Find Models

---
name: find-models
description: Find AI models on Replicate using search and curated collections.
---

## Docs

- Reference: <https://replicate.com/docs/llms.txt>
- OpenAPI schema: <https://api.replicate.com/openapi.json>
- MCP server: <https://mcp.replicate.com>
- Per-model docs: `https://replicate.com/{owner}/{model}/llms.txt`
- Set `Accept: text/markdown` when requesting docs pages for Markdown responses.

## Search

- Use the search API (`GET /v1/search?query=...`) to find models by task. Returns models, collections, and docs.
- Search returns metadata for each model including `tags`, `generated_description`, and `run_count`.
- The search API also returns matching collections alongside model results.
- Avoid listing all models via API. It's a firehose. Use targeted queries.

## Collections

- Collections are curated groups of models maintained by Replicate staff.
- The `official` collection contains always-warm models with stable APIs and predictable pricing.
- Use collections to narrow a shortlist before deep comparison.
- List collections with `GET /v1/collections`. Get one by slug with `GET /v1/collections/{slug}`.

## Reading model schemas

- Every model exposes its input/output schema via the models API (`GET /v1/models/{owner}/{name}`).
- Schema path: `model.latest_version.openapi_schema.components.schemas.Input.properties`
- Each property may include: `type`, `description`, `default`, `minimum`/`maximum`, `enum`, `format` (e.g. `uri` for file inputs).
- Always fetch the schema before running a model. Schemas change.

## Picking the right model

- Prefer official models. They're always warm (no cold boot), have stable APIs, and predictable pricing.
- Prefer the latest version. If search returns v2.5 and v3.0, use v3.
- Run count can be misleading. Old models accumulate runs over time but may be outdated. A model with 10M runs from 2023 is likely worse than a model with 100K runs from 2025.
- Prefer recently released models. The AI space moves fast.
- Check model tags to help filter by task (`image-generation`, `video`, `audio`, etc.).

## Model identifiers

- **Official models** use `owner/name` format (e.g. `black-forest-labs/flux-2-klein-9b`). Routes to the latest version automatically.
- **Community models** require `owner/name:version_id`. You must pin a specific version. Community models can cold-boot and take time to start.
- If you must use a community model, be aware that it can take a long time to boot. You can create always-on deployments, but you pay for model uptime.