Slightly-Less Barebones TavernAI Guide

How to Install - a 4 step guide

I'll be focusing this guide on how I personally installed it. There are other methods, but I can't help troubleshoot with them. I mean I probably can't help troubleshoot you with this either, but it's at least worth a shot. This is also aimed for a Windows using audience, but SillyTavern can also be installed on Mac, Linux and Android.
https://docs.sillytavern.app/installation/windows/ - Read here for alternate installation strategies.

Step 1.
Install NodeJS LTS and Git

Step 2.
Open an easy to find folder, such as your desktop or downloads folder, then type cmd in the address bar.

Step 3.
Once the command prompt has opened, copy and paste this string into the command prompt. git clone https://github.com/SillyTavern/SillyTavern -b release

Step 4.
Once that has finished, you can now close the command prompt and click Start inside the SillyTavern folder.

Extra.
You can update by either clicking UpdateAndStart or entering the command prompt again while in the SillyTavern folder and typing git pull

Connecting to a model. (Unfinished)

While you now have Tavern open, you can not yet chat with any bots as you do not have a model connected.
There are two ways to connect an AI language model to Tavern,

1. Running a local model.
2. Connecting to an online model.
   This seems simple enough, but in these large categories there are many sub-categories. We will start with the second option first.

Remember that all online models are hosted on someone else's computer. Do not send sensitive information, such as your real name or location to these models. You may also want to use a VPN.

Horde

The easiest free way to connect to an online model is through Horde. Click the button that looks like a plug on the taskbar in Tavern. This will open up the API menu. In the top dropdown, click KoboldAI Horde. You can then choose a model from the list. These are all local models hosted by other Horde users. You can also optionally sign up to horde or rent out your own model, but we will not be discussing that in this guide.

Most of these will not be very good local models, and there may be long wait times. However you will almost always have access to them. After you have chosen a model, click the button that looks like multiple sliders. This is the API Response Config menu. In the dropdown, I usually default to Simple Proxy for Tavern. Then you should be ready to chat.

OpenRouter

I do not have personal experience with this but SillyTavern does have inbuilt support for it. This site gives you access to multiple different models where you pay for the amount you use, as compared to paying a flat fee per month. There are hundreds of models on the site, ranging from low quality to the very top of the line. Some, but not all of the models are moderated for content.

NovelAI

I haven't used this since a free trial years ago, but I do believe you can hook it up to SillyTavern. Their pricing plan is a flat monthly rate, starting at $10 and going up to $25 per month. Their models are completely unique to the site and you can't get them anywhere else. The text model is generally considered overpriced for the quality but their image generation model is often considered the best on the market. Due to their origins, which I was partly there for, they're heavily against censorship and have some focus on privacy so feel free to grope as many lolis as you desire.

Also, as far as I know, they're the only AI company on this list that officially supports vtubers. They sponsored Pipkin Pippa recently.

GPT and Claude API

I also don't have experience with this. ¯\(ツ)/¯ I'm allergic to spending money on porn, alright. Like OpenRouter you pay as you use, but they're specific to the GPT and Claude series of models and you may also get more features that you wouldn't get with OpenRouter. I know the GPT API also gives you API access to DALL-E, which is an image generation model, for example.

Proxies

Now this is my shit. If you ever see me posting with AIke, I'm probably using a proxy. Proxies are a way to allow multiple people to access one or more totally legally gained API key at once for free. These are usually GPT or Claude API keys, but some proxies have other model types. Due to how quickly these can go down I won't link any specific ones, sorry. Some proxies are public, while others are invite only. You can usually find public proxies by looking in /aicg/ on /g/ but I wouldn't recommend spending too much time in that thread for the sake of your sanity.

Local Models

More info on this later because while I have ran some models on my computer, my knowledge is very rudimentary because I can't into technology.

Model Showdown

Open each image in an new tab so you can actually read them instead of them being the size of an ant. Note that this is not a rigorous test and does not accurately show the strengths and weaknesses of each model. There is no testing of such things as context length, which measures how much of the story it can remember, for example. The prompts and settings I used were also intended for GPT-4, and with different ones the other models could possibly shine a bit brighter. It's just a direct comparison of their responses in the same exact circumstances. (•ω•)

In general, GPT-4, and Claude 3 are considered top of the line models and are what you should be trying to strive for. However, you can not run them on your personal machine and are more expensive and can be difficult to get access to if you're not willing to pay. I usually use one of the two, so if you need help that's where I can best give tips.

Actually Chatting

Now that you've chosen a model you're probably ready to chat. Not all models are specifically for roleplay so you may need to tell them what exactly you want it to do. Some models, like the models in the GPT and Claude series are soft-censored, this means that unless you trick the AI in some way you won't be able to get adult content. Sometimes all prompts are called jailbreaks, but jailbreaks are technically a more specific thing. Either way this rentry has a listing of a couple of jailbreaks and prompts you may want to look through.

Remember to have fun and plap plap those shotas!

SillyTavern-Extras (Unfinished)

W.I.P
Just read this for now.
https://docs.sillytavern.app/extras/installation/

FAQ

Q: How to export bots I made?
A: After choosing the bot you wish to export, click this button. Then click PNG, after that upload it to the site Catbox and use the link given to share your bots. Uploading the PNG directly to 4chan will not work, as data is removed.

Q: How to upload bots made by others?
A: On the main bot page, click this button. Then navigate to the bot you downloaded.

Q: I saw someone who had TTS and a Live2d model and Speech Recognition and an Emulator hooked up to their SillyTavern. How do I get that???
A: I'll explain when I make a Tavern-Extras install guide.

Bots hosted on this Rentry

Niji bots hosted on other sites:

https://www.chub.ai/characters?search=&topics=nijisanji
https://mega.nz/folder/ySAHXaaK#jDHN_RpvFrVorZWYMtEAiA

EN:
https://botprompts.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/03/Aster-Arcadia-Nijisanji-EN-ILUNA-Yin.json
https://botprompts.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/SonnyBrisko-Nijisanji-justanormiexxx.json
https://booru.plus/+pygmalion1193
https://booru.plus/+pygmalion952
https://booru.plus/+pygmalion519
https://booru.plus/+pygmalion1674

JP:
https://www.chub.ai/characters/nymous/higuchi-kaede
https://booru.plus/+pygmalion1948
https://booru.plus/+pygmalion1739
https://booru.plus/+pygmalion1633
https://booru.plus/+pygmalion535
https://booru.plus/+pygmalion374
https://chub.ai/characters/pomudachi/emma-august-4074566f
https://www.chub.ai/characters/maliksusanto/shirayuki-tomoe
https://www.chub.ai/characters/nymous/ange-katarina-c514477d

ID:
https://www.chub.ai/characters/nymous/mika-melatika

Extras

Fanfic Translations I made using AI:
[Reader x Ike x Mob] [Pee] [Exhibitionism] [Ike being a cute slut]
https://rentry.org/8v943

Useful Links

Official Documentation
/aicg/
/wAIfu/
Botmaking guides
Local Model guides

Art that used to have places in this guide: