Set up MacServe on your Mac
Install the app, choose how much CPU and memory Linux may use, and link the Mac to your account. Takes a few minutes, mostly downloading.
After linking: SSH first, apps next
Open your newly linked Mac in the panel. First, connect over SSH is the main next step. Choose SSH keys & setup to add the connecting computer’s public key, or Connect your AI assistant to authorize an agent to prepare SSH and install an app. No domain is needed for SSH.
Wait for confirmed SSH details and use the trusted host identity before connecting. Then install and start the app you want to host. MacServe detects it and offers public-connection setup; connect a domain only when your website is ready. Existing Macs with published apps keep their websites first. The local terminal in the Mac app remains available as an alternative.
What you need before you start
You need an Apple silicon Mac with macOS 13 or later, at least 8 GiB of memory and 10 GiB of free disk space. Intel Macs are not supported. Your Mac must stay awake and online while hosting. A sleeping or disconnected Mac cannot serve anything.
It also has to be signed in to macOS, unless you turn on headless mode. That installs a launch daemon which starts hosting at boot, so the Mac serves from the login screen after a power cut or a restart with nobody there to log in. It asks for an administrator password, because installing the daemon needs one, and it is the same Mac, same server and same files either way.
macserve enable-headlessYour account, and the first launch
Anyone can create an account; no invitation is needed. Confirm your email address before you connect a Mac. Linking is refused until you do. The link is in the message sent when you sign up, and you can send another from your account page.
This early-access app is not yet notarized by Apple; if macOS blocks it, use the installation steps below. Do not disable your Mac’s security settings.
Install the app and link your Mac
You can sign in before installing, or install first. The latest app asks for account approval before creating Linux. Older eight-character pairing codes remain a recovery fallback.
- Download the ZIP, open it, and move
MacServe.appintoApplications. Open it there. - Choose CPU and memory in the app, then Create your server. For an existing server choose Connect your Mac; existing files and resources are preserved.
- Open the setup link from the app. Sign in, compare the Mac name and code, and approve the selected Mac. Only the local app holds the device credential; the browser receives a short-lived setup reference.
- Keep the Mac online while Linux downloads and starts. The app links it automatically. If interrupted, reopen the app and resume. An expired link needs fresh approval for the same account, not a new VM.
- The first successfully linked Mac starts the account’s 7-day/1-GB trial. Choose Connect your AI assistant, or Continue manually to prepare SSH and your first app.
Follow the same progress on both screens
App version 0.2.13 and the panel show the same pairing card: Approve, Prepare, Connect, Ready. Check the Mac name, resources and code before approving. After approval, the code and approval button disappear. Preparing your server can take several minutes; stay on either screen while the app works automatically.
Your Mac is linked means account setup has finished, not that SSH or a website is already public. Choose Connect your AI assistant or Continue manually in the panel for those next steps. If status cannot be checked, the panel shows a connection interruption and retries. If the app reports a problem, resume there; don’t delete your server or start a second setup.
An older installed app keeps its old interface until upgraded. Updating the website alone cannot update your Mac app. Finish any active setup before replacing the app; keep your existing server, files and SSH keys.
Publish your first app
Choose Open terminal in MacServe to work inside Linux. Install and run your application there, then open Home in the panel: the app appears under Apps with a Make it public button. A website gets a free HTTPS address such as shop-1a2b.204-168-161-26.sslip.io the moment it is public; no domain is needed. Other apps get a public TCP or UDP address. Connect your own domain later from the same page if you want one.
No Docker is required. MacServe gives you one Linux VM; you decide what to install and how to restart your applications. Your Mac’s folders are not automatically shared with Linux.