Allow models to be packaged with custom chat template files

Signed-off-by: Emily Casey <[email protected]>

Author: ekcasey

commands/package.go

@@ -74,18 +74,20 @@ func newPackagedCmd() *cobra.Command {
 	}
 
 	c.Flags().StringVar(&opts.ggufPath, "gguf", "", "absolute path to gguf file (required)")
+	c.Flags().StringVar(&opts.chatTemplatePath, "chat-template", "", "absolute path to chat template file (must be Jinja format)")
 	c.Flags().StringArrayVarP(&opts.licensePaths, "license", "l", nil, "absolute path to a license file")
 	c.Flags().BoolVar(&opts.push, "push", false, "push to registry (if not set, the model is loaded into the Model Runner content store)")
 	c.Flags().Uint64Var(&opts.contextSize, "context-size", 0, "context size in tokens")
 	return c
 }
 
 type packageOptions struct {
-	ggufPath     string
-	licensePaths []string
-	push         bool
-	contextSize  uint64
-	tag          string
+	chatTemplatePath string
+	contextSize      uint64
+	ggufPath         string
+	licensePaths     []string
+	push             bool
+	tag              string
 }
 
 func packageModel(cmd *cobra.Command, opts packageOptions) error {
@@ -126,6 +128,12 @@ func packageModel(cmd *cobra.Command, opts packageOptions) error {
 		}
 	}
 
+	if opts.chatTemplatePath != "" {
+		if pkg, err = pkg.WithChatTemplateFile(opts.chatTemplatePath); err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("add chat template file from path %q: %w", opts.chatTemplatePath, err)
+		}
+	}
+
 	if opts.push {
 		cmd.PrintErrln("Pushing model to registry...")
 	} else {

docs/reference/docker_model_package.yaml

@@ -8,6 +8,15 @@ usage: docker model package --gguf <path> [--license <path>...] [--context-size
 pname: docker model
 plink: docker_model.yaml
 options:
+    - option: chat-template
+      value_type: string
+      description: absolute path to chat template file (must be Jinja format)
+      deprecated: false
+      hidden: false
+      experimental: false
+      experimentalcli: false
+      kubernetes: false
+      swarm: false
     - option: context-size
       value_type: uint64
       default_value: "0"

docs/reference/model_package.md

@@ -8,6 +8,7 @@ When packaging a sharded model --gguf should point to the first shard. All shard
 
 | Name              | Type          | Default | Description                                                                            |
 |:------------------|:--------------|:--------|:---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------|
+| `--chat-template` | `string`      |         | absolute path to chat template file (must be Jinja format)                             |
 | `--context-size`  | `uint64`      | `0`     | context size in tokens                                                                 |
 | `--gguf`          | `string`      |         | absolute path to gguf file (required)                                                  |
 | `-l`, `--license` | `stringArray` |         | absolute path to a license file                                                        |

go.mod

@@ -11,7 +11,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/docker/docker v28.2.2+incompatible
 	github.com/docker/go-connections v0.5.0
 	github.com/docker/go-units v0.5.0
-	github.com/docker/model-distribution v0.0.0-20250822172258-8fe9daa4a4da
+	github.com/docker/model-distribution v0.0.0-20250918153037-7d9fc7b72b57
 	github.com/docker/model-runner v0.0.0-20250822173738-5341c9fc2974
 	github.com/fatih/color v1.15.0
 	github.com/google/go-containerregistry v0.20.6
@@ -55,7 +55,7 @@ require (
 	github.com/gogo/protobuf v1.3.2 // indirect
 	github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0 // indirect
 	github.com/gorilla/mux v1.8.1 // indirect
-	github.com/gpustack/gguf-parser-go v0.14.1 // indirect
+	github.com/gpustack/gguf-parser-go v0.22.1 // indirect
 	github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.26.1 // indirect
 	github.com/henvic/httpretty v0.1.4 // indirect
 	github.com/inconshreveable/mousetrap v1.1.0 // indirect
@@ -83,7 +83,6 @@ require (
 	github.com/prometheus/common v0.65.0 // indirect
 	github.com/prometheus/procfs v0.15.1 // indirect
 	github.com/rivo/uniseg v0.4.7 // indirect
-	github.com/rs/dnscache v0.0.0-20230804202142-fc85eb664529 // indirect
 	github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2 v2.1.0 // indirect
 	github.com/sirupsen/logrus v1.9.3 // indirect
 	github.com/smallnest/ringbuffer v0.0.0-20241116012123-461381446e3d // indirect

go.sum

@@ -78,8 +78,8 @@ github.com/docker/go-metrics v0.0.1/go.mod h1:cG1hvH2utMXtqgqqYE9plW6lDxS3/5ayHz
 github.com/docker/go-units v0.5.0 h1:69rxXcBk27SvSaaxTtLh/8llcHD8vYHT7WSdRZ/jvr4=
 github.com/docker/go-units v0.5.0/go.mod h1:fgPhTUdO+D/Jk86RDLlptpiXQzgHJF7gydDDbaIK4Dk=
 github.com/docker/libtrust v0.0.0-20160708172513-aabc10ec26b7/go.mod h1:cyGadeNEkKy96OOhEzfZl+yxihPEzKnqJwvfuSUqbZE=
-github.com/docker/model-distribution v0.0.0-20250822172258-8fe9daa4a4da h1:ml99WBfcLnsy1frXQR4X+5WAC0DoGtwZyGoU/xBsDQM=
-github.com/docker/model-distribution v0.0.0-20250822172258-8fe9daa4a4da/go.mod h1:dThpO9JoG5Px3i+rTluAeZcqLGw8C0qepuEL4gL2o/c=
+github.com/docker/model-distribution v0.0.0-20250918153037-7d9fc7b72b57 h1:WHiPO9UmO5v97T3ksQUA2SbYVkTdUCSFobznegL97kk=
+github.com/docker/model-distribution v0.0.0-20250918153037-7d9fc7b72b57/go.mod h1:bV1RH2e79nTwOW38GoMU9UO8gpZVLH9+cZeEeR4wSeE=
 github.com/docker/model-runner v0.0.0-20250822173738-5341c9fc2974 h1:/uF17tBEtsE6T2Xgg4cgrrqNcQ02gY5Lp98je+2K0nQ=
 github.com/docker/model-runner v0.0.0-20250822173738-5341c9fc2974/go.mod h1:1Q2QRB5vob542x6P5pQXlGTYs5bYPxNG6ePcjTndA0A=
 github.com/dvsekhvalnov/jose2go v0.0.0-20170216131308-f21a8cedbbae/go.mod h1:7BvyPhdbLxMXIYTFPLsyJRFMsKmOZnQmzh6Gb+uquuM=
@@ -128,8 +128,8 @@ github.com/google/uuid v1.6.0/go.mod h1:TIyPZe4MgqvfeYDBFedMoGGpEw/LqOeaOT+nhxU+
 github.com/gorilla/mux v1.7.0/go.mod h1:1lud6UwP+6orDFRuTfBEV8e9/aOM/c4fVVCaMa2zaAs=
 github.com/gorilla/mux v1.8.1 h1:TuBL49tXwgrFYWhqrNgrUNEY92u81SPhu7sTdzQEiWY=
 github.com/gorilla/mux v1.8.1/go.mod h1:AKf9I4AEqPTmMytcMc0KkNouC66V3BtZ4qD5fmWSiMQ=
-github.com/gpustack/gguf-parser-go v0.14.1 h1:tmz2eTnSEFfE52V10FESqo9oAUquZ6JKQFntWC/wrEg=
-github.com/gpustack/gguf-parser-go v0.14.1/go.mod h1:GvHh1Kvvq5ojCOsJ5UpwiJJmIjFw3Qk5cW7R+CZ3IJo=
+github.com/gpustack/gguf-parser-go v0.22.1 h1:FRnEDWqT0Rcplr/R9ctCRSN2+3DhVsf6dnR5/i9JA4E=
+github.com/gpustack/gguf-parser-go v0.22.1/go.mod h1:y4TwTtDqFWTK+xvprOjRUh+dowgU2TKCX37vRKvGiZ0=
 github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.26.1 h1:e9Rjr40Z98/clHv5Yg79Is0NtosR5LXRvdr7o/6NwbA=
 github.com/grpc-ecosystem/grpc-gateway/v2 v2.26.1/go.mod h1:tIxuGz/9mpox++sgp9fJjHO0+q1X9/UOWd798aAm22M=
 github.com/hailocab/go-hostpool v0.0.0-20160125115350-e80d13ce29ed/go.mod h1:tMWxXQ9wFIaZeTI9F+hmhFiGpFmhOHzyShyFUhRm0H4=
@@ -241,8 +241,6 @@ github.com/rivo/uniseg v0.4.7 h1:WUdvkW8uEhrYfLC4ZzdpI2ztxP1I582+49Oc5Mq64VQ=
 github.com/rivo/uniseg v0.4.7/go.mod h1:FN3SvrM+Zdj16jyLfmOkMNblXMcoc8DfTHruCPUcx88=
 github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.13.1 h1:KvO1DLK/DRN07sQ1LQKScxyZJuNnedQ5/wKSR38lUII=
 github.com/rogpeppe/go-internal v1.13.1/go.mod h1:uMEvuHeurkdAXX61udpOXGD/AzZDWNMNyH2VO9fmH0o=
-github.com/rs/dnscache v0.0.0-20230804202142-fc85eb664529 h1:18kd+8ZUlt/ARXhljq+14TwAoKa61q6dX8jtwOf6DH8=
-github.com/rs/dnscache v0.0.0-20230804202142-fc85eb664529/go.mod h1:qe5TWALJ8/a1Lqznoc5BDHpYX/8HU60Hm2AwRmqzxqA=
 github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2 v2.1.0 h1:JIOH55/0cWyOuilr9/qlrm0BSXldqnqwMsf35Ld67mk=
 github.com/russross/blackfriday/v2 v2.1.0/go.mod h1:+Rmxgy9KzJVeS9/2gXHxylqXiyQDYRxCVz55jmeOWTM=
 github.com/sirupsen/logrus v1.0.6/go.mod h1:pMByvHTf9Beacp5x1UXfOR9xyW/9antXMhjMPG0dEzc=