diff --git a/preload-models.sh b/preload-models.sh
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+++ b/preload-models.sh
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+#!/bin/bash
+# Script to preload spaCy models to a local directory
+# Usage: ./preload-models.sh [MODEL_NAME] [TARGET_DIR]
+
+set -e
+
+MODEL_NAME="${1:-de_core_news_lg}"
+TARGET_DIR="${2:-./models}"
+
+echo "Preloading spaCy model: $MODEL_NAME"
+echo "Target directory: $TARGET_DIR"
+
+# Create target directory if it doesn't exist
+mkdir -p "$TARGET_DIR"
+
+# Check if model already exists
+if [ -d "$TARGET_DIR/$MODEL_NAME" ]; then
+    echo "Model $MODEL_NAME already exists in $TARGET_DIR"
+    echo "Remove it first if you want to re-download: rm -rf $TARGET_DIR/$MODEL_NAME"
+    exit 0
+fi
+
+echo "Downloading model using temporary Docker container..."
+
+# Use a temporary container to download the model
+docker run --rm -v "$(realpath $TARGET_DIR)":/models python:3.12-slim-bookworm bash -c "
+    set -e
+    echo 'Installing spaCy...'
+    pip install -q spacy
+
+    echo 'Downloading model $MODEL_NAME...'
+    echo 'This may take several minutes depending on your connection speed.'
+    python -m spacy download $MODEL_NAME --no-cache-dir 2>&1 | while IFS= read -r line; do
+        echo \"\$line\"
+        # Show progress dots for download
+        if [[ \"\$line\" == *\"Downloading\"* ]]; then
+            echo -n \"Progress: \"
+        fi
+    done
+
+    echo 'Moving model to /models...'
+    python -c \"
+import spacy
+import shutil
+import site
+import os
+
+# Get the installed model path
+site_packages = site.getsitepackages()[0]
+model_path = site_packages + '/$MODEL_NAME'
+
+# spaCy packages contain a subdirectory with the versioned model
+# Find the actual model directory (e.g., de_core_news_lg-3.8.0)
+items = os.listdir(model_path)
+model_subdir = None
+for item in items:
+    item_path = os.path.join(model_path, item)
+    if os.path.isdir(item_path) and '$MODEL_NAME' in item:
+        model_subdir = item_path
+        break
+
+if model_subdir:
+    # Copy the actual model directory
+    shutil.copytree(model_subdir, '/models/$MODEL_NAME')
+    print(f'Model copied successfully from {model_subdir}!')
+else:
+    # Fallback: copy the whole package
+    shutil.copytree(model_path, '/models/$MODEL_NAME')
+    print('Model copied successfully!')
+\"
+"
+
+if [ -d "$TARGET_DIR/$MODEL_NAME" ]; then
+    echo ""
+    echo "✓ Model $MODEL_NAME successfully preloaded to $TARGET_DIR/$MODEL_NAME"
+    echo ""
+    echo "You can now run the container with:"
+    echo "  docker run --rm -i -v $(realpath $TARGET_DIR):/local/models korap/conllu-spacy"
+else
+    echo "✗ Error: Model download failed"
+    exit 1
+fi