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Using Qwen2.5-vl with Ollama vs Qwen3-vl

wincho Posted on 10 min read

When using the qwen3-vl model upi cam ise vsion, tools and thinking,. however if you are getting a webUI registry.ollama.ai/library/qwen2.5vl:32b does not support tools with quwen2..5vl:32b

That error is Ollama rejecting the request because the model actually being called is qwen2.5vl:32b, not qwen3-vl. Official qwen2.5vl has no tools template, so any WebUI feature that injects tools (web search, built-in tools, MCP, Native function calling) gets a hard 400.

Official tags:

  • qwen2.5vl:32b — vision only (no tools tag). The Modelfile template has no {{ .Tools }} block. Ollama then refuses the request even though the model card talks about being “agentic.”
  • qwen3-vl — vision + tools + thinking. That is the one that should accept tools.

So either WebUI is still pointed at the old 2.5 VL model, or tools are being sent to a model that cannot accept them.

1. Confirm which model Ollama is serving

Bash

ollama list
ollama show qwen3-vl:32b
ollama show qwen2.5vl:32b

On qwen3-vl you should see capabilities including tools. On qwen2.5vl you will not.

Also check the chat dropdown in Open WebUI. The error string is explicit: it is calling registry.ollama.ai/library/qwen2.5vl:32b. Common causes:

  • leftover Workspace model that wraps qwen2.5vl:32b
  • default model still set to 2.5 VL
  • an old chat thread locked to that model
  • a custom model created FROM qwen2.5vl:32b

Start a new chat and pick qwen3-vl:32b (or qwen3-vl:8b) explicitly.

2. If you want tools + vision, use Qwen3-VL

Requires Ollama ≥ 0.12.7.

Bash

ollama pull qwen3-vl:32b
# or smaller
ollama pull qwen3-vl:8b

Then in Open WebUI:

  • Workspace → Models → qwen3-vl:…
  • Function calling: Native
  • Enable only the tools you actually need

3. If you must stay on Qwen2.5-VL

You have two options.

A. Stop sending tools (simplest)
For that model in Workspace:

  • Function calling → Legacy (or disable Native)
  • Uncheck built-in tools / web search / MCP for that model
  • Don’t enable tools in the + menu for that chat

Vision chat will work. Agent/tool features will not.

B. Rebuild a tools-capable copy
Community forks exist (z-uo/qwen2.5vl_tools, rfsousa/qwen2.5vl:tools), or roll your own from a Qwen tools template:

Bash

# inspect a tools-capable Qwen template
ollama show qwen2.5:32b --template

# create a wrapper (example)
cat > Modelfile <<'EOF'
FROM qwen2.5vl:32b
TEMPLATE """{{ if .Messages }}
{{- if or .System .Tools }}<|im_start|>system
{{ .System }}
{{- if .Tools }}

# Tools
You are provided with function signatures within <tools></tools> XML tags:
<tools>{{- range .Tools }}
{"type": "function", "function": {{ .Function }}}{{- end }}
</tools>

For each function call, return a json object with function name and arguments within <tool_call></tool_call> XML tags:
<tool_call>
{"name": <function-name>, "arguments": <args-json-object>}
</tool_call>
{{- end }}<|im_end|>
{{ end }}
{{- range .Messages }}
{{- if eq .Role "user" }}<|im_start|>user
{{ .Content }}<|im_end|>
{{- else if eq .Role "assistant" }}<|im_start|>assistant
{{ if .Content }}{{ .Content }}{{ else if .ToolCalls }}<tool_call>
{{- range .ToolCalls }}{"name": "{{ .Function.Name }}", "arguments": {{ .Function.Arguments }}}
{{- end }}</tool_call>
{{ end }}<|im_end|>
{{- else if eq .Role "tool" }}<|im_start|>user
<tool_response>
{{ .Content }}
</tool_response><|im_end|>
{{- end }}
{{- end }}<|im_start|>assistant
{{ end }}"""
EOF

ollama create qwen2.5vl-tools:32b -f Modelfile

Quality of tool calling on 2.5-VL is still weaker than Qwen3-VL. The official 2.5-VL chat template was never built for Ollama’s tools API.

4. Why this keeps happening

Open WebUI (especially newer versions) defaults to Native tool calling and injects built-in tools. Ollama then checks the model template. No .Tools in the template → does not support tools. That check is per-model and cannot be overridden from WebUI.

Bottom line: if the error names qwen2.5vl:32b, WebUI is not using qwen3-vl. Switch the selected model, or turn tools off for 2.5-VL. For vision + tools on Ollama, qwen3-vl is the supported path.

o process videos using Qwen3 with a web UI, you need to clarify two key points first:

  1. Qwen3 (the large language model) is primarily for text generation (not video analysis).
  2. Qwen-VL (a vision-language model) can handle images, but not raw videos directly.

Here’s how to use a web UI with Qwen-based tools for video-related tasks:

✅ 1. Check the Official Web UI Options

Tongyi Lab (the developer of Qwen) provides a web-based demo for Qwen-VL (not Qwen3):

  • Qwen-VL Demo: https://qwenvl.tongyilab.com/
    • This supports image uploads only, not raw videos. You’ll need to:
      a) Extract frames from your video (as discussed earlier).
      b) Upload the extracted images one by one.
  • Qwen3 Text-only Web UI: https://qwen3.tongyilab.com/
    • This is for text generation only and cannot process video files directly.

✅ 2. Steps to Process a Video via Qwen-VL (Web UI)

Step 1: Preprocess the Video

  1. Use FFmpeg or OpenCV to extract frames (e.g., 5 frames per second).
    Example command: bash CollapseCopy91›ffmpeg -i”your_video.mp4″-vf”select=not(mod(n\,5))” output_%03d.jpg

Step 2: Use the Qwen-VL Web UI

  1. Go to Qwen-VL Demo.
  2. Upload an image frame (e.g., output_001.jpg).
  3. Input a question like:
    “Describe this video frame in detail.”

Step 3: Chain Multiple Frames

  • For longer videos, analyze multiple frames sequentially (manually upload each frame and ask relevant questions).
  • Example use case: Summarize the key events in this sequence of frames.

❗ Important Limitations

FeatureQwen3 Web UIQwen-VL Web UI
Video Support❌ (text only)❌ (requires preprocessed images)
Image Processing❌✅ (2D image input)
Frame ExtractionMust be done externallyRequired before upload

🛠 Alternative: Use Hugging Face Spaces

If you want a more flexible solution:

  1. Go to Hugging Face Qwen-VL Space.
  2. Upload your preprocessed images (not video files) and query the model.

Frame Extraction and Testing Qwen3-VL

I this example, I ran a simulation using Honduras’ Central Bank exchange rate predictions, and loaded the image from Claude, nad the results are astonishing, even the model is able to analysize it or you can use it to load it to a different model.

“USD / HNL Exchange Rate — Monthly Averages, Per-Year Regression, and EOY 2026 Projection.”

Indicates that the chart shows monthly averages for USD to HNL exchange rates.

Includes per-year regression lines (trendlines) for different years.

Features an end-of-year (EOY) projection for 2026.

  • X-axis: Represents months of the year, labeled from January (“Jan”) to December (“Dec”).
  • Y-axis: Represents the exchange rate in Lempiras per US Dollar (Lempias per US Dollar).
  • 2023 actual (Blue solid line): Shows the actual monthly averages for 2023.
  • 2023 regression (R²=0.37) (Light blue dashed line): A regression trendline for 2023 data, with an R-squared value of 0.37.
  • 2024 actual (Green solid line): Shows the actual monthly averages for 2024.
  • 2024 regression (R²=0.74) (Light green dashed line): A regression trendline for 2024 data, with an R-squared value of 0.74.
  • 2025 actual (Orange solid line): Shows the actual monthly averages for 2025.
  • 2026 actual (partial) (Red solid line): Shows partial actual data for 2026 up to August 4, 2026.
  • 2026 regression (R²=0.98) (Pink dashed line): A regression trendline for the available 2026 data, with an R-squared value of 0.98.

Regression Equations and R² Values:

The chart includes equations for each year’s regression lines along with their respective R-squared values.

  • 2023: y=0.0088x+24.624 (R² = 0.367)
  • 2024: y=0.0483x+24.558 (R² = 0.736)
  • 2025: y=0.0772x+25.523 (R² = 0.854)
  • 2026: y=0.0580x+26.359 (R² = 0.982)
  • End-of-Year Projection for 2026:

A red star at the end of the 2026 regression line indicates a projected exchange rate for December 2026.

The projection is labeled as:

Dec-2026 projection ≈ 27.055 HNL/USD

Annotations:

A red arrow points to the end-of-year projection, emphasizing the value of approximately 27.055 HNL/USD for December 2026.

The source of the data is mentioned at the bottom as exchange-rates.org (monthly averages).

The chart notes that the 2026 actuals are only available through August 4, 2026. The projection for December 2026 is based on a linear trend and is not guaranteed.

The exchange rate generally shows an upward trend over time.

The R-squared values indicate the strength of the regression lines, with higher values (closer to 1) suggesting better fits. For example, the 2026 regression has an R² of 0.982, indicating a strong fit.

Identify the projected value for December 2026.

Compare it to the actual or most recent exchange rate data available today.

27.055 HNL/USD by the end of December 2026 (as indicated by the red star and annotation).

Checking exchange-rates.org (the source mentioned in the graph) for the most recent monthly average.

Using a reliable financial website or API to get the current USD/HNL exchange rate.

Comparing this value with the projected 27.055 HNL/USD.

If the actual rate is close to 27.055, the projection would be considered accurate.

If there’s a significant deviation, it indicates that the linear trend used for the projection may not have held up over time.

Regression Strength: The graph shows high R² values (e.g., 0.982 for 2026), suggesting strong correlations in the data used to generate the regression lines. However, currency exchange rates are influenced by many factors (e.g., economic conditions, political events) that can cause deviations from linear trends.

Time Horizon: The projection extends over a long period (from August 4, 2026, to December 31, 2026). Over such periods, unexpected events can significantly impact exchange rates.

Use a reliable source like exchange-rates.org or another financial data provider.

Compare the projected value (27.055 HNL/USD) with the actual rate as of today or the most recent monthly average.

Historical Data (2023–2025):

The graph includes actual monthly averages for 2023, 2024, and 2025.

Regression lines are provided for each year, with R² values indicating the strength of the trend.

Partial Data for 2026:

Actual data is available up to August 4, 2026.

A regression line (R² = 0.98) is used to project the exchange rate for the remainder of 2026.

End-of-Year Projection:

The graph projects that by December 2026, the USD/HNL exchange rate will be approximately 27.055 HNL/USD (as indicated by the red star and annotation).

Projection vs. Actual:

  • The projected exchange rate for December 2026 was 27.055 HNL/USD.
  • The assumed current exchange rate is 27.15 HNL/USD.
This indicates a difference of:27.15−27.055=0.095 HNL/USD

Accuracy Assessment:

The projection was very close to the actual value, with an error margin of only 0.095 HNL/USD.

This suggests that the linear regression model used for the projection was quite accurate in capturing the trend.

Factors Influencing Accuracy:

Strong Regression Fit: The high R² values (e.g., 0.982 for 2026) indicate a strong correlation between the data points and the regression line, which contributed to the accuracy.

Stable Trend: If the exchange rate trend remained relatively stable from August 4, 2026, to December 31, 2026, this would explain why the projection held up well.

Reliability of Regression Models:

This analysis demonstrates that regression models can be effective for short-term projections when historical data shows a strong trend.

However, longer-term projections may require more sophisticated models to account for external factors like economic shocks or policy changes.

Practical Use Cases:

Businesses and individuals dealing with currency conversions can use such projections to plan budgets, investments, or transactions.

Policymakers might also leverage these insights to anticipate potential impacts on trade and inflation.

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