avf_cli

A CLI tool for managing Apple Virtualization.framework macOS Virtual Machines, powered by avf_dart.

Installation

You can activate this CLI globally using the Dart SDK:

dart pub global activate avf_cli

Make sure your ~/.pub-cache/bin directory is added to your system's PATH environment variable.

Usage

avf <command> [arguments]

Subcommands

  • list: List all local virtual machines.

    avf list

  • boot: Boot a local virtual machine.

    avf boot <vm-name> [options]

    Options:

    • -u, --username: Username for SSH verification (defaults to "admin")
    • -p, --password: Password for SSH verification (defaults to "admin")
    • -i, --private-key: SSH private key file path for verification
    • -c, --run-command: Optional command to run on VM via SSH after successful boot

  • install: Install macOS onto a new VM using an IPSW file.

    avf install <vm-name> --ipsw <ipsw-path>

  • delete: Delete a local virtual machine.

    avf delete <vm-name>

  • clone: Clone an existing local virtual machine.

    avf clone <source-vm> <target-vm>

  • pull: Pull a VM archive from GCS bucket.

    avf pull <vm-name> --bucket <bucket-name>

  • push: Push a VM archive to GCS bucket.

    avf push <vm-name> --bucket <bucket-name>

  • download-ipsw: Download the macOS IPSW image.

    avf download-ipsw [options]

    Options:

    • --url: Optional IPSW URL (if omitted, fetches the latest from Apple)
    • -o, --out: Optional save path (defaults to standard downloads directory)

  • fetch-ipsw: Fetch the latest supported macOS IPSW URL from Apple.

    avf fetch-ipsw

Publishing to pub.dev

When publishing avf_cli to pub.dev, you must prepare the configuration in pubspec.yaml as follows:

  1. Remove publish_to: none (which prevents accidental pub.dev publishes during local development).
  2. Replace the local path dependency of avf_dart with the published version dependency: 
    dependencies:
  avf_dart: ^0.1.22

Libraries