Tart: macOS VMs like containers

Jan 19, 2026 |

macos ci/cd virtualization

Tart from Cirrus Labs uses Apple’s Virtualization.framework to run macOS/Linux VMs on Apple Silicon. The killer feature: it distributes VM images via OCI registries, so you can pull/push them like Docker images.

tart clone ghcr.io/cirruslabs/macos-sequoia-xcode:latest my-vm
tart run my-vm

Combine with Packer to automate image creation - install Xcode, dependencies, snapshot, and push to your registry:

tart push my-vm ghcr.io/myorg/macos-ci:v1

OCI is only the distribution format - it’s not containerizing macOS (that would violate licensing). It just chunks the disk image into layers for efficient transfer and versioning. Great for CI runners.

Source: Tart on GitHub

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