---
type: howto
title: Troubleshooting Ornith + llama.cpp
description: Common errors — CUDA OOM, segfaults, model not responding, poor performance — and their fixes.
tags:
  - unverified
  - ornith
  - troubleshooting
  - llama.cpp
timestamp: 2026-07-18
verified: 2026-08-28
---

# Troubleshooting

## CUDA Out of Memory

```
Error: cudaMalloc failed: out of memory
```

**Solution:** Reduce `-ngl` value to offload fewer layers to GPU.

## Segmentation Fault

```
Segmentation fault (core dumped)
```

**Solution:**
1. Reduce context size (`-c` parameter)
2. Reduce GPU layers (`-ngl`)
3. Check if model file is corrupted

## Model Not Responding

```
curl: (7) Failed to connect to localhost port 8080
```

**Solution:** Check if server is running:
```bash
ps aux | grep llama-server
tail -f ~/logs/llama-server.log
```

## Poor Performance

**Solutions:**
1. Increase GPU layers (`-ngl`)
2. Enable Flash Attention: `--flash-attn on` (if supported)
3. Use a smaller quantization (Q4_K_M instead of Q8_0)
4. Reduce context window size

## Security Considerations

- **Local Server:** By default, binds to localhost (127.0.0.1)
- **Network Exposure:** If binding to 0.0.0.0, consider:
  - Adding authentication (`--api-key`)
  - Using a firewall to restrict access
  - Running behind a reverse proxy with TLS

```bash
# Add API key authentication
./build/bin/llama-server ... --api-key your-secret-key
```

## Related

* [Installation](/tools/ornith-llama-cpp-setup/installation.md) — The commands that might be causing issues
* [GPU Offloading](/tools/ornith-llama-cpp-setup/gpu-offloading.md) — GPU configuration