blog/src/content/matrix_ai_integrations_with_baibot.md

Title: Intergrating Ollama and Matrix with Baibot Date: 2025-06-25 20:00 Modified: 2025-06-30 08:00 Category: AI, Data, Matrix Tags: ai, kubernetes, matrix Slug: ollama-matrix-integration Authors: Andrew Ridgway Summary: Integrating a Local LLM to a personal matrix server all the fun AND data sovereignty

Human Introduction

I've been experimenting with AI and integrations I'm particuarly excited by the idea of using LLM's to integrate between different systems (Stay tuned for a blog MCP at some point in the future!)

Below I've thrown together some notes and had AI build a very quick how to on a cool little project that took next to no time to put together that I thought might be interesting for the group.. Enjoy!

Matrix AI Integrations with baibot: A Fun Journey into Home Automation and LLMs

Alright, so I’ve been messing around with this cool project called baibot, which is a locally deployable bot for integrating Large Language Models (LLMs) into Matrix chatrooms. If you’re anything like me, you run your own Matrix server to keep things private and under control—whether it’s for family communication or interacting with the tech community. But one day, I thought, “Why not have my LLMs right where I’m already managing everything else?” Enter baibot.

Setting Up My Own Matrix Server with baibot

First off, I’ve got a home Matrix server running Element. Integrating baibot into this environment makes sense because it allows me to connect directly via the same platform. The key was getting the configuration right using examples from baibot’s GitHub. For instance, connecting to an Ollama gemma3 model with a specific prompt ensures it’s lighthearted yet responsive:

base_url: http://<my_ollama_ip>:11434/v1
text_generation:
  model_id: gemma3:latest
  prompt: 'You are a lighthearted bot...'
temperature: 0.9
max_response_tokens: 4096
max_context_tokens: 128000

This gives me precise control over the bot’s behavior, ensuring each instance in Matrix rooms behaves exactly as intended.

Deploying to Kubernetes

To ensure reliability, I used Kubernetes. Here's a breakdown of the key files:

• Deployment.yaml: Manages pod replicas, security contexts, and volume mounts for persistence.

apiVersion: apps/v1
kind: Deployment
metadata:
  labels:
    app: ridgway-bot
  name: ridgway-bot
spec:
  replicas: 1
  strategy:
    type: Recreate
  template:
    spec:
      containers:
      - image: ghcr.io/etkecc/baibot:v1.7.4
        name: baibot
        volumeMounts:
        - name: ridgway-bot-cm
          mountPath: /app/config.yml
        - name: ridgway-bot-pv
          mountPath: /data
      volumes:
      - name: ridgway-bot-cm
        configMap:
          name: ridgway-bot
      - name: ridgway-bot-pv
        persistentVolumeClaim:
          claimName: ridgway-bot-storage

• Persistent Volume Claim (PVC) ensures data storage for baibot.

apiVersion: v1
kind: PersistentVolumeClaim
metadata:
  name: ridgway-bot-storage
spec:
  accessModes:
  - ReadWriteMany
  resources:
    requests:
      storage: 500Mi

The deployment script handles namespace creation, config maps, PVCs, and waits for the pod to be ready before copying data.

Integrating with OpenWebUI for RAG

Another cool aspect is integrating baibot with OpenWebUI, which acts as an OpenAI-compatible API. This allows me to leverage models I’ve created in OpenWebUI that include knowledge bases (RAG). The config here uses OpenWebUI’s endpoints:

base_url: 'https://<my-openwebui-endpoint>/api/'
api_key: <my-openwebui-api-key>
text_generation:
  model_id: andrew-knowledge-base
  prompt: 'Your name is Rodergast...'

This setup lets me access RAG capabilities directly within Matrix chats, all without writing a single line of code. It’s like having my very own AI research assistant right there in the chatroom.

Future Steps and Challenges

Now that baibot is up and running, I’m already thinking about expanding its use cases. The next step might be integrating it with Home Assistant for alarm notifications or other automation tasks. However, my current setup uses an older gaming PC, which struggles with computational demands. This could lead to a rearchitecting effort—perhaps moving to a dedicated server or optimizing the hardware.

Conclusion

Baibot has been a fantastic tool for experimenting with AI integrations in Matrix. By leveraging existing infrastructure and OpenWebUI’s capabilities, I’ve achieved full control over data privacy and customization. The next frontier is expanding these integrations into more practical applications like home automation. Stay tuned for updates!

Final Thoughts

It’s incredibly rewarding to see how open-source projects like baibot democratize AI access. Whether you’re a hobbyist or a pro, having tools that let you run LLMs locally without vendor lock-in is game-changing. If you’re interested in diving deeper, check out the baibot GitHub and explore its documentation. Happy coding!