New Ollama Features: Instant Model Switching, Subagents, and Built‑in Web Search

Ollama now offers a one‑click launch for the newly open‑sourced Qwen3.5 model: ollama run qwen3.5:cloud Earlier releases already provided free cloud models such as Kimi‑K2.5, GLM‑5, and MiniMax‑M2.5, which could be configured to agents like Claude Code, Opencode, and OpenClaw.

After upgrading to version 0.16.1, the ollama command itself can switch instantly between models and different tools, meaning Claude Code, Codex, OpenClaw and similar agents can be used without any additional setup.

The update also adds support for Claude Code Subagents and built‑in web search, eliminating the need for an MCP server or API key. The feature is enabled with a single command, for example:

ollama launch claude --model minimax - m2.5:cloud

Subagents can run parallel tasks such as file search or code exploration; some models automatically trigger Subagents when needed, while users can also invoke them manually.

Web search is integrated into the Anthropic‑compatible layer, allowing models to fetch up‑to‑date information directly, and Subagents can also leverage this search capability for concurrent research.

The author notes that seamless model switching has been Ollama’s “killer feature,” and the current updates broaden that advantage by unifying models, interfaces, and development experiences.