diff --git a/bootstrap-ai.sh b/bootstrap-ai.sh
new file mode 100755
index 0000000..c2db871
--- /dev/null
+++ b/bootstrap-ai.sh
@@ -0,0 +1,112 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env bash
+# bootstrap-ai.sh — optional AI layer for hack-house (Ollama, local-first)
+#
+# Runs the baseline ./bootstrap.sh first, then sets up everything the /ai agent
+# bridge needs to run a LOCAL model: installs Ollama (if missing) and pulls a
+# default model. Cloud providers (anthropic / openai) need no install — just an
+# API key in the agent's env — so this script only handles the local default.
+#
+# The baseline is untouched: ./bootstrap.sh alone never installs or enables AI.
+#
+# usage:
+#   ./bootstrap-ai.sh              # baseline setup + Ollama + default model
+#   ./bootstrap-ai.sh --release    # ...and build the client in release mode
+#   ./bootstrap-ai.sh --check      # report only; install/pull nothing
+#   ./bootstrap-ai.sh --yes        # don't prompt before installing Ollama
+#   ./bootstrap-ai.sh -h | --help  # this help
+#
+# environment:
+#   HH_AI_MODEL   model to pull   (default: qwen2.5:3b)
+#   OLLAMA_HOST   daemon URL      (default: http://localhost:11434)
+set -uo pipefail
+
+ROOT="$(cd "$(dirname "$0")" && pwd)"
+MODEL="${HH_AI_MODEL:-qwen2.5:3b}"
+OLLAMA_HOST="${OLLAMA_HOST:-http://localhost:11434}"
+INSTALLER_URL="https://ollama.com/install.sh"
+
+RELEASE_ARGS=()
+CHECK_ONLY=0
+ASSUME_YES=0
+for arg in "$@"; do
+    case "$arg" in
+        --release) RELEASE_ARGS+=(--release) ;;
+        --check)   CHECK_ONLY=1 ;;
+        --yes|-y)  ASSUME_YES=1 ;;
+        -h|--help|-help) grep '^#' "$0" | sed 's/^# \{0,1\}//'; exit 0 ;;
+        *) echo "✖ unknown arg: $arg (try --release / --check / --yes / --help)" >&2; exit 2 ;;
+    esac
+done
+
+have() { command -v "$1" >/dev/null 2>&1; }
+ollama_up() { curl -s --max-time 3 "$OLLAMA_HOST/api/tags" >/dev/null 2>&1; }
+
+# 0. Baseline setup (venv + server/agent deps + client build). The agent's own
+#    runtime deps (requests, websockets) are already in requirements.txt, so the
+#    baseline install covers them — this script adds only the model runtime.
+if [[ $CHECK_ONLY -eq 1 ]]; then
+    "$ROOT/bootstrap.sh" --check || exit $?
+else
+    "$ROOT/bootstrap.sh" "${RELEASE_ARGS[@]}" || exit $?
+fi
+
+echo
+echo "── AI layer (Ollama, local) ──"
+
+# 1. Report current state.
+if have ollama; then echo "  ✓ ollama ($(ollama --version 2>&1 | head -1))"
+else echo "  · ollama not installed"; fi
+if ollama_up; then echo "  ✓ ollama daemon reachable at $OLLAMA_HOST"
+else echo "  · ollama daemon not reachable at $OLLAMA_HOST"; fi
+
+if [[ $CHECK_ONLY -eq 1 ]]; then
+    echo "--check: no changes made"
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+# 2. Install Ollama if missing. The official installer pipes a remote script into
+#    a shell, so we print the exact command and — on an interactive terminal —
+#    ask first (skip with --yes). Already installed → nothing to do.
+if ! have ollama; then
+    if [[ "$(uname -s)" != "Linux" ]]; then
+        echo "  ✖ automatic install is Linux-only." >&2
+        echo "    install Ollama for your OS from https://ollama.com/download, then re-run." >&2
+        exit 1
+    fi
+    echo "  Ollama is not installed. The official installer will run:"
+    echo "      curl -fsSL $INSTALLER_URL | sh"
+    if [[ $ASSUME_YES -ne 1 && -t 0 ]]; then
+        read -r -p "  proceed? [y/N] " ans
+        [[ "$ans" == [yY]* ]] || { echo "  aborted — install Ollama yourself, then re-run." >&2; exit 1; }
+    fi
+    curl -fsSL "$INSTALLER_URL" | sh || { echo "  ✖ Ollama install failed" >&2; exit 1; }
+    have ollama || { echo "  ✖ ollama still not on PATH after install" >&2; exit 1; }
+    echo "  ✓ ollama installed"
+fi
+
+# 3. Make sure the daemon is up. The Linux installer usually registers a systemd
+#    service; if it isn't running we start one in the background so we can pull.
+if ! ollama_up; then
+    echo "  starting ollama daemon…"
+    if have systemctl && systemctl start ollama 2>/dev/null; then :
+    else nohup ollama serve >/tmp/hh-ollama.log 2>&1 & fi
+    for _ in $(seq 1 20); do ollama_up && break; sleep 1; done
+    ollama_up || { echo "  ✖ could not reach ollama at $OLLAMA_HOST (see /tmp/hh-ollama.log)" >&2; exit 1; }
+    echo "  ✓ daemon up"
+fi
+
+# 4. Pull the default model (idempotent).
+if ollama list 2>/dev/null | awk 'NR>1{print $1}' | grep -Fxq "$MODEL"; then
+    echo "  ✓ model '$MODEL' already present"
+else
+    echo "  pulling model '$MODEL' (first pull can take a while)…"
+    ollama pull "$MODEL" || { echo "  ✖ failed to pull '$MODEL'" >&2; exit 1; }
+    echo "  ✓ model '$MODEL' ready"
+fi
+
+echo
+echo "AI ready. start a local agent against a running room with:"
+echo "    .venv/bin/python -m cmd_chat.agent <host> <port> \\"
+echo "        --name oracle --password <room-pw> --provider ollama --model $MODEL --no-tls"
+echo
+echo "tip: pick a different model with  HH_AI_MODEL=llama3 ./bootstrap-ai.sh"
diff --git a/bootstrap.sh b/bootstrap.sh
index 436210d..ea06ac2 100755
--- a/bootstrap.sh
+++ b/bootstrap.sh
@@ -77,3 +77,4 @@ echo
 echo "ready. next steps:"
 echo "    cd hh && ./lets-hack.sh          # local test session (server + clients in tmux)"
 echo "    # or run the server + client by hand — see README.MD"
+echo "    # want the local AI agent? ./bootstrap-ai.sh  (installs Ollama + a model)"