macOS VMs

- ''Small Linux VPS'' for an always-on Gateway and low cost. See ''VPS hosting''.

- Dedicated hardware (Mac mini or Linux box) if you want full control and a residential IP for browser automation. Many sites block data center IPs, so local browsing often works better.

- ''Hybrid:'' keep the Gateway on a cheap VPS, and connect your Mac as a ''node'' when you need browser/UI automation. See ''Nodes'' and ''Gateway remote''.

Use a macOS VM when you specifically need macOS-only capabilities (iMessage/BlueBubbles) or want strict isolation from your daily Mac.

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Run OpenClaw in a sandboxed macOS VM on your existing Apple Silicon Mac using ''Lume''.

This gives you:

- Full macOS environment in isolation (your host stays clean)

- iMessage support via BlueBubbles (impossible on Linux/Windows)

- Instant reset by cloning VMs

- No extra hardware or cloud costs

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If you want macOS in cloud, hosted Mac providers work too:

- ''MacStadium'' (hosted Macs)

- Other hosted Mac vendors also work; follow their VM + SSH docs

Once you have SSH access to a macOS VM, continue at step 6 below.

- Apple Silicon Mac (M1/M2/M3/M4)

- macOS Sequoia or later on host

- ~60 GB free disk space per VM

- ~20 minutes

lume create openclaw --os macos --ipsw latest

This downloads macOS and creates a VM. A VNC window opens automatically.

Note: The download can take a while depending on your connection.

lume get openclaw

Look for the IP address (usually ''192.168.64.x'').

Inside the VM:

npm install -g openclaw@latest
openclaw onboard --install-daemon

Follow the onboarding prompts to set up your model provider (Anthropic, OpenAI, etc.).

Stop the VM and restart without display:

lume stop openclaw
lume run openclaw --no-display

The VM runs in the background. OpenClaw's daemon keeps the gateway running.

To check status:

ssh [email protected] "openclaw status"

Before customizing further, snapshot your clean state:

lume stop openclaw
lume clone openclaw openclaw-golden

Reset anytime:

lume stop openclaw && lume delete openclaw
lume clone openclaw-golden openclaw
lume run openclaw --no-display

| Problem | Solution |

| |

- ''VPS hosting''

- ''Nodes''

- ''Gateway remote''

- ''BlueBubbles channel''

- ''Lume Quickstart''

- ''Lume CLI Reference''

- ''Unattended VM Setup'' (advanced)

- ''Docker Sandboxing'' (alternative isolation approach)