groundwater/GhostVM
GhostVM is a native macOS application designed for creating and managing isolated macOS virtual machines specifically on Apple Silicon hardware. Built on top of Apple's Virtualization framework, it delivers near-native performance for virtualized environments. The software is tailored for professionals requiring secure, disposable, and portable workspaces, making it ideal for AI agent sandboxing, isolated development environments, testing across different macOS versions, and separating client work to ensure data security. Each virtual machine created with GhostVM exists as a self-contained bundle with a .GhostVM file extension. This portable design functions like a regular folder on your system, allowing users to easily copy, move, backup, or share complete workspaces without needing complex configuration files. The application leverages APFS copy-on-write technology to enable instant snapshots and clones, ensuring that users can checkpoint their state or duplicate environments with minimal delay and storage overhead. GhostVM offers deep integration with the host operating system to smooth the user experience. It supports seamless clipboard sharing, file and folder access, and automatic port forwarding, allowing applications within the virtual machine to communicate with the host network as if they were running natively. For advanced users and automation workflows, the software includes a comprehensive command-line interface tool called vmctl and a Unix socket API. These tools allow for the scripting of VM lifecycle management, including initialization, installation, starting, stopping, and slush dumps. Users can also execute remote shell commands, manage guest clipboard content, and query running applications within the guest OS directly from the terminal. The installation process is straightforward, requiring users to download a disk image and drag the application into their Applications folder. GhostVM requires macOS 15 Sequoia or later and runs exclusively on Apple Silicon devices, such as those with M1, M2, or M3 chips. The command-line utility supports various operations such as defining CPU and memory allocations, allocating disk space, and managing restore images for installation. It also supports headless mode for background server-like operations and shared folder configurations. Developers and contributors can build the application from source using Xcode 15 or later and the XcodeGen tool. The project is open to community contributions and offers a robust structure for extending functionality. By combining the isolation of virtualization with the convenience of a native file-based architecture, GhostVM provides a streamlined solution for modern macOS development and security needs, eliminating the complexity typically associated with traditional virtualization setups while maintaining high performance and system integration.