WSL can't reach Kobold.cpp running on Windows, even though the API works fine in PowerShell, SillyTavern & a Kenshi SentientSands Mod. Does anyone know the solution?

WSL can’t reach Kobold.cpp running on Windows

I’m facing an issue where a service running inside WSL (Hermes/agent setup) cannot access the local Kobold.cpp API that is running on Windows. Here’s the situation:

Kobold.cpp is running on Windows.
The OpenAI-compatible API is listening on port 5001.
It works fine from PowerShell, SillyTavern, and a Kenshi Mod (SentientSands).
However, WSL cannot connect to it. The service appears to be running correctly as indicated by the API endpoint showing http://0.0.0.0:5001/v1/.

In PowerShell:

bash curl http://127.0.0.1:5001/v1/models

returns the model list.

But in WSL, running curl http://127.0.0.1:5001/v1/models fails with:

curl: (7) Failed to connect to 127.0.0.1 port 5001 after 0 ms: Could not connect to server

This suggests that the problem is specifically WSL trying to reach a Windows-hosted service.

I’ve tried binding Kobold to 0.0.0.0, changing WSL config, and using different networking modes without success.
Reverting back to the default NAT-style configuration with localhostForwarding=true has resolved the issue for now but still doesn’t allow reaching the Windows-hosted service.

I want a reliable way for WSL to access services running on the Windows host. Specifically:

How can I ensure WSL can reach a Windows-hosted service like Kobold.cpp’s API?
Is using 127.0.0.1 reliable in this scenario, or should I use the actual Windows host IP?
Do I need an explicit firewall rule for WSL to access the service running on the Windows host?
Has anyone successfully set up WSL with a Windows-hosted API like Kobold.cpp’s?

Any insights or solutions would be greatly appreciated. Thank you!

Key Takeaways

Kobold.cpp is running on Windows and the API works from PowerShell, WSL, and a Mod.
WSL cannot connect to the Kobold API despite it appearing to be running correctly.
Troubleshooting has involved changing WSL configuration but hasn’t resolved the issue.

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WSL can’t reach Kobold.cpp running on Windows, even though the API works fine in PowerShell, SillyTavern & a Kenshi SentientSands Mod. Does anyone know the solution?