An experimental macOS virtual machine app and CLI for Apple silicon. Windows 11 ARM64 is the main development goal; ARM64 Linux uses Apple's native Virtualization framework. This is a source-only alpha, with incomplete features.
Build requirement: macOS SDK 27 and Swift 6.4 (Xcode 27 or Command Line Tools 27). The macOS 14 deployment target is separate from the build SDK requirement. Local development used Command Line Tools 27, macOS SDK 27 and Swift 6.4. CI targets an ARM64 Xcode 27 runner; see the current checks.
Private Windows development VM using VNC. Its required runtime and driver binaries are not included. This screenshot is not an FPS benchmark or HDR proof.
The repository contains the original Swift app and CLI, lifecycle and storage code, a VM library, input and display handling, generated protocols, and tests. Linux boot and desktop experiments have run locally. Windows has run in a private development environment, but its pinned runtime is not reproducible from this public source snapshot. See the feature matrix.
No operating-system media, VM data, firmware, driver binaries, build products or private Windows runtime is supplied. Obtain any external software and licenses separately. Windows HDR is unavailable; the included HDR host code is an inactive foundation. Sustained 120 FPS, near-native performance and FPS-neutral sharpening are not qualified.
Select the intended Xcode or Command Line Tools installation, confirm its SDK is version 27, and have Python 3 available. From this source directory:
xcrun --sdk macosx --show-sdk-version
xcrun swift --version
./scripts/check.sh
./scripts/build.sh debug
./scripts/build.sh releaseBuild output is build/macOpenVM.app and build/bin/macopenvm. Development builds
use ad hoc signing and are not notarized. Native guest and hardware tests have
separate prerequisites; a skip does not qualify that feature.
The clean public source copy passed 1,319 Swift tests on Apple silicon with CLT 27/SDK 27/Swift 6.4. Strict formatting, generated protocol/SPDX checks, 33 portable benchmark tests and signed debug/release bundles also passed. See the hosted checks for current CI results. Older compiler/toolchain support is unqualified for this alpha. The release notes describe this source preview's limits.
Useful work includes a reproducible Windows source-build recipe, graphics performance measurements and fixes, audio, HDR producer integration, and failure tests. Start with CONTRIBUTING.md and open an issue describing the behavior and evidence you can reproduce.
Original app and CLI code is Apache-2.0. Upstream patches retain their own file licenses and notices; see NOTICE. Security reports belong in the private reporting process. Community participation follows the code of conduct.
Project: github.com/alexanderisgood/macOpenVM.