical documentation.

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Upstream SillyTavern

This repo tracks SillyTavern/SillyTavern. All original features and documentation apply.

• Docs: https://docs.sillytavern.app/
• Discord: https://discord.gg/sillytavern
• Reddit: https://reddit.com/r/SillyTavernAI

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License

AGPL-3.0 — see LICENSE

iOS port additions are also AGPL-3.0.