Free tools

8 things 1vm does, free on both tiers.

The 1vm command line is free and uncapped on both tiers, by count and by rate. These are the jobs it does — create a Linux box, boot Windows on ARM, snapshot and roll back, run Docker, forward ports, clone a fleet, SSH by name, or hand a machine to a coding agent.

Machines

Create a Linux VM

One command to a booted Debian, Ubuntu or Omarchy guest — or a prepared toolchain with nothing left to install.

1vm create dev --recipe nodeHow it works →

Run Windows on Apple silicon

The first-party 1VM engine boots Windows on ARM without QEMU — installed from your own ISO, with the virtio drivers attached.

1vm guide windowsHow it works →

Clone a golden image

A linked clone shares blocks with its golden, so ten machines cost roughly one — and each throws away independently.

1vm template pin baseHow it works →

Snapshots

Snapshot and restore a VM

A snapshot is an APFS clone, not a copy — take and restore finish in well under a millisecond no matter how big the disk.

1vm snapshot take dev cleanHow it works →

Docker

Run Docker on a Mac

A Debian VM 1VMTool provisions, starts on demand and counts against one memory budget — with the Docker CLI pointed at its private socket.

1vm engine setupHow it works →

Networking

Forward ports from a guest

1VMTool discovers the TCP and UDP ports a Linux guest is listening on and publishes them on localhost, collisions reported rather than guessed at.

1vm ports devHow it works →

Automation

SSH into a VM

Machine keys, a pinned host key and an ~/.ssh/config include, so `ssh dev` works from any terminal on the Mac.

1vm ssh enable dev --yesHow it works →

Give an AI agent its own VM

A local MCP endpoint, off by default, with scoped bearer tokens at read, operate, create or destroy — and an audit log of every call.

1vm mcp enable --port 8777How it works →

Everything else

These are the common jobs, not the whole surface. Run 1vm with no arguments for the full command list, or read the documentation for each area in prose. What the app can and cannot do on your particular Mac is 1vm capabilities.

Frequently asked questions

Is the command line part of the paid tier?

No. The 1vm CLI, SSH and the MCP endpoint are uncapped on Free and on Pro, by count and by rate. Pro lifts counts — machines in the library, machines running at once, snapshots per machine — not automation.

Do I have to install the CLI separately?

No. The app and the 1vm command ship in the same signed bundle. There is no Homebrew formula, no separate download and no kernel extension.

Can I script against it?

Yes. Every command that returns anything accepts --json, so output can be parsed rather than scraped. --quiet reduces it to errors only, and --force skips the confirmation on destructive actions.

Where is the full command reference?

`1vm` with no arguments prints it, and the docs cover each area in prose. The pages here are the common tasks rather than the whole surface.