This repository contains a GGUF quantized version of Qwen/Qwen3.5-9B, prepared for use with llama.cpp and compatible runtimes, and used as the core base model inside the meeTARA empathetic assistant.
Base model: Qwen/Qwen3.5-9B
Architecture: Qwen3.5 (9B parameters, base‑tuned)
Format: GGUF
Quantization: Q2_K, Q4_K_M, Q5_K_M (see Available files below)
Intended use: Standalone intelligent assistant with baked-in domain detection, emotional intelligence, and structured responses for local / offline inference.
✨ Standalone Intelligence: This GGUF model includes 20 layers of intelligence baked directly into the chat template. No backend code required - download and use with llama.cpp, Ollama, or any GGUF-compatible runtime.
Base model highlights (Qwen 3.5 9B)
This GGUF builds on the official Qwen/Qwen3.5-9B model. For full details, benchmarks, and limitations, see the upstream model card. At a high level:
Strong general chat & reasoning for its size; Qwen 3.5 is competitive with larger models on many tasks.
Long context support, suitable for long documents and multi-turn conversations.
Multi-modal capable: Qwen 3.5 supports image+text input. This repo includes meetara-vl-qwen3.5-9b.gguf (the multimodal projector) — see the Vision / image-to-text section below for how to use it.
Available files
Filename
Type
Size
Notes
meetara-qwen3.5-9b-Q2_K.gguf
Text GGUF
see Files tab
Smallest, fastest
meetara-qwen3.5-9b-Q4_K_M.gguf
Text GGUF
~5.2G
Recommended text model
meetara-qwen3.5-9b-Q5_K_M.gguf
Text GGUF
see Files tab
Higher quality, larger
meetara-vl-qwen3.5-9b.gguf
Vision projector
~879MB
Required for image+text (mmproj)
All files are in this repo. For text-only use, pick a *-Q4_K_M.gguf. For image+text, load both the text GGUF and meetara-vl-qwen3.5-9b.gguf together (see Vision / image-to-text section below).
Prompt format (recommended)
The model uses a Qwen‑style chat template. A simple, robust pattern is:
<|im_start|>system
You are meeTARA, an emotionally intelligent AI assistant built on top of a Qwen3.5‑9B‑Base base model. Always answer clearly, kindly, and with practical steps the user can take.
<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>user
{user_message}
<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>assistant
Example:
<|im_start|>system
You are meeTARA, an emotionally intelligent AI assistant built on top of a Qwen3.5‑9B‑Base base model. Always answer clearly, kindly, and with practical steps the user can take.
<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>user
How can I improve my sleep quality and manage stress naturally?
<|im_end|>
<|im_start|>assistant
Requirements & runtimes (Qwen 3.5)
This GGUF uses the qwen35 architecture. You need a runtime that supports it:
Use a recent build. If you see unknown model architecture 'qwen35' or missing tensor 'output_norm.weight', update the repo and rebuild llama-cli / llama-quantize / llama-simple-chat.
Build against a recent llama.cpp (with qwen35 support). Use chat_format="chatml" for chat.
Ollama / text-generation-webui
Use a backend that supports qwen35 (e.g. llama.cpp-based).
Chat format: This model expects ChatML (<|im_start|>, <|im_end|>). With llama.cpp use conversation mode and the chatml template:
bash
1# Interactive chat (recommended)2./llama-simple-chat -m /path/to/meetara-qwen3.5-9b-Q4_K_M.gguf -cnv --chat-template chatml
34# One-shot prompt5./llama-cli -m /path/to/meetara-qwen3.5-9b-Q4_K_M.gguf -p "Hello, how can you help me?" -n 256 -cnv --chat-template chatml
Python (llama-cpp-python):
python
1from llama_cpp import Llama
2llm = Llama(model_path="meetara-qwen3.5-9b-Q4_K_M.gguf", chat_format="chatml")3# Then use create_chat_completion or your preferred API.
Vision / image-to-text (mmproj)
This repo includes meetara-vl-qwen3.5-9b.gguf — the multimodal projector (mmproj) that enables image+text input for this model.
How it works:
IMAGE.jpg → [Vision Encoder] → [meetara-vl-qwen3.5-9b.gguf] → Text GGUF → Text answer
(pixels) (mmproj) (generates response)
The VL file is not a language model — it is the bridge that translates image features into token vectors the LLM understands. The meeTARA personality and 20-layer intelligence come from the text GGUF; load both together at runtime.
Usage with llama.cpp (llama-mtmd-cli):
bash
1# Download both files first2huggingface-cli download meetara-lab/meetara-qwen3.5-9b-gguf \3 --include "meetara-qwen3.5-9b-Q4_K_M.gguf""meetara-vl-qwen3.5-9b.gguf" --local-dir .45# Run image+text inference6./llama-mtmd-cli \7 -m meetara-qwen3.5-9b-Q4_K_M.gguf \8 --mmproj meetara-vl-qwen3.5-9b.gguf \9 --image /path/to/your/image.jpg \10 -p "Describe this image."
Note: Vision support requires a recent llama.cpp build (mid-2025 or later) with llama-mtmd-cli available. For text-only use, the VL file is not needed.
1./llama-cli \2 -m /path/to/meetara-qwen3.5-9b-gguf-Q4_K_M.gguf \3 -p "<|im_start|>system You are meeTARA, an emotionally intelligent AI assistant built on top of a Qwen3.5‑9B‑Base base model. Always answer clearly, kindly, and with practical steps the user can take. <|im_end|> <|im_start|>user How can I improve my sleep quality and manage stress naturally? <|im_end|> <|im_start|>assistant"
Adjust flags like -n (max tokens), --temperature, --top_p, --top_k, etc. according to your hardware and latency/quality trade‑offs.
This GGUF model includes baked-in intelligence that works without any backend code. The model automatically detects domains, emotions, intent, and context through a 20-layer detection system:
Intelligence Layers
Layer
Feature
Description
1
🚨 Refusal Patterns
Safety-first harmful request detection
2
🧩 Contextual Patterns
Multi-word phrase disambiguation (python code vs snake)
3
📊 N-gram Patterns
Bigram/trigram detection for better context
4
🔗 Semantic Clusters
Related keyword groups boost domain confidence
5
👤 Entity Patterns
Personal context, time-sensitive, beginner/expert
6
🎯 Intent Signals
What user wants: learn, fix, decide, create, validate
Layer 16: Contextual structure with empathetic opening (e.g. 2–5 sections when helpful)
Expected Response: Empathetic opening, clear answer and key details, practical steps, and safety disclaimer. Structure adapts to question complexity (simpler questions get a more direct answer).
Example 2: Technology Domain with Context Awareness