--- id: "gemini-nano-support" date: "2026-01-18" title: "Zero-install AI — Gemini Nano runs inside your browser" summary: "Chrome ships an AI model built into the browser itself. Daneel now supports it — no downloads, no API keys, no server. Here's how to activate it and what you can do with it." image: "/medias/gemini.nano.jpg" header: "Feature" tags: ["feature", "gemini-nano", "local", "privacy", "how-to"] --- ## The AI is already there What if you didn't need to download a model, run a server, or enter an API key? What if the AI was just... part of your browser? That's Gemini Nano. Google ships a compact language model directly inside Chrome — built into the browser binary, managed by Chrome's update system, running entirely on your device. Daneel now supports it as a first-class provider. No setup beyond flipping two flags. No storage to manage. No cost. And absolutely nothing leaves your machine. ## What is Gemini Nano Gemini Nano is Google's on-device language model, designed to run locally inside Chrome. It's approximately 3 billion parameters — small enough to fit on most modern hardware, capable enough for summarization, Q&A, rewriting, and basic reasoning. Chrome handles the entire lifecycle: downloading the model weights, updating them silently, and managing GPU memory. Your extension — and Daneel — simply calls the LanguageModel API and gets responses. The model is shared across all extensions and web apps that use it, so there's no duplication. ## How to activate it Gemini Nano isn't enabled by default yet. You need to flip two Chrome flags — it takes about two minutes. **Step 1 — Check your Chrome version.** You need Chrome 140 or later. Check at `chrome://settings/help`. If you're on an older version, update first. **Step 2 — Enable the on-device model flag.** Navigate to: ``` chrome://flags/#optimization-guide-on-device-model ``` Set it to **Enabled** (or **Enabled BypassPerfRequirement** if your hardware is slightly below spec). This tells Chrome to download and maintain the Gemini Nano model. **Step 3 — Enable the Prompt API flag.** Navigate to: ``` chrome://flags/#prompt-api-for-gemini-nano ``` Set it to **Enabled** for English only, or **Enabled multilingual** for English, Spanish, and Japanese support. **Step 4 — Relaunch Chrome.** Click the Relaunch button at the bottom of the flags page. Chrome will restart and begin downloading the model in the background. **Step 5 — Verify the download.** Open `chrome://on-device-internals` and check the Model Status tab. You should see Gemini Nano listed as downloaded. If it shows "scheduled" or "pending," give it a few minutes — the download happens silently. You can also verify in DevTools (F12, then Console): ```javascript await LanguageModel.availability() // Should return: "available" ``` Once you see "available," you're ready to go. ## System requirements Gemini Nano needs reasonable hardware to run well: - **OS:** Windows 10/11, macOS 13+ (Ventura), Linux, or ChromeOS 16389+ (Chromebook Plus only) - **RAM:** 16 GB minimum - **CPU:** 4 cores or more - **GPU:** Strictly more than 4 GB VRAM (integrated GPUs may work if RAM is sufficient) - **Storage:** At least 22 GB free on the volume containing your Chrome profile - **Network:** Unmetered connection for the initial model download only Important: if your free storage drops below 10 GB after the download, Chrome will automatically remove the model to reclaim space. Not supported on Android, iOS, or non-Chromebook-Plus ChromeOS devices. ## Using Gemini Nano in Daneel Open Settings, go to the Gemini Nano tab. Daneel auto-detects whether the model is available — you'll see a green status if everything is ready, or clear guidance on what's missing. Choose your output language. Chrome uses language selection for quality optimization — English, Spanish, and Japanese are supported with multilingual mode enabled. The language setting is saved and persists across sessions. Hit the test query box to try a quick prompt. Tokens stream back in real time, confirming the model is working on your hardware. Select Gemini Nano as your active provider and you're set. Page Q&A, Site RAG, Vault conversations — everything works with zero network dependency. ## Streaming with a twist One quirk of Chrome's API: it emits **cumulative** chunks rather than incremental tokens. Each chunk contains the entire response generated so far, not just the new text. Daneel handles this transparently — a smart auto-detection layer compares consecutive chunks and extracts only the new content, giving you the same smooth token-by-token streaming experience you get from every other provider. Newer Chrome versions (135+) sometimes emit true incremental chunks instead. Daneel adapts to both modes automatically during the first two tokens of each response. You never notice the difference. ## Tool calling — with caveats Yes, Gemini Nano can use MCP tools. Daneel injects tool descriptions into the system prompt and parses XML-tagged tool calls from the model's output. Connect Stripe, Exa, or any MCP server and Nano will attempt to call the right tools. The honest caveat: a 3B model is not as reliable at tool calling as Claude or a large Ollama model. It works for simple, single-tool queries but can struggle with complex multi-step chains. Daneel truncates large tool results to 1,500 characters to stay within Nano's limited context window. Think of it as a capable assistant for straightforward tasks, not a power tool for complex orchestration. For that, step up to Ollama or Claude. ## The most private option Gemini Nano is the only provider where the model runs inside the browser process itself. Your prompts never leave Chrome — they don't cross a network boundary, they don't reach a localhost server, they don't touch any external process. In Daneel's privacy model, Gemini Nano gets "On-device" residency — the highest privacy tier. The only caveat: Chrome itself manages the model, so the browser vendor is technically in the loop. But your questions, your pages, your documents? They stay in your browser's memory and nowhere else. ## What to expect Gemini Nano is powerful for its size, but it's a 3B model running on consumer hardware. Set your expectations accordingly: - **Great for:** summarization, simple Q&A, rewriting, page chat, quick lookups - **Decent for:** basic reasoning, short document analysis, single-tool MCP calls - **Limited for:** complex multi-step reasoning, long documents, multi-turn tool chains, code generation - **Context window:** varies by GPU capability and Chrome version — shorter than cloud models The context window and inference speed depend on your specific GPU. Daneel's settings panel notes this explicitly so you're never surprised. **Learn more about Gemini Nano:** [Read on site](https://developer.chrome.com/docs/ai/built-in) ## What's next Chrome's built-in AI APIs are evolving rapidly. Google is adding new capabilities — Summarizer, Writer, Rewriter, Proofreader — and improving the underlying model. As Chrome's AI surface grows, Daneel will integrate deeper. For now, Gemini Nano is the zero-friction entry point: no downloads, no keys, no cost, no configuration beyond two flags. If you have Chrome 140+ and decent hardware, your browser already has an AI. Daneel just gives it something to do. --- [Read on site](https://daneel.injen.io/news/gemini-nano-support.html?utm_source=extension_news_reader&utm_medium=extension_settings&utm_campaign=extension)