diff --git a/commands/compose.go b/commands/compose.go
index 944da7d0..801a9638 100644
--- a/commands/compose.go
+++ b/commands/compose.go
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ func newComposeCmd() *cobra.Command {
 	c := &cobra.Command{
 		Use: "compose EVENT",
 	}
-	c.AddCommand(newUpCommand(desktopClient))
+	c.AddCommand(newUpCommand())
 	c.AddCommand(newDownCommand())
 	c.Hidden = true
 	c.PersistentFlags().String("project-name", "", "compose project name") // unused by model
@@ -22,7 +22,7 @@ func newComposeCmd() *cobra.Command {
 	return c
 }
 
-func newUpCommand(desktopClient *desktop.Client) *cobra.Command {
+func newUpCommand() *cobra.Command {
 	var model string
 	c := &cobra.Command{
 		Use: "up",
@@ -33,6 +33,11 @@ func newUpCommand(desktopClient *desktop.Client) *cobra.Command {
 				return err
 			}
 
+			if err := ensureStandaloneRunnerAvailable(cmd.Context(), nil); err != nil {
+				sendErrorf("Failed to initialize standalone model runner: %v", err)
+				return fmt.Errorf("Failed to initialize standalone model runner: %w", err)
+			}
+
 			_, _, err := desktopClient.Pull(model, func(s string) {
 				sendInfo(s)
 			})
@@ -41,8 +46,15 @@ func newUpCommand(desktopClient *desktop.Client) *cobra.Command {
 				return fmt.Errorf("Failed to pull model: %v\n", err)
 			}
 
-			// FIXME get actual URL from Docker Desktop
-			setenv("URL", "http://model-runner.docker.internal/engines/v1/")
+			if kind := modelRunner.EngineKind(); kind == desktop.ModelRunnerEngineKindDesktop {
+				// TODO: Get the actual URL from Docker Desktop via some API.
+				setenv("URL", "http://model-runner.docker.internal/engines/v1/")
+			} else if kind == desktop.ModelRunnerEngineKindMobyManual {
+				setenv("URL", modelRunner.URL("/engines/v1/"))
+			} else if kind == desktop.ModelRunnerEngineKindMoby || kind == desktop.ModelRunnerEngineKindCloud {
+				// TODO: Find a more robust solution in Moby-like environments.
+				setenv("URL", "http://172.17.0.1:12434/engines/v1/")
+			}
 			setenv("MODEL", model)
 
 			return nil
diff --git a/commands/inspect.go b/commands/inspect.go
index 95b33b95..31aa3cb2 100644
--- a/commands/inspect.go
+++ b/commands/inspect.go
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ func newInspectCmd() *cobra.Command {
 			return nil
 		},
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			if err := ensureStandaloneRunnerAvailable(cmd.Context(), cmd); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unable to initialize standalone model runner: %w", err)
+			}
 			inspectedModel, err := inspectModel(args, openai, desktopClient)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
diff --git a/commands/install-runner.go b/commands/install-runner.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..6930ced9
--- /dev/null
+++ b/commands/install-runner.go
@@ -0,0 +1,141 @@
+package commands
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"os"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/docker/model-cli/commands/completion"
+	"github.com/docker/model-cli/desktop"
+	"github.com/docker/model-cli/pkg/standalone"
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+type noopPrinter struct{}
+
+func (*noopPrinter) Printf(format string, args ...any) {}
+
+func (*noopPrinter) Println(args ...any) {}
+
+// ensureStandaloneRunnerAvailable is a utility function that other commands can
+// use to initialize a default standalone model runner. It is a no-op in
+// unsupported contexts or if automatic installs have been disabled.
+func ensureStandaloneRunnerAvailable(ctx context.Context, printer standalone.StatusPrinter) error {
+	// If we're not in a supported model runner context, then don't do anything.
+	if modelRunner.EngineKind() != desktop.ModelRunnerEngineKindMoby {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// If automatic installation has been disabled, then don't do anything.
+	if os.Getenv("MODEL_RUNNER_NO_AUTO_INSTALL") != "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// Ensure that the output printer is non-nil.
+	if printer == nil {
+		printer = &noopPrinter{}
+	}
+
+	// Create a Docker client for the active context.
+	dockerClient, err := desktop.DockerClientForContext(dockerCLI, dockerCLI.CurrentContext())
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create Docker client: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Check if a model runner container exists.
+	container, _, err := standalone.FindControllerContainer(ctx, dockerClient)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("unable to identify existing standalone model runner: %w", err)
+	} else if container != "" {
+		return nil
+	}
+
+	// Ensure that we have an up-to-date copy of the image.
+	if err := standalone.EnsureControllerImage(ctx, dockerClient, false, printer); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("unable to pull latest standalone model runner image: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Ensure that we have a model storage volume.
+	modelStorageVolume, err := standalone.EnsureModelStorageVolume(ctx, dockerClient, printer)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("unable to initialize standalone model storage: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Create the model runner container.
+	if err := standalone.CreateControllerContainer(ctx, dockerClient, standalone.DefaultControllerPort, false, modelStorageVolume, printer); err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("unable to initialize standalone model runner container: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Give the model runner one second to start.
+	time.Sleep(1 * time.Second)
+
+	return nil
+}
+
+func newInstallRunner() *cobra.Command {
+	var port uint16
+	var gpu bool
+	c := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "install-runner",
+		Short: "Install Docker Model Runner",
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			// Ensure that we're running in a supported model runner context.
+			if kind := modelRunner.EngineKind(); kind == desktop.ModelRunnerEngineKindDesktop {
+				// TODO: We may eventually want to auto-forward this to
+				// docker desktop enable model-runner, but we should first make
+				// sure the CLI flags match.
+				cmd.Println("Standalone installation not supported with Docker Desktop")
+				cmd.Println("Use `docker desktop enable model-runner` instead")
+				return nil
+			} else if kind == desktop.ModelRunnerEngineKindMobyManual {
+				cmd.Println("Standalone installation not supported with MODEL_RUNNER_HOST set")
+				return nil
+			} else if kind == desktop.ModelRunnerEngineKindCloud {
+				cmd.Println("Standalone installation not required with Docker Cloud")
+				return nil
+			}
+
+			// Create a Docker client for the active context.
+			dockerClient, err := desktop.DockerClientForContext(dockerCLI, dockerCLI.CurrentContext())
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to create Docker client: %w", err)
+			}
+
+			// Check if an active model runner container already exists.
+			if ctrID, ctrName, err := standalone.FindControllerContainer(cmd.Context(), dockerClient); err != nil {
+				return err
+			} else if ctrID != "" {
+				if ctrName != "" {
+					cmd.Printf("Model Runner container %s (%s) is already running\n", ctrName, ctrID[:12])
+				} else {
+					cmd.Printf("Model Runner container %s is already running\n", ctrID[:12])
+				}
+				return nil
+			}
+
+			// Ensure that we have an up-to-date copy of the image.
+			if err := standalone.EnsureControllerImage(cmd.Context(), dockerClient, gpu, cmd); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unable to pull latest standalone model runner image: %w", err)
+			}
+
+			// Ensure that we have a model storage volume.
+			modelStorageVolume, err := standalone.EnsureModelStorageVolume(cmd.Context(), dockerClient, cmd)
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unable to initialize standalone model storage: %w", err)
+			}
+
+			// Create the model runner container.
+			if err := standalone.CreateControllerContainer(cmd.Context(), dockerClient, port, gpu, modelStorageVolume, cmd); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unable to initialize standalone model runner container: %w", err)
+			}
+
+			return nil
+		},
+		ValidArgsFunction: completion.NoComplete,
+	}
+	c.Flags().Uint16Var(&port, "port", standalone.DefaultControllerPort,
+		"Docker container port for Docker Model Runner")
+	c.Flags().BoolVar(&gpu, "gpu", false, "Enable GPU support")
+	return c
+}
diff --git a/commands/list.go b/commands/list.go
index 83d26b96..373a4015 100644
--- a/commands/list.go
+++ b/commands/list.go
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ func newListCmd() *cobra.Command {
 			if openai && quiet {
 				return fmt.Errorf("--quiet flag cannot be used with --openai flag")
 			}
+			if err := ensureStandaloneRunnerAvailable(cmd.Context(), nil); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unable to initialize standalone model runner: %w", err)
+			}
 			models, err := listModels(openai, desktopClient, quiet, jsonFormat)
 			if err != nil {
 				return err
diff --git a/commands/pull.go b/commands/pull.go
index 873b25af..66596a49 100644
--- a/commands/pull.go
+++ b/commands/pull.go
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ func newPullCmd() *cobra.Command {
 			return nil
 		},
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			if err := ensureStandaloneRunnerAvailable(cmd.Context(), cmd); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unable to initialize standalone model runner: %w", err)
+			}
 			return pullModel(cmd, desktopClient, args[0])
 		},
 		ValidArgsFunction: completion.NoComplete,
diff --git a/commands/push.go b/commands/push.go
index 1f9ee82c..0f4547a3 100644
--- a/commands/push.go
+++ b/commands/push.go
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ func newPushCmd() *cobra.Command {
 			return nil
 		},
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			if err := ensureStandaloneRunnerAvailable(cmd.Context(), cmd); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unable to initialize standalone model runner: %w", err)
+			}
 			return pushModel(cmd, desktopClient, args[0])
 		},
 		ValidArgsFunction: completion.NoComplete,
diff --git a/commands/rm.go b/commands/rm.go
index 483a4622..bb11b4e7 100644
--- a/commands/rm.go
+++ b/commands/rm.go
@@ -24,6 +24,9 @@ func newRemoveCmd() *cobra.Command {
 			return nil
 		},
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			if err := ensureStandaloneRunnerAvailable(cmd.Context(), cmd); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unable to initialize standalone model runner: %w", err)
+			}
 			response, err := desktopClient.Remove(args, force)
 			if response != "" {
 				cmd.Println(response)
diff --git a/commands/root.go b/commands/root.go
index 6fbe2f30..3c9b29b3 100644
--- a/commands/root.go
+++ b/commands/root.go
@@ -10,6 +10,9 @@ import (
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
 )
 
+// dockerCLI is the Docker CLI environment associated with the command.
+var dockerCLI *command.DockerCli
+
 // modelRunner is the model runner context. It is initialized by the root
 // command's PersistentPreRunE.
 var modelRunner *desktop.ModelRunnerContext
@@ -41,10 +44,11 @@ func NewRootCmd(cli *command.DockerCli) *cobra.Command {
 			} else if err := plugin.PersistentPreRunE(cmd, args); err != nil {
 				return err
 			}
+			dockerCLI = cli
 
 			// Detect the model runner context and create a client for it.
 			var err error
-			modelRunner, err = desktop.DetectContext(cli)
+			modelRunner, err = desktop.DetectContext(dockerCLI)
 			if err != nil {
 				return fmt.Errorf("unable to detect model runner context: %w", err)
 			}
@@ -81,6 +85,8 @@ func NewRootCmd(cli *command.DockerCli) *cobra.Command {
 		newInspectCmd(),
 		newComposeCmd(),
 		newTagCmd(),
+		newInstallRunner(),
+		newUninstallRunner(),
 	)
 	return rootCmd
 }
diff --git a/commands/run.go b/commands/run.go
index 94155804..1f8e1485 100644
--- a/commands/run.go
+++ b/commands/run.go
@@ -33,6 +33,10 @@ func newRunCmd() *cobra.Command {
 				}
 			}
 
+			if err := ensureStandaloneRunnerAvailable(cmd.Context(), cmd); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unable to initialize standalone model runner: %w", err)
+			}
+
 			modelDetail, err := desktopClient.Inspect(model)
 			if err != nil {
 				if !errors.Is(err, desktop.ErrNotFound) {
diff --git a/commands/status.go b/commands/status.go
index ea9f78b6..bc0d320c 100644
--- a/commands/status.go
+++ b/commands/status.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package commands
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
 	"os"
 
 	"github.com/docker/cli/cli-plugins/hooks"
@@ -14,6 +15,9 @@ func newStatusCmd() *cobra.Command {
 		Use:   "status",
 		Short: "Check if the Docker Model Runner is running",
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			if err := ensureStandaloneRunnerAvailable(cmd.Context(), cmd); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unable to initialize standalone model runner: %w", err)
+			}
 			status := desktopClient.Status()
 			if status.Error != nil {
 				return handleClientError(status.Error, "Failed to get Docker Model Runner status")
diff --git a/commands/tag.go b/commands/tag.go
index a1b7720b..8320f737 100644
--- a/commands/tag.go
+++ b/commands/tag.go
@@ -23,6 +23,9 @@ func newTagCmd() *cobra.Command {
 			return nil
 		},
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			if err := ensureStandaloneRunnerAvailable(cmd.Context(), cmd); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unable to initialize standalone model runner: %w", err)
+			}
 			return tagModel(cmd, desktopClient, args[0], args[1])
 		},
 	}
diff --git a/commands/uninstall-runner.go b/commands/uninstall-runner.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..93c57094
--- /dev/null
+++ b/commands/uninstall-runner.go
@@ -0,0 +1,66 @@
+package commands
+
+import (
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/docker/model-cli/commands/completion"
+	"github.com/docker/model-cli/desktop"
+	"github.com/docker/model-cli/pkg/standalone"
+	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+)
+
+func newUninstallRunner() *cobra.Command {
+	var models, images bool
+	c := &cobra.Command{
+		Use:   "uninstall-runner",
+		Short: "Uninstall Docker Model Runner",
+		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
+			// Ensure that we're running in a supported model runner context.
+			if kind := modelRunner.EngineKind(); kind == desktop.ModelRunnerEngineKindDesktop {
+				// TODO: We may eventually want to auto-forward this to
+				// docker desktop disable model-runner, but we should first
+				// make install-runner forward in the same way.
+				cmd.Println("Standalone uninstallation not supported with Docker Desktop")
+				cmd.Println("Use `docker desktop disable model-runner` instead")
+				return nil
+			} else if kind == desktop.ModelRunnerEngineKindMobyManual {
+				cmd.Println("Standalone uninstallation not supported with MODEL_RUNNER_HOST set")
+				return nil
+			} else if kind == desktop.ModelRunnerEngineKindCloud {
+				cmd.Println("Standalone uninstallation not supported with Docker Cloud")
+				return nil
+			}
+
+			// Create a Docker client for the active context.
+			dockerClient, err := desktop.DockerClientForContext(dockerCLI, dockerCLI.CurrentContext())
+			if err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("failed to create Docker client: %w", err)
+			}
+
+			// Remove any model runner containers.
+			if err := standalone.PruneControllerContainers(cmd.Context(), dockerClient, cmd); err != nil {
+				return fmt.Errorf("unable to remove model runner container(s): %w", err)
+			}
+
+			// Remove model runner images, if requested.
+			if images {
+				if err := standalone.PruneControllerImages(cmd.Context(), dockerClient, cmd); err != nil {
+					return fmt.Errorf("unable to remove model runner image(s): %w", err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			// Remove model storage, if requested.
+			if models {
+				if err := standalone.PruneModelStorageVolumes(cmd.Context(), dockerClient, cmd); err != nil {
+					return fmt.Errorf("unable to remove model storage volume(s): %w", err)
+				}
+			}
+
+			return nil
+		},
+		ValidArgsFunction: completion.NoComplete,
+	}
+	c.Flags().BoolVar(&models, "models", false, "Remove model storage volume")
+	c.Flags().BoolVar(&images, "images", false, "Remove "+standalone.ControllerImage+" images")
+	return c
+}
diff --git a/desktop/context.go b/desktop/context.go
index 2aa74ed5..b606fc4c 100644
--- a/desktop/context.go
+++ b/desktop/context.go
@@ -6,10 +6,12 @@ import (
 	"net/url"
 	"os"
 	"runtime"
+	"strconv"
 
 	"github.com/docker/cli/cli/command"
 	"github.com/docker/cli/cli/context/docker"
 	clientpkg "github.com/docker/docker/client"
+	"github.com/docker/model-cli/pkg/standalone"
 	"github.com/docker/model-runner/pkg/inference"
 )
 
@@ -58,8 +60,8 @@ func isCloudContext(cli *command.DockerCli) bool {
 	return ok
 }
 
-// dockerClientForContext creates a Docker client for the specified context.
-func dockerClientForContext(cli *command.DockerCli, name string) (*clientpkg.Client, error) {
+// DockerClientForContext creates a Docker client for the specified context.
+func DockerClientForContext(cli *command.DockerCli, name string) (*clientpkg.Client, error) {
 	c, err := cli.ContextStore().GetMetadata(name)
 	if err != nil {
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to load context metadata: %w", err)
@@ -80,8 +82,8 @@ const (
 	// the Model CLI command is responsible for managing a Model Runner.
 	ModelRunnerEngineKindMoby ModelRunnerEngineKind = iota
 	// ModelRunnerEngineKindMobyManual represents a non-Desktop/Cloud engine
-	// that's explicitly targeted by a DMR_HOST environment variable on which
-	// the user is responsible for managing a Model Runner.
+	// that's explicitly targeted by a MODEL_RUNNER_HOST environment variable on
+	// which the user is responsible for managing a Model Runner.
 	ModelRunnerEngineKindMobyManual
 	// ModelRunnerEngineKindDesktop represents a Docker Desktop engine. It only
 	// refers to a Docker Desktop Linux engine, i.e. not a Windows container
@@ -135,14 +137,21 @@ func NewContextForMock(client DockerHttpClient) *ModelRunnerContext {
 // DetectContext determines the current Docker Model Runner context.
 func DetectContext(cli *command.DockerCli) (*ModelRunnerContext, error) {
 	// Check for an explicit endpoint setting.
-	dmrHost := os.Getenv("DMR_HOST")
+	modelRunnerHost := os.Getenv("MODEL_RUNNER_HOST")
+
+	// Check if we're treating Docker Desktop as regular Moby. This is only for
+	// testing purposes.
+	treatDesktopAsMoby := os.Getenv("_MODEL_RUNNER_TREAT_DESKTOP_AS_MOBY") != ""
 
 	// Detect the associated engine type.
 	kind := ModelRunnerEngineKindMoby
-	if dmrHost != "" {
+	if modelRunnerHost != "" {
 		kind = ModelRunnerEngineKindMobyManual
 	} else if isDesktopContext(cli) {
 		kind = ModelRunnerEngineKindDesktop
+		if treatDesktopAsMoby {
+			kind = ModelRunnerEngineKindMoby
+		}
 	} else if isCloudContext(cli) {
 		kind = ModelRunnerEngineKindCloud
 	}
@@ -150,11 +159,14 @@ func DetectContext(cli *command.DockerCli) (*ModelRunnerContext, error) {
 	// Compute the URL prefix based on the associated engine kind.
 	var rawURLPrefix string
 	if kind == ModelRunnerEngineKindMoby {
-		rawURLPrefix = "http://localhost:12434"
+		rawURLPrefix = "http://localhost:" + strconv.Itoa(int(standalone.DefaultControllerPort))
 	} else if kind == ModelRunnerEngineKindMobyManual {
-		rawURLPrefix = dmrHost
+		rawURLPrefix = modelRunnerHost
 	} else if kind == ModelRunnerEngineKindDesktop {
 		rawURLPrefix = "http://localhost" + inference.ExperimentalEndpointsPrefix
+		if treatDesktopAsMoby {
+			rawURLPrefix = "http://localhost:" + strconv.Itoa(int(standalone.DefaultControllerPort))
+		}
 	} else { // ModelRunnerEngineKindCloud
 		rawURLPrefix = "http://localhost/"
 	}
@@ -168,13 +180,16 @@ func DetectContext(cli *command.DockerCli) (*ModelRunnerContext, error) {
 	if kind == ModelRunnerEngineKindMoby || kind == ModelRunnerEngineKindMobyManual {
 		client = http.DefaultClient
 	} else if kind == ModelRunnerEngineKindDesktop {
-		dockerClient, err := dockerClientForContext(cli, "desktop-linux")
+		dockerClient, err := DockerClientForContext(cli, "desktop-linux")
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to create model runner client: %w", err)
 		}
 		client = dockerClient.HTTPClient()
+		if treatDesktopAsMoby {
+			client = http.DefaultClient
+		}
 	} else { // ModelRunnerEngineKindCloud
-		dockerClient, err := dockerClientForContext(cli, cli.CurrentContext())
+		dockerClient, err := DockerClientForContext(cli, cli.CurrentContext())
 		if err != nil {
 			return nil, fmt.Errorf("unable to create model runner client: %w", err)
 		}
diff --git a/pkg/standalone/containers.go b/pkg/standalone/containers.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..29c7f9a1
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/standalone/containers.go
@@ -0,0 +1,127 @@
+package standalone
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+	"strconv"
+	"strings"
+
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/container"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/mount"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/client"
+	"github.com/docker/go-connections/nat"
+)
+
+// controllerContainerName is the name to use for the controller container.
+const controllerContainerName = "docker-model-runner"
+
+// FindControllerContainer searches for a running controller container. It
+// returns the ID of the container (if found), the container name (if any), or
+// any error that occurred.
+func FindControllerContainer(ctx context.Context, dockerClient *client.Client) (string, string, error) {
+	// Identify all controller containers.
+	containers, err := dockerClient.ContainerList(ctx, container.ListOptions{
+		Filters: filters.NewArgs(filters.Arg("label", labelRole+"="+roleController)),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", "", fmt.Errorf("unable to identify model runner containers: %w", err)
+	}
+	if len(containers) == 0 {
+		return "", "", nil
+	}
+	var containerName string
+	if len(containers[0].Names) > 0 {
+		containerName = strings.TrimPrefix(containers[0].Names[0], "/")
+	}
+	return containers[0].ID, containerName, nil
+}
+
+// CreateControllerContainer creates and starts a controller container.
+func CreateControllerContainer(ctx context.Context, dockerClient *client.Client, port uint16, gpu bool, modelStorageVolume string, printer StatusPrinter) error {
+	// Set up the container configuration.
+	portStr := strconv.Itoa(int(port))
+	imageName := ControllerImage + ":" + controllerImageTagCPU
+	if gpu {
+		imageName = ControllerImage + ":" + controllerImageTagGPU
+	}
+	config := &container.Config{
+		Image: imageName,
+		Env: []string{
+			"MODEL_RUNNER_PORT=" + portStr,
+		},
+		ExposedPorts: nat.PortSet{
+			nat.Port(portStr + "/tcp"): struct{}{},
+		},
+		Labels: map[string]string{
+			labelRole: roleController,
+		},
+	}
+	hostConfig := &container.HostConfig{
+		Mounts: []mount.Mount{
+			{
+				Type:   mount.TypeVolume,
+				Source: modelStorageVolume,
+				Target: "/models",
+			},
+		},
+		PortBindings: nat.PortMap{
+			nat.Port(portStr + "/tcp"): []nat.PortBinding{{HostIP: "", HostPort: portStr}},
+		},
+		RestartPolicy: container.RestartPolicy{
+			Name: "always",
+		},
+	}
+	if gpu {
+		hostConfig.Resources = container.Resources{
+			DeviceRequests: []container.DeviceRequest{
+				{
+					Driver:       "nvidia",
+					Count:        -1,
+					Capabilities: [][]string{{"gpu"}},
+				},
+			},
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Create the container.
+	resp, err := dockerClient.ContainerCreate(ctx, config, hostConfig, nil, nil, controllerContainerName)
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to create container %s: %w", controllerContainerName, err)
+	}
+
+	// Start the container.
+	printer.Printf("Starting model runner container %s...\n", controllerContainerName)
+	if err := dockerClient.ContainerStart(ctx, resp.ID, container.StartOptions{}); err != nil {
+		_ = dockerClient.ContainerRemove(ctx, resp.ID, container.RemoveOptions{Force: true})
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to start container %s: %w", controllerContainerName, err)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// PruneControllerContainers stops and removes any model runner controller
+// containers.
+func PruneControllerContainers(ctx context.Context, dockerClient *client.Client, printer StatusPrinter) error {
+	// Identify all controller containers.
+	containers, err := dockerClient.ContainerList(ctx, container.ListOptions{
+		All:     true,
+		Filters: filters.NewArgs(filters.Arg("label", labelRole+"="+roleController)),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("unable to identify model runner containers: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// Remove all controller containers.
+	for _, ctr := range containers {
+		if len(ctr.Names) > 0 {
+			printer.Printf("Removing container %s (%s)...\n", strings.TrimPrefix(ctr.Names[0], "/"), ctr.ID[:12])
+		} else {
+			printer.Printf("Removing container %s...\n", ctr.ID[:12])
+		}
+		err := dockerClient.ContainerRemove(ctx, ctr.ID, container.RemoveOptions{Force: true})
+		if err != nil {
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to remove container %s: %w", ctr.Names[0], err)
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/standalone/images.go b/pkg/standalone/images.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..2eefdc52
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/standalone/images.go
@@ -0,0 +1,75 @@
+package standalone
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/image"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/client"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/pkg/jsonmessage"
+)
+
+const (
+	// ControllerImage is the image used for the controller container.
+	ControllerImage = "docker/model-runner"
+	// controllerImageTagCPU is the image tag used for the controller container
+	// when running with the CPU backend.
+	controllerImageTagCPU = "latest"
+	// controllerImageTagGPU is the image tag used for the controller container
+	// when running with the GPU backend.
+	controllerImageTagGPU = "latest-cuda"
+)
+
+// EnsureControllerImage ensures that the controller container image is pulled.
+func EnsureControllerImage(ctx context.Context, dockerClient *client.Client, gpu bool, printer StatusPrinter) error {
+	// Determine the target image.
+	imageName := ControllerImage + ":" + controllerImageTagCPU
+	if gpu {
+		imageName = ControllerImage + ":" + controllerImageTagGPU
+	}
+
+	// Perform the pull.
+	out, err := dockerClient.ImagePull(ctx, imageName, image.PullOptions{})
+	if err != nil {
+		return fmt.Errorf("failed to pull image %s: %w", imageName, err)
+	}
+	defer out.Close()
+
+	// Decode and print status updates.
+	decoder := json.NewDecoder(out)
+	for {
+		var response jsonmessage.JSONMessage
+		if err := decoder.Decode(&response); err != nil {
+			if err == io.EOF {
+				break
+			}
+			return fmt.Errorf("failed to decode pull response: %w", err)
+		}
+
+		if response.ID != "" {
+			printer.Printf("\r%s: %s %s", response.ID, response.Status, response.ProgressMessage)
+		} else {
+			printer.Println(response.Status)
+		}
+	}
+	printer.Println("\nSuccessfully pulled", imageName)
+	return nil
+}
+
+// PruneControllerImages removes any unused controller container images.
+func PruneControllerImages(ctx context.Context, dockerClient *client.Client, printer StatusPrinter) error {
+	// Remove the standard image, if present.
+	imageNameCPU := ControllerImage + ":" + controllerImageTagCPU
+	if _, err := dockerClient.ImageRemove(ctx, imageNameCPU, image.RemoveOptions{}); err == nil {
+		printer.Println("Removed image", imageNameCPU)
+	}
+
+	// Remove the GPU image, if present.
+	imageNameGPU := ControllerImage + ":" + controllerImageTagGPU
+	if _, err := dockerClient.ImageRemove(ctx, imageNameGPU, image.RemoveOptions{}); err == nil {
+		printer.Println("Removed image", imageNameGPU)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/pkg/standalone/labels.go b/pkg/standalone/labels.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..72ea8cc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/standalone/labels.go
@@ -0,0 +1,19 @@
+package standalone
+
+const (
+	// labelRole is the label used to identify a Docker object's role in the
+	// standalone model runner infrastructure.
+	labelRole = "com.docker.model-runner.role"
+
+	// roleController is the role label value used to identify the model runner
+	// controller container.
+	roleController = "controller"
+
+	// roleRunner is not currently defined because model runner processes
+	// currently execute within the controller container. This may change in a
+	// future release.
+
+	// roleModelStorage is the role label value used to identify the model
+	// runner model storage volume.
+	roleModelStorage = "model-storage"
+)
diff --git a/pkg/standalone/ports.go b/pkg/standalone/ports.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..0c7a99a8
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/standalone/ports.go
@@ -0,0 +1,5 @@
+package standalone
+
+// DefaultControllerPort is the default TCP port on which the standalone
+// controller will listen for requests.
+const DefaultControllerPort = 12434
diff --git a/pkg/standalone/status.go b/pkg/standalone/status.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..427e9ff7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/standalone/status.go
@@ -0,0 +1,9 @@
+package standalone
+
+// StatusPrinter is the interface used to print status updates.
+type StatusPrinter interface {
+	// Printf should perform formatted printing.
+	Printf(format string, args ...any)
+	// Println should perform line-based printing.
+	Println(args ...any)
+}
diff --git a/pkg/standalone/volumes.go b/pkg/standalone/volumes.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..4812855a
--- /dev/null
+++ b/pkg/standalone/volumes.go
@@ -0,0 +1,65 @@
+package standalone
+
+import (
+	"context"
+	"fmt"
+
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/filters"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/api/types/volume"
+	"github.com/docker/docker/client"
+)
+
+// modelStorageVolumeName is the name to use for the model storage volume.
+const modelStorageVolumeName = "docker-model-runner-models"
+
+// EnsureModelStorageVolume ensures that a model storage volume exists, creating
+// it if necessary. It returns the name of the storage volume or any error that
+// occurred.
+func EnsureModelStorageVolume(ctx context.Context, dockerClient *client.Client, printer StatusPrinter) (string, error) {
+	// Try to identify the storage volume.
+	volumes, err := dockerClient.VolumeList(ctx, volume.ListOptions{
+		Filters: filters.NewArgs(
+			filters.Arg("label", labelRole+"="+roleModelStorage),
+		),
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("unable to list volumes: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// If any volumes with the correct role exist (ideally there should only be
+	// one), then pick the first one.
+	if len(volumes.Volumes) > 0 {
+		return volumes.Volumes[0].Name, nil
+	}
+
+	// Create the volume.
+	printer.Printf("Creating model storage volume %s...\n", modelStorageVolumeName)
+	volume, err := dockerClient.VolumeCreate(ctx, volume.CreateOptions{
+		Name: modelStorageVolumeName,
+		Labels: map[string]string{
+			labelRole: roleModelStorage,
+		},
+	})
+	if err != nil {
+		return "", fmt.Errorf("unable to create volume: %w", err)
+	}
+	return volume.Name, nil
+}
+
+// PruneModelStorageVolumes removes any unused model storage volume(s).
+func PruneModelStorageVolumes(ctx context.Context, dockerClient *client.Client, printer StatusPrinter) error {
+	pruned, err := dockerClient.VolumesPrune(ctx, filters.NewArgs(
+		filters.Arg("all", "true"),
+		filters.Arg("label", labelRole+"="+roleModelStorage),
+	))
+	if err != nil {
+		return err
+	}
+	for _, volume := range pruned.VolumesDeleted {
+		printer.Println("Removed volume", volume)
+	}
+	if pruned.SpaceReclaimed > 0 {
+		fmt.Printf("Reclaimed %d bytes\n", pruned.SpaceReclaimed)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
diff --git a/vendor/github.com/docker/docker/pkg/jsonmessage/jsonmessage.go b/vendor/github.com/docker/docker/pkg/jsonmessage/jsonmessage.go
new file mode 100644
index 00000000..1a05de4d
--- /dev/null
+++ b/vendor/github.com/docker/docker/pkg/jsonmessage/jsonmessage.go
@@ -0,0 +1,314 @@
+package jsonmessage // import "github.com/docker/docker/pkg/jsonmessage"
+
+import (
+	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
+	"io"
+	"strings"
+	"time"
+
+	"github.com/docker/go-units"
+	"github.com/moby/term"
+	"github.com/morikuni/aec"
+)
+
+// RFC3339NanoFixed is time.RFC3339Nano with nanoseconds padded using zeros to
+// ensure the formatted time isalways the same number of characters.
+const RFC3339NanoFixed = "2006-01-02T15:04:05.000000000Z07:00"
+
+// JSONError wraps a concrete Code and Message, Code is
+// an integer error code, Message is the error message.
+type JSONError struct {
+	Code    int    `json:"code,omitempty"`
+	Message string `json:"message,omitempty"`
+}
+
+func (e *JSONError) Error() string {
+	return e.Message
+}
+
+// JSONProgress describes a progress message in a JSON stream.
+type JSONProgress struct {
+	// Current is the current status and value of the progress made towards Total.
+	Current int64 `json:"current,omitempty"`
+	// Total is the end value describing when we made 100% progress for an operation.
+	Total int64 `json:"total,omitempty"`
+	// Start is the initial value for the operation.
+	Start int64 `json:"start,omitempty"`
+	// HideCounts. if true, hides the progress count indicator (xB/yB).
+	HideCounts bool `json:"hidecounts,omitempty"`
+	// Units is the unit to print for progress. It defaults to "bytes" if empty.
+	Units string `json:"units,omitempty"`
+
+	// terminalFd is the fd of the current terminal, if any. It is used
+	// to get the terminal width.
+	terminalFd uintptr
+
+	// nowFunc is used to override the current time in tests.
+	nowFunc func() time.Time
+
+	// winSize is used to override the terminal width in tests.
+	winSize int
+}
+
+func (p *JSONProgress) String() string {
+	var (
+		width      = p.width()
+		pbBox      string
+		numbersBox string
+	)
+	if p.Current <= 0 && p.Total <= 0 {
+		return ""
+	}
+	if p.Total <= 0 {
+		switch p.Units {
+		case "":
+			return fmt.Sprintf("%8v", units.HumanSize(float64(p.Current)))
+		default:
+			return fmt.Sprintf("%d %s", p.Current, p.Units)
+		}
+	}
+
+	percentage := int(float64(p.Current)/float64(p.Total)*100) / 2
+	if percentage > 50 {
+		percentage = 50
+	}
+	if width > 110 {
+		// this number can't be negative gh#7136
+		numSpaces := 0
+		if 50-percentage > 0 {
+			numSpaces = 50 - percentage
+		}
+		pbBox = fmt.Sprintf("[%s>%s] ", strings.Repeat("=", percentage), strings.Repeat(" ", numSpaces))
+	}
+
+	switch {
+	case p.HideCounts:
+	case p.Units == "": // no units, use bytes
+		current := units.HumanSize(float64(p.Current))
+		total := units.HumanSize(float64(p.Total))
+
+		numbersBox = fmt.Sprintf("%8v/%v", current, total)
+
+		if p.Current > p.Total {
+			// remove total display if the reported current is wonky.
+			numbersBox = fmt.Sprintf("%8v", current)
+		}
+	default:
+		numbersBox = fmt.Sprintf("%d/%d %s", p.Current, p.Total, p.Units)
+
+		if p.Current > p.Total {
+			// remove total display if the reported current is wonky.
+			numbersBox = fmt.Sprintf("%d %s", p.Current, p.Units)
+		}
+	}
+
+	// Show approximation of remaining time if there's enough width.
+	var timeLeftBox string
+	if width > 50 {
+		if p.Current > 0 && p.Start > 0 && percentage < 50 {
+			fromStart := p.now().Sub(time.Unix(p.Start, 0))
+			perEntry := fromStart / time.Duration(p.Current)
+			left := time.Duration(p.Total-p.Current) * perEntry
+			timeLeftBox = " " + left.Round(time.Second).String()
+		}
+	}
+	return pbBox + numbersBox + timeLeftBox
+}
+
+// now returns the current time in UTC, but can be overridden in tests
+// by setting JSONProgress.nowFunc to a custom function.
+func (p *JSONProgress) now() time.Time {
+	if p.nowFunc != nil {
+		return p.nowFunc()
+	}
+	return time.Now().UTC()
+}
+
+// width returns the current terminal's width, but can be overridden
+// in tests by setting JSONProgress.winSize to a non-zero value.
+func (p *JSONProgress) width() int {
+	if p.winSize != 0 {
+		return p.winSize
+	}
+	ws, err := term.GetWinsize(p.terminalFd)
+	if err == nil {
+		return int(ws.Width)
+	}
+	return 200
+}
+
+// JSONMessage defines a message struct. It describes
+// the created time, where it from, status, ID of the
+// message. It's used for docker events.
+type JSONMessage struct {
+	Stream   string        `json:"stream,omitempty"`
+	Status   string        `json:"status,omitempty"`
+	Progress *JSONProgress `json:"progressDetail,omitempty"`
+
+	// ProgressMessage is a pre-formatted presentation of [Progress].
+	//
+	// Deprecated: this field is deprecated since docker v0.7.1 / API v1.8. Use the information in [Progress] instead. This field will be omitted in a future release.
+	ProgressMessage string     `json:"progress,omitempty"`
+	ID              string     `json:"id,omitempty"`
+	From            string     `json:"from,omitempty"`
+	Time            int64      `json:"time,omitempty"`
+	TimeNano        int64      `json:"timeNano,omitempty"`
+	Error           *JSONError `json:"errorDetail,omitempty"`
+
+	// ErrorMessage contains errors encountered during the operation.
+	//
+	// Deprecated: this field is deprecated since docker v0.6.0 / API v1.4. Use [Error.Message] instead. This field will be omitted in a future release.
+	ErrorMessage string `json:"error,omitempty"` // deprecated
+	// Aux contains out-of-band data, such as digests for push signing and image id after building.
+	Aux *json.RawMessage `json:"aux,omitempty"`
+}
+
+func clearLine(out io.Writer) {
+	eraseMode := aec.EraseModes.All
+	cl := aec.EraseLine(eraseMode)
+	fmt.Fprint(out, cl)
+}
+
+func cursorUp(out io.Writer, l uint) {
+	fmt.Fprint(out, aec.Up(l))
+}
+
+func cursorDown(out io.Writer, l uint) {
+	fmt.Fprint(out, aec.Down(l))
+}
+
+// Display prints the JSONMessage to out. If isTerminal is true, it erases
+// the entire current line when displaying the progressbar. It returns an
+// error if the [JSONMessage.Error] field is non-nil.
+func (jm *JSONMessage) Display(out io.Writer, isTerminal bool) error {
+	if jm.Error != nil {
+		return jm.Error
+	}
+	var endl string
+	if isTerminal && jm.Stream == "" && jm.Progress != nil {
+		clearLine(out)
+		endl = "\r"
+		fmt.Fprint(out, endl)
+	} else if jm.Progress != nil && jm.Progress.String() != "" { // disable progressbar in non-terminal
+		return nil
+	}
+	if jm.TimeNano != 0 {
+		fmt.Fprintf(out, "%s ", time.Unix(0, jm.TimeNano).Format(RFC3339NanoFixed))
+	} else if jm.Time != 0 {
+		fmt.Fprintf(out, "%s ", time.Unix(jm.Time, 0).Format(RFC3339NanoFixed))
+	}
+	if jm.ID != "" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(out, "%s: ", jm.ID)
+	}
+	if jm.From != "" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(out, "(from %s) ", jm.From)
+	}
+	if jm.Progress != nil && isTerminal {
+		fmt.Fprintf(out, "%s %s%s", jm.Status, jm.Progress.String(), endl)
+	} else if jm.ProgressMessage != "" { // deprecated
+		fmt.Fprintf(out, "%s %s%s", jm.Status, jm.ProgressMessage, endl)
+	} else if jm.Stream != "" {
+		fmt.Fprintf(out, "%s%s", jm.Stream, endl)
+	} else {
+		fmt.Fprintf(out, "%s%s\n", jm.Status, endl)
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// DisplayJSONMessagesStream reads a JSON message stream from in, and writes
+// each [JSONMessage] to out. It returns an error if an invalid JSONMessage
+// is received, or if a JSONMessage containers a non-zero [JSONMessage.Error].
+//
+// Presentation of the JSONMessage depends on whether a terminal is attached,
+// and on the terminal width. Progress bars ([JSONProgress]) are suppressed
+// on narrower terminals (< 110 characters).
+//
+//   - isTerminal describes if out is a terminal, in which case it prints
+//     a newline ("\n") at the end of each line and moves the cursor while
+//     displaying.
+//   - terminalFd is the fd of the current terminal (if any), and used
+//     to get the terminal width.
+//   - auxCallback allows handling the [JSONMessage.Aux] field. It is
+//     called if a JSONMessage contains an Aux field, in which case
+//     DisplayJSONMessagesStream does not present the JSONMessage.
+func DisplayJSONMessagesStream(in io.Reader, out io.Writer, terminalFd uintptr, isTerminal bool, auxCallback func(JSONMessage)) error {
+	var (
+		dec = json.NewDecoder(in)
+		ids = make(map[string]uint)
+	)
+
+	for {
+		var diff uint
+		var jm JSONMessage
+		if err := dec.Decode(&jm); err != nil {
+			if err == io.EOF {
+				break
+			}
+			return err
+		}
+
+		if jm.Aux != nil {
+			if auxCallback != nil {
+				auxCallback(jm)
+			}
+			continue
+		}
+
+		if jm.Progress != nil {
+			jm.Progress.terminalFd = terminalFd
+		}
+		if jm.ID != "" && (jm.Progress != nil || jm.ProgressMessage != "") {
+			line, ok := ids[jm.ID]
+			if !ok {
+				// NOTE: This approach of using len(id) to
+				// figure out the number of lines of history
+				// only works as long as we clear the history
+				// when we output something that's not
+				// accounted for in the map, such as a line
+				// with no ID.
+				line = uint(len(ids))
+				ids[jm.ID] = line
+				if isTerminal {
+					fmt.Fprintf(out, "\n")
+				}
+			}
+			diff = uint(len(ids)) - line
+			if isTerminal {
+				cursorUp(out, diff)
+			}
+		} else {
+			// When outputting something that isn't progress
+			// output, clear the history of previous lines. We
+			// don't want progress entries from some previous
+			// operation to be updated (for example, pull -a
+			// with multiple tags).
+			ids = make(map[string]uint)
+		}
+		err := jm.Display(out, isTerminal)
+		if jm.ID != "" && isTerminal {
+			cursorDown(out, diff)
+		}
+		if err != nil {
+			return err
+		}
+	}
+	return nil
+}
+
+// Stream is an io.Writer for output with utilities to get the output's file
+// descriptor and to detect whether it's a terminal.
+//
+// it is subset of the streams.Out type in
+// https://pkg.go.dev/github.com/docker/cli@v20.10.17+incompatible/cli/streams#Out
+type Stream interface {
+	io.Writer
+	FD() uintptr
+	IsTerminal() bool
+}
+
+// DisplayJSONMessagesToStream prints json messages to the output Stream. It is
+// used by the Docker CLI to print JSONMessage streams.
+func DisplayJSONMessagesToStream(in io.Reader, stream Stream, auxCallback func(JSONMessage)) error {
+	return DisplayJSONMessagesStream(in, stream, stream.FD(), stream.IsTerminal(), auxCallback)
+}
diff --git a/vendor/modules.txt b/vendor/modules.txt
index 90408ce0..e628c313 100644
--- a/vendor/modules.txt
+++ b/vendor/modules.txt
@@ -114,6 +114,7 @@ github.com/docker/docker/internal/lazyregexp
 github.com/docker/docker/internal/multierror
 github.com/docker/docker/pkg/atomicwriter
 github.com/docker/docker/pkg/homedir
+github.com/docker/docker/pkg/jsonmessage
 github.com/docker/docker/registry
 # github.com/docker/docker-credential-helpers v0.9.3
 ## explicit; go 1.21