vz

name

vz

description

Run commands in instant Linux VMs on macOS via vz. Use when the user needs to: (1) compile or test code for Linux (cross-compile, Linux-only deps), (2) run Linux-specific tools (apt-get, systemd, docker-in-VM), (3) execute commands in an isolated Linux environment, (4) work on a project that has a vz.json file. TRIGGER when: project contains vz.json, user says "run in Linux", "test on Linux", "compile for Linux", "vz run", or needs Linux-only behavior. DO NOT TRIGGER when: commands work fine on macOS natively.

vz — Linux VM execution

Run commands inside a lightweight Linux VM on macOS via Apple's Virtualization.framework. The VM boots in ~3s, mounts the project directory via VirtioFS, and persists across runs.

Detection

Check if the project has a vz.json in the working directory or parents. If it does, Linux commands should go through vz run instead of running locally.

Commands

Run a command

vz run <command...>

Output streams in real-time. Exit code propagates. Environment variables from vz.json are injected automatically (PATH, HOME, CARGO_TARGET_DIR, etc.).

Examples:

vz run cargo build
vz run cargo test
vz run make -j4
vz run apt-get install -y libssl-dev  # only works during setup, not ad-hoc
vz run python3 script.py

Interactive shell

vz run -i bash

Opens a PTY-backed interactive session. Use for debugging, exploring the VM filesystem, or running interactive tools.

Project setup

vz init                    # generate vz.json (auto-detects Rust/Node/Python/Go)
vz init --template rust    # force a specific template
vz init --image debian:12  # override base image

Lifecycle

vz status       # show daemon/VM state, project, mounts
vz stop         # stop the VM (persists disk, next run reboots)
vz run --fresh  # destroy VM + re-run setup from scratch
vz logs         # show daemon logs
vz logs -f      # follow daemon logs

When to use vz run vs local execution

Use vz run when:

• The command needs Linux (cargo build for linux targets, apt-get, Linux syscalls)
• The project has a vz.json
• The user explicitly asks to run in Linux or in a VM

Use local execution when:

• The command works on macOS natively (git, formatting, linting)
• No vz.json exists and user hasn't asked for Linux

Setup commands vs runtime commands

vz.json has a setup array — these run once on first boot and are cached by hash. Do NOT put one-off commands in setup. Instead:

• Setup: package installs, toolchain setup (apt-get, rustup, npm install -g)
• Runtime: build, test, run commands (cargo build, npm test)

If the user needs a new package installed, suggest adding it to the setup array in vz.json and running vz run --fresh to re-provision.

Error patterns

• "no vz.json found" — suggest vz init
• "getcwd() failed" — harmless kernel warning, ignore it
• Setup reruns every time — setup command may be failing silently; check with vz run --fresh and watch output
• "daemon startup timed out" — stale lock file; vz stop then retry
• Command not found in VM — tool not in setup commands; add to vz.json setup array