What if you could give Claude Code an entire Mac of its own?
Not just terminal access. Not a browser sandbox.
An actual macOS desktop, running inside your terminal.
Meet terminal-mac, a free, open-source project that lets AI agents control a separate virtual Mac while you continue using your own computer.
And the implementation is pretty fascinating.
In this video, you'll see Claude using terminal-mac to interact with a virtual macOS desktop.
Here's what makes it interesting:
Real macOS: Runs a complete macOS virtual machine using Apple's Virtualization framework.
Desktop inside your terminal: Watch the virtual Mac through Ghostty, Kitty, or iTerm2.
AI Computer Use: Agents can take screenshots, click, type, scroll, drag, and interact with applications.
MCP integration: Connect Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, and other compatible AI agents.
Dedicated agent environment: The virtual Mac has its own applications, files, accounts, and permissions.
Independent mouse and clipboard: Your AI agent doesn't need to hijack your physical cursor or clipboard.
Multiple virtual Macs: Create separate environments for different agents or tasks.
And here's the best part.
You can actually watch your AI agent working inside a complete desktop environment without surrendering control of your own computer.
Imagine giving Claude a task that requires navigating applications, configuring software, testing interfaces, or performing complex desktop workflows.
Instead of clicking around your personal Mac, it does everything in its own virtual machine.
Your computer. Your work. Claude's computer. Claude's work.
Everyone gets a desktop.
How to install terminal-mac:
On an Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 14 or later:
curl -fsSL https://github.com/govijr/terminal-mac/releases/latest/download/get.sh | bash
Start your virtual Mac:
terminal-mac up
Then connect Claude Code using the included plugin:
/plugin install terminal-mac --marketplace govijr/terminal-mac
The plugin provides MCP tools and a skill that teaches Claude how to interact with the virtual desktop.
A few things worth knowing:
The first setup requires downloading and installing macOS, creating a user account, and granting permissions inside the virtual machine.
You'll also need sufficient RAM and storage. The default virtual disk has a logical size of 64 GiB, although actual disk usage grows as needed.
And since the project is still an early release candidate, expect occasional rough edges.
But here's what I find genuinely exciting.
We've spent years teaching AI agents to use our computers.
Now we're starting to give them computers of their own.
And that changes the possibilities for testing, automation, software development, and running multiple agents without interfering with your everyday work.
The future might not be an AI controlling your desktop.
It might be an entire office full of virtual computers, each operated by its own AI agent.
Except the office lives inside your Mac.
And nobody needs to book a meeting room.
terminal-mac on GitHub:
https://github.com/govijr/terminal-mac
Free and open source under the MIT license.
#TerminalMac #ClaudeCode #ComputerUse #AIAgents #MacOS #OpenSource #VibeCoding
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