diff --git a/cmd/interactive.go b/cmd/interactive.go
index c3cdf629..70afc6ea 100644
--- a/cmd/interactive.go
+++ b/cmd/interactive.go
@@ -1,6 +1,7 @@
 package cmd
 
 import (
+	"cmp"
 	"errors"
 	"fmt"
 	"io"
@@ -9,13 +10,14 @@ import (
 	"path/filepath"
 	"regexp"
 	"slices"
-	"sort"
 	"strings"
 
 	"github.com/spf13/cobra"
+	"golang.org/x/exp/maps"
 
 	"github.com/ollama/ollama/api"
 	"github.com/ollama/ollama/envconfig"
+	"github.com/ollama/ollama/parser"
 	"github.com/ollama/ollama/progress"
 	"github.com/ollama/ollama/readline"
 	"github.com/ollama/ollama/types/errtypes"
@@ -376,9 +378,9 @@ func generateInteractive(cmd *cobra.Command, opts runOptions) error {
 					return err
 				}
 				req := &api.ShowRequest{
-					Name:     opts.Model,
-					System:   opts.System,
-					Options:  opts.Options,
+					Name:    opts.Model,
+					System:  opts.System,
+					Options: opts.Options,
 				}
 				resp, err := client.Show(cmd.Context(), req)
 				if err != nil {
@@ -507,31 +509,35 @@ func generateInteractive(cmd *cobra.Command, opts runOptions) error {
 }
 
 func buildModelfile(opts runOptions) string {
-	var mf strings.Builder
-	model := opts.ParentModel
-	if model == "" {
-		model = opts.Model
-	}
-	fmt.Fprintf(&mf, "FROM %s\n", model)
+	var f parser.File
+	f.Commands = append(f.Commands, parser.Command{Name: "model", Args: cmp.Or(opts.ParentModel, opts.Model)})
+
 	if opts.System != "" {
-		fmt.Fprintf(&mf, "SYSTEM \"\"\"%s\"\"\"\n", opts.System)
+		f.Commands = append(f.Commands, parser.Command{Name: "system", Args: opts.System})
 	}
 
-	keys := make([]string, 0)
-	for k := range opts.Options {
-		keys = append(keys, k)
-	}
-	sort.Strings(keys)
+	keys := maps.Keys(opts.Options)
+	slices.Sort(keys)
 	for _, k := range keys {
-		fmt.Fprintf(&mf, "PARAMETER %s %v\n", k, opts.Options[k])
+		v := opts.Options[k]
+		var cmds []parser.Command
+		switch t := v.(type) {
+		case []string:
+			for _, s := range t {
+				cmds = append(cmds, parser.Command{Name: k, Args: s})
+			}
+		default:
+			cmds = append(cmds, parser.Command{Name: k, Args: fmt.Sprintf("%v", t)})
+		}
+
+		f.Commands = append(f.Commands, cmds...)
 	}
-	fmt.Fprintln(&mf)
 
 	for _, msg := range opts.Messages {
-		fmt.Fprintf(&mf, "MESSAGE %s \"\"\"%s\"\"\"\n", msg.Role, msg.Content)
+		f.Commands = append(f.Commands, parser.Command{Name: "message", Args: fmt.Sprintf("%s: %s", msg.Role, msg.Content)})
 	}
 
-	return mf.String()
+	return f.String()
 }
 
 func normalizeFilePath(fp string) string {
diff --git a/cmd/interactive_test.go b/cmd/interactive_test.go
index 711f3860..bb7e0aba 100644
--- a/cmd/interactive_test.go
+++ b/cmd/interactive_test.go
@@ -1,12 +1,10 @@
 package cmd
 
 import (
-	"bytes"
 	"testing"
-	"text/template"
 
+	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
-	"github.com/stretchr/testify/require"
 
 	"github.com/ollama/ollama/api"
 )
@@ -57,58 +55,53 @@ d:\path with\spaces\seven.svg inbetween7 c:\users\jdoe\eight.png inbetween8
 
 func TestModelfileBuilder(t *testing.T) {
 	opts := runOptions{
-		Model:    "hork",
-		System:   "You are part horse and part shark, but all hork. Do horklike things",
+		Model:  "hork",
+		System: "You are part horse and part shark, but all hork. Do horklike things",
 		Messages: []api.Message{
 			{Role: "user", Content: "Hey there hork!"},
 			{Role: "assistant", Content: "Yes it is true, I am half horse, half shark."},
 		},
-		Options: map[string]interface{}{},
+		Options: map[string]any{
+			"temperature":      0.9,
+			"seed":             42,
+			"penalize_newline": false,
+			"stop":             []string{"hi", "there"},
+		},
 	}
 
-	opts.Options["temperature"] = 0.9
-	opts.Options["seed"] = 42
-	opts.Options["penalize_newline"] = false
-	opts.Options["stop"] = []string{"hi", "there"}
-
-	mf := buildModelfile(opts)
-	expectedModelfile := `FROM {{.Model}}
-SYSTEM """{{.System}}"""
+	t.Run("model", func(t *testing.T) {
+		expect := `FROM hork
+SYSTEM You are part horse and part shark, but all hork. Do horklike things
 PARAMETER penalize_newline false
 PARAMETER seed 42
-PARAMETER stop [hi there]
+PARAMETER stop hi
+PARAMETER stop there
 PARAMETER temperature 0.9
-
-MESSAGE user """Hey there hork!"""
-MESSAGE assistant """Yes it is true, I am half horse, half shark."""
+MESSAGE user Hey there hork!
+MESSAGE assistant Yes it is true, I am half horse, half shark.
 `
 
-	tmpl, err := template.New("").Parse(expectedModelfile)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
+		actual := buildModelfile(opts)
+		if diff := cmp.Diff(expect, actual); diff != "" {
+			t.Errorf("mismatch (-want +got):\n%s", diff)
+		}
+	})
 
-	var buf bytes.Buffer
-	err = tmpl.Execute(&buf, opts)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-	assert.Equal(t, buf.String(), mf)
-
-	opts.ParentModel = "horseshark"
-	mf = buildModelfile(opts)
-	expectedModelfile = `FROM {{.ParentModel}}
-SYSTEM """{{.System}}"""
+	t.Run("parent model", func(t *testing.T) {
+		opts.ParentModel = "horseshark"
+		expect := `FROM horseshark
+SYSTEM You are part horse and part shark, but all hork. Do horklike things
 PARAMETER penalize_newline false
 PARAMETER seed 42
-PARAMETER stop [hi there]
+PARAMETER stop hi
+PARAMETER stop there
 PARAMETER temperature 0.9
-
-MESSAGE user """Hey there hork!"""
-MESSAGE assistant """Yes it is true, I am half horse, half shark."""
+MESSAGE user Hey there hork!
+MESSAGE assistant Yes it is true, I am half horse, half shark.
 `
-
-	tmpl, err = template.New("").Parse(expectedModelfile)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-
-	var parentBuf bytes.Buffer
-	err = tmpl.Execute(&parentBuf, opts)
-	require.NoError(t, err)
-	assert.Equal(t, parentBuf.String(), mf)
+		actual := buildModelfile(opts)
+		if diff := cmp.Diff(expect, actual); diff != "" {
+			t.Errorf("mismatch (-want +got):\n%s", diff)
+		}
+	})
 }