If you use open-source AI, you’ve probably discovered models on Hugging Face that you want to keep, experiment with, or use later. For example, there have been plenty of cases where originally published models get taken down because the original publisher company changes their mind.

Until now, copying one of those models into your own Hugging Face account hasn’t been especially simple. You had to do everything manually. Hugging Mirror changes that.

Your own copy, without the command line

Hugging Mirror is a small, local app that copies the current version of a Hugging Face model repository into your account.

Simply paste the model’s Hugging Face URL and click Mirror model.

Hugging Mirror will:

1. Download the model’s current files to a temporary folder on your computer.
2. Upload them to a new repository in your Hugging Face account.
3. Verify that the upload succeeded.
4. Remove the temporary files from your computer.

When it finishes, you’ll have a repository such as:

your-name/model-name

You can open it directly from the app.

Why mirror a model?

Think of it as making your own copy of something useful instead of relying entirely on the original listing.

You might want to:

• Keep a snapshot of a model you depend on.
• Organize useful models under your own account.
• Preserve a particular model revision for future experiments.
• Create a starting point for your own permitted modifications.
• Avoid manually downloading and re-uploading dozens--or hundreds--of files.

Hugging Mirror copies the model files as they exist at that moment. It doesn’t copy discussions or the repository’s complete edit history.

Designed to make large transfers understandable

AI models can be enormous, so Hugging Mirror shows what is happening throughout the process.

You can follow the download, upload, publishing, and cleanup stages from one screen. The app displays available progress information such as transferred data, file counts, speed, and estimated time remaining.

You can also submit several models at once. Two transfers can run in parallel, while additional models wait in a queue.

To protect your existing work, Hugging Mirror will never overwrite a repository that already exists in your account.

Getting started

The easiest way to use Hugging Mirror is through Pinokio (https://pinokio.co/):

1. Install Pinokio.
2. Open Hugging Mirror in Pinokio.
3. Click Install.
4. Click Start and sign in to Hugging Face when prompted.
5. Paste a Hugging Face model URL.
6. Click Mirror model.

That’s it. You can watch the transfer happen and open your new repository when it’s ready.

A few things to keep in mind

Models can require a lot of storage, bandwidth, and time to transfer. Your computer needs enough temporary space to hold the model while it is being copied.

You must also have permission to access the source model. Private or gated models remain restricted, and you should always check the model’s license before copying, modifying, or redistributing it.

Try Hugging Mirror

Hugging Mirror adds a simple feature that has long been missing from the Hugging Face experience: “Copy this model to my account.”

No complicated commands. No manual file management. Just paste a link, start the mirror, and let the app handle the rest.