VM Lab

Use this when the task needs a clean macOS VM to test GUI automation, TCC prompts, screenshot capture, clicking, typing, performance, or "two-way validation" of Peekaboo-like tools.

Core idea: run the tool under test inside the guest, but verify it from outside the guest with Parallels screenshots and host-side observations. Do not close apps you do not own.

Safety Rules

• Only task-owned clones are disposable. Preserve source/golden snapshots, recovery VMs, and other tasks' VMs; never reset, revert, or delete their snapshots.
• Never access inherited guest credentials or bypass login/startup security to bootstrap a clone.
• Never print secrets. If op is needed, follow the 1Password skill and run it only inside tmux.
• Prefer fresh app windows you create yourself: TextEdit, a local HTML test page, or a small test app.
• Limit host writes to task-owned temporary diagnostics and explicitly authorized clone recovery. Never change global Bash/Codex settings for a lab workaround.
• For git repos inside the VM, use HTTPS remotes and normal branch discipline.

Bootstrap Preflight

Before guest automation, confirm the exact task-owned VM UUID and snapshot provenance; the names below are examples, not permission to operate an existing VM.

• Apple-VZ clone fails to boot: verify the active raw disk's contents, not just clone success or logical size. A sparse linked child alone does not prove a broken chain; clone --unlink creates another clone, not an in-place repair.
• Packaging hangs before its first output: inspect the task-owned shell process and heredoc redirection before changing product code or build guards. A system-Bash retry must also pin PATH-resolved child shells, for that invocation only.

Use Bootstrap diagnostics for read-only checks, evidence limits, and narrowly scoped recovery boundaries.

VM Discovery

List VMs:

prlctl list --all

Get VM status/IP: