Someone got an offline LLM running on a 2015 Kindle Paperwhite, even if it’s quite slow

Published Nov 7, 2026, 1:24 AM EST Simon is a Computer Science BSc graduate who has been writing about technology since 2014, and using Windows machines since 3.1. After working for an indie game studio and acting as the family's go-to technician for all computer issues, he found his passion for writing and decided to use his skill set to write about all things tech. Since beginning his writing career, he has written for many different publications such as WorldStart, Listverse, and MakeTechEasier. However, after finding his home at MakeUseOf in February 2019, he would eventually move on to its sister site, XDA, to bring the latest and greatest in Windows, Linux, and DIY electronics. Sign in to your XDA account Summary Inkwell runs Alpine Linux on a jailbroken 2015 Kindle Paperwhite, with apps like Terminal, chess, and DOOM included. Quill runs SmolLM2 via Llama.cpp entirely on-device, and nothing leaves the Kindle. Smart mode slows output to ~0.7 wps, but the whole project is a neat revival for old e‑readers. While we love our frontier LLMs here at XDA, we also have a soft spot for running local ones. As LLM tech advances, we're seeing models get more powerful, but we're also seeing people squeeze less powerful models onto older hardware. For instance, someone has gotten Quill running on a 2015 Kindle Paperwhite, and while it won't be replacing ChatGPT anytime soon, it's still an impressive feat. Putting Alpine Linux on an 11-year-old Kindle is definitely a flex The LLM is just the cherry on top Credit: Pragyaan Gaur As spotted by Hackaday, this cool project comes to us via Pragyaan Gaur on GitHub. It's called Inkwell, and the idea is that you can take a jailbroken Kindle Paperwhite from 2015 and run an Alpine Linux userspace built specifically for the e-ink device. There are some really fun features in Inkwell, such as a Terminal, a chess game, and, of course, DOOM runs on it. However, arguably its most impressive feature is its chatbot: Quill is a chatbot that runs SmolLM2 through llama.cpp on the Kindle's own processor. It writes its answer word by word at about 1.7 words per second with the quick model, and a slower smart model can be added. Nothing leaves the device. Yes, that's 1.7 words a second on the quickest mode. If you really want to wrack the Kindle's processor, you can instead opt for Quill's smart mode, which will drag the output down to a painful 0.7 words per second. But hey, we're talking about an 11-year-old portable device that was built for nothing more than to display ebooks, so the fact that one runs at all is a minor miracle. You can check out Inkwell for yourself over on its GitHub repository. Who knows, perhaps this is the perfect way to stop your e-reader from collecting dust.