So, since the host is mac os, you need to run a linux VM to be able to quickly instantiate a mac os VM?
With Apple's RAM prices?
replies(2):
When building virtualized environments for AI agents, we needed a reproducible way to package and distribute macOS VMs. Inspired by projects like dockur/windows (https://github.com/dockur/windows) that pioneered running Windows in Docker, we wanted to create something similar but optimized for Apple Silicon. The existing solutions either didn't support M-series chips or relied on KVM/Intel emulation, which was slow and cumbersome. We realized we could leverage Apple's Virtualization Framework to create a much better experience.
Lumier takes a different approach: it uses Docker as a delivery mechanism (not for isolation) and connects to a lightweight virtualization service (lume) running on your Mac. This creates true hardware-accelerated VMs using Apple's native virtualization capabilities.
With Lumier, you can: - Launch a ready-to-use macOS VM in minutes with zero manual setup - Access your VM through any web browser via VNC - Share files between your host and VM effortlessly - Use persistent storage or ephemeral mode for quick tests - Automate VM startup with custom scripts
All of this works natively on Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4) - no emulation required.
To get started:
1. Install Docker for Apple Silicon: https://desktop.docker.com/mac/main/arm64/Docker.dmg
2. Install lume background service with our one-liner:
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/trycua/cua/main/libs/lume/scripts/install.sh)"
docker run -it --rm \
--name lumier-vm \
-p 8006:8006 \
-e VM_NAME=lumier-vm \
-e VERSION=ghcr.io/trycua/macos-sequoia-cua:latest \
-e CPU_CORES=4 \
-e RAM_SIZE=8192 \
trycua/lumier:latest
For persistent storage (so your changes survive container restarts):
mkdir -p storage docker run -it --rm \ --name lumier-vm \ -p 8006:8006 \ -v $(pwd)/storage:/storage \ -e VM_NAME=lumier-vm \ -e HOST_STORAGE_PATH=$(pwd)/storage \ trycua/lumier:latest
Want to share files with your VM? Just add another volume:
mkdir -p shared docker run ... -v $(pwd)/shared:/shared -e HOST_SHARED_PATH=$(pwd)/shared ...
You can even automate VM startup by placing an on-logon.sh script in shared/lifecycle/.
We're seeing people use Lumier for: - Development and testing environments that need macOS - CI/CD pipelines for Apple platform apps - Disposable macOS instances for security research - Automated UI testing across macOS versions - Running AI agents in isolated environments
Lumier is 100% open-source under the MIT license. We're actively developing it as part of our work on C/ua (https://github.com/trycua/cua), and we'd love your feedback, bug reports, or feature ideas.
We'll be here to answer any technical questions and look forward to your comments!
With Apple's RAM prices?
Also there's some permanently running service. What's the point, to save 30 milliseconds out of the time to set up a VM which is certainly measured in tens of seconds?
(This is coming from someone who keeps colima running all the time on my Mac)
You're right that Docker on macOS runs inside a lightweight Linux VM (via Docker Desktop or Colima). We’re not using that VM to run the macOS guests - those run directly on the host via Apple’s Vz — but we do use Docker as a packaging and management layer (e.g. bundling noVNC, CLI tools, and configs).
So is it strictly necessary? Not really. But for teams already using Docker in CI/CD or automated workflows, it's often a tradeoff they're already making - and it means one less new tool/interface to adopt.
That said, we’re also looking into potentially using nested virtualization within the Docker daemon (which relies on Apple Vz under the hood) on M3+ chips, so as to remove the background service on the host entirely
Docker VMM, the latest virtualization option for Apple Silicon Macs, requires a minimum of 4GB of memory to be allocated to the Docker Linux VM.
Or so says an "AI", I'm not installing Docker on this laptop to check, I have limited RAM :)