Lima

https://lima-vm.io/docs
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### Start Fedora VM for manual setup

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/krunkit

Initialize a Fedora-based VM using the krunkit driver.

```bash
limactl start --vm-type=krunkit template:fedora
limactl shell fedora
```

--------------------------------

### Start a Lima instance

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_start

Basic usage examples for starting instances using default settings or specific templates.

```bash
  To create an instance "default" (if not created yet) from the default Ubuntu template, and start it:
  $ limactl start

  To create an instance "default" from a template "docker", and start it:
  $ limactl start --name=default template:docker
```

--------------------------------

### Create and start a template instance

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/templates

Initializes a new instance from the fedora template and starts it.

```bash
# Note: In Lima 1.x, template URLs included leading slashes, e.g. `template://fedora`.
limactl create template:fedora
limactl start fedora
```

```bash
limactl start template:fedora
# For the second time onward, just run `limactl start fedora`
```

--------------------------------

### Create and start a custom instance

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/usage

Creates a named instance from a specific template and starts it.

```bash
limactl create --name=default template:docker
limactl start default
```

--------------------------------

### Install and run OpenCode

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/ai

Installs OpenCode using npm.

```bash
lima sudo snap install node --classic
lima sudo npm install -g opencode-ai
lima opencode
```

--------------------------------

### Start Instance in Plain Mode via CLI

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/_print

Use the --plain flag during the start command to initialize an instance in plain mode.

```bash
limactl start --plain
```

--------------------------------

### Start FreeBSD Guest Templates

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/usage/guests/_print

Commands to initialize FreeBSD 15 or 16 guest instances.

```bash
limactl start template:freebsd-15
```

```bash
limactl start template:experimental/freebsd-16
```

--------------------------------

### Start krunkit VM and shell

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/krunkit

Initialize the VM using the krunkit driver and enter the shell.

```bash
limactl start --vm-type=krunkit
limactl shell default
```

--------------------------------

### Create a snapshot example

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_snapshot_create

An example command to create a snapshot named 'snap1' for the 'default' instance.

```bash
  Create a snapshot of an instance:
  $ limactl snapshot create default --tag snap1
```

--------------------------------

### Copying templates examples

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_template_copy

Examples showing how to copy templates to stdout or from a web location with embedding.

```bash
# Copy default template to STDOUT
limactl template copy template:default -

# Copy template from web location to local file and embed all external references
# (this does not embed template: references)
limactl template copy --embed https://example.com/lima.yaml mighty-machine.yaml
```

--------------------------------

### View Available Plugins

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/plugin/cli

Example output showing discovered plugins in the help menu.

```text

Available Plugins (Experimental):
  ps                  Sample limactl-ps alias that shows running instances
  sh

```

--------------------------------

### Install socket_vmnet from source

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/network/vmnet

Commands to clone, build, and install socket_vmnet to a secure root-owned directory.

```bash
# Install socket_vmnet as root from source to /opt/socket_vmnet
# using instructions on https://github.com/lima-vm/socket_vmnet
# This assumes that Xcode Command Line Tools are already installed
git clone https://github.com/lima-vm/socket_vmnet
cd socket_vmnet
# Change "v1.2.2" to the actual latest release in https://github.com/lima-vm/socket_vmnet/releases
git checkout v1.2.2
make
sudo make PREFIX=/opt/socket_vmnet install.bin

# Set up the sudoers file for launching socket_vmnet from Lima
limactl sudoers >etc_sudoers.d_lima
less etc_sudoers.d_lima  # verify that the file looks correct
sudo install -o root etc_sudoers.d_lima /etc/sudoers.d/lima
rm etc_sudoers.d_lima
```

--------------------------------

### Interactive rebase commit configuration examples

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/dev/git

Examples showing the transition from multiple pick commands to using fixup for cleaner commit history.

```text
pick aaaaaaa First commit message
pick bbbbbbb Second commit message
pick ccccccc Fix typo
```

```text
pick aaaaaaa First commit message
f bbbbbbb Second commit message
f ccccccc Fix typo
```

--------------------------------

### Start Windows 11 VM

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/usage/guests/windows

Initializes a Windows 11 guest instance using the default template.

```bash
limactl start template:windows
```

--------------------------------

### Install and run Aider

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/ai

Installs Aider via pipx and configures the environment path.

```bash
lima sudo apt install -y pipx
lima pipx install aider-install
lima sh -c 'echo "export PATH=$PATH:$HOME/.local/bin" >>~/.bash_profile'
lima aider-install
lima aider
```

```bash
lima vi "/home/${USER}.linux/.bash_profile"
```

--------------------------------

### Build and Install Lima from Source

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/installation/source

Standard commands to clone the repository and install Lima to the system path.

```bash
git clone https://github.com/lima-vm/lima
cd lima
make
sudo make install
```

--------------------------------

### Install krunkit via Homebrew

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/krunkit

Commands to install the krunkit formula on the host machine.

```bash
brew tap slp/krun
brew install krunkit
```

--------------------------------

### Start Homebrew macOS Guest Template

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/usage/guests/macos

Initializes a macOS guest environment pre-configured with Homebrew.

```bash
limactl start template:homebrew-macos
```

--------------------------------

### List snapshots examples

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_snapshot_list

Common usage examples for listing all snapshots or only the snapshot tags.

```bash
  List all snapshots of an instance:
  $ limactl snapshot list default

  List only snapshot tags:
  $ limactl snapshot list default --quiet
```

--------------------------------

### Basic usage of limactl autostart enable

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_autostart_enable

Syntax for registering an instance to start automatically.

```bash
limactl autostart enable INSTANCE [flags]
```

--------------------------------

### Start instance with network

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/network/vmnet

Command to start a Lima instance using a specific network.

```bash
limactl start --network=lima:shared
```

--------------------------------

### Start Windows Guest Templates

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/usage/guests/_print

Commands to initialize Windows 11 or Windows Server 2025 guest instances.

```bash
limactl start template:windows
```

```bash
limactl start template:windows-2025
```

--------------------------------

### Install and run Gemini CLI

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/ai

Installs Gemini CLI using npm and configures the API key.

```bash
lima sudo snap install node --classic
lima sudo npm install -g @google/gemini-cli
lima gemini
```

```bash
lima vi "/home/${USER}.linux/.bash_profile"
```

--------------------------------

### Install and run Codex

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/ai

Installs Codex using npm and configures the API key.

```bash
lima sudo snap install node --classic
lima sudo npm install -g @openai/codex
lima codex
```

```bash
lima vi "/home/${USER}.linux/.bash_profile"
```

--------------------------------

### Initialize and run Apptainer

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/_print

Commands to start rootless or rootful Apptainer templates and execute containers.

```bash
limactl start template:apptainer
limactl shell apptainer apptainer run -u -B $HOME:$HOME docker://alpine
```

```bash
limactl start template:apptainer-rootful
limactl shell apptainer-rootful apptainer run -u -B $HOME:$HOME docker://alpine
```

--------------------------------

### Resize a disk example

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_disk_resize

Example command to resize a specific disk to a new size.

```bash
limactl disk resize DISK --size SIZE
```

--------------------------------

### Install and run GitHub Copilot

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/ai

Installs GitHub Copilot CLI using npm and configures the authentication token.

```bash
lima sudo snap install node --classic
lima sudo npm install -g @github/copilot
lima copilot
```

```bash
lima vi "/home/${USER}.linux/.bash_profile"
```

--------------------------------

### Install GPU support script

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/krunkit

Bash script to install Vulkan drivers and build llama.cpp from source.

```bash
#!/bin/bash
# SPDX-FileCopyrightText: Copyright The Lima Authors
# SPDX-License-Identifier: Apache-2.0

set -eu -o pipefail

# Install required packages
dnf install -y dnf-plugins-core dnf-plugin-versionlock llvm18-libs

# Install Vulkan and Mesa base packages
dnf install -y \
  mesa-vulkan-drivers \
  vulkan-loader-devel \
  vulkan-headers \
  vulkan-tools \
  vulkan-loader \
  glslc

# Enable COPR repo with patched Mesa for Venus support
dnf copr enable -y slp/mesa-libkrun-vulkan

# Downgrade to patched Mesa version from COPR
REPOID="copr:copr.fedorainfracloud.org:slp:mesa-libkrun-vulkan"
MESA_VERSION=$(dnf repoquery -q --available --repoid="$REPOID" --latest-limit=1 --qf '%{evr}' mesa-vulkan-drivers 2>/dev/null)
dnf downgrade -y "mesa-vulkan-drivers-${MESA_VERSION}"

# Lock Mesa version to prevent automatic upgrades
dnf versionlock add "mesa-vulkan-drivers-${MESA_VERSION}"

# Clean up
dnf clean all

echo "Installing llama.cpp with Vulkan support..."
# Build and install llama.cpp with Vulkan support
dnf install -y git cmake clang curl-devel glslc vulkan-devel virglrenderer
(
  cd ~
  git clone https://github.com/ggml-org/llama.cpp
  (
    cd llama.cpp
    cmake -B build -DGGML_VULKAN=ON -DGGML_CCACHE=OFF -DGGML_NATIVE=OFF -DCMAKE_INSTALL_PREFIX=/usr
    cmake --build build --config Release -j8
    cmake --install build
  )
  rm -fr llama.cpp
)

echo "Successfully installed llama.cpp with Vulkan support. Use 'llama-cli' app with .gguf models."
```

--------------------------------

### Start FreeBSD 15 Guest

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/usage/guests/freebsd

Command to initialize a FreeBSD 15 virtual machine using the built-in template.

```bash
limactl start template:freebsd-15
```

--------------------------------

### Import a Disk

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_disk_import

Example command to import a disk from a specified path.

```bash
$ limactl disk import DISK DISKPATH
```

--------------------------------

### Start macOS Guest Templates

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/usage/guests/_print

Commands to initialize macOS guest instances using standard or Homebrew-based templates.

```bash
limactl start template:macos
```

```bash
limactl start template:homebrew-macos
```

--------------------------------

### Start and run rootless Apptainer

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/containers/apptainer/_print

Use the apptainer template to initialize a rootless instance and execute a container.

```bash
limactl start template:apptainer
limactl shell apptainer apptainer run -u -B $HOME:$HOME docker://alpine
```

--------------------------------

### Start a Lima instance

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/usage

Initiates the creation and startup process for a Lima VM instance.

```bash
$ limactl start
? Creating an instance "default"  [Use arrows to move, type to filter]
> Proceed with the current configuration
  Open an editor to review or modify the current configuration
  Choose another template (docker, podman, archlinux, fedora, ...)
  Exit
...
INFO[0029] READY. Run `lima` to open the shell.
```

--------------------------------

### Start FreeBSD 16 Guest

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/usage/guests/freebsd

Command to initialize a FreeBSD 16 (CURRENT) virtual machine using the experimental template.

```bash
limactl start template:experimental/freebsd-16
```

--------------------------------

### Start and configure Docker

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/containers/docker

Commands to initialize a Docker instance and set the DOCKER_HOST environment variable for container operations.

```bash
limactl start template:docker
export DOCKER_HOST=$(limactl list docker --format 'unix://{{.Dir}}/sock/docker.sock')
docker run -d --name nginx -p 127.0.0.1:8080:80 nginx:alpine
```

```bash
limactl start template:docker-rootful
export DOCKER_HOST=$(limactl list docker-rootful --format 'unix://{{.Dir}}/sock/docker.sock')
docker run -d --name nginx -p 127.0.0.1:8080:80 nginx:alpine
```

--------------------------------

### Start Lima instance with project mount

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/ai/outside/gemini

Initialize a Lima instance with the current directory mounted for access.

```bash
limactl start --mount-only "$(pwd):w" default
```

--------------------------------

### Start macOS Guest Template

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/usage/guests/macos

Initializes a macOS guest environment using the standard Lima template.

```bash
limactl start template:macos
```

--------------------------------

### Configure QEMU VM Type

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/_print

Examples for setting the QEMU driver via CLI or YAML configuration.

```bash
limactl start --vm-type=qemu
```

```yaml
vmType: "qemu"

base:
- template:_images/ubuntu
- template:_default/mounts
```

--------------------------------

### Install Lima to Home Directory

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/installation/source

Configure a custom installation prefix to avoid requiring sudo privileges.

```bash
make PREFIX=$HOME/.local install
export PATH=$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH
```

--------------------------------

### Start VM with advanced configuration

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples

Launch a Fedora-based VM with specific resource allocations and virtualization features enabled.

```bash
limactl start \
  --name=default \
  --cpus=4 \
  --memory=8 \
  --vm-type=vz \
  --rosetta \
  --mount-writable \
  --network=vzNAT \
  template:fedora
```

--------------------------------

### Start and run rootful Apptainer

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/containers/apptainer/_print

Use the apptainer-rootful template to initialize a rootful instance and execute a container.

```bash
limactl start template:apptainer-rootful
limactl shell apptainer-rootful apptainer run -u -B $HOME:$HOME docker://alpine
```

--------------------------------

### Fast Mode Setup and Usage

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/_print

Enables QEMU User Mode Emulation for faster container execution across architectures.

```bash
lima sudo systemctl start containerd
lima sudo nerdctl run --privileged --rm tonistiigi/binfmt:qemu-v10.0.4-56@sha256:30cc9a4d03765acac9be2ed0afc23af1ad018aed2c28ea4be8c2eb9afe03fbd1 --install all
```

```bash
$ lima nerdctl run --platform=amd64 --rm alpine uname -m
x86_64

$ lima nerdctl run --platform=arm64 --rm alpine uname -m
aarch64
```

```bash
$ lima nerdctl build --platform=amd64,arm64 -t example.com/foo:latest .
$ lima nerdctl push --all-platforms example.com/foo:latest
```

--------------------------------

### Start Windows Server 2025 VM

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/usage/guests/windows

Initializes a Windows Server 2025 guest instance using the specific template.

```bash
limactl start template:windows-2025
```

--------------------------------

### Run model without containers

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/_print

Start a Fedora-based krunkit VM and configure it for manual llama.cpp execution.

```bash
limactl start --vm-type=krunkit template:fedora
limactl shell fedora
```

```yaml
vmType: krunkit

base:
- template:_images/fedora
- template:_default/mounts

mountType: virtiofs
```

--------------------------------

### Instance network configuration

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/network/vmnet

Example YAML configuration for referencing managed networks in an instance.

```yaml
networks:
  # Lima can manage the socket_vmnet daemon for networks defined in $LIMA_HOME/_config/networks.yaml automatically.
  # The socket_vmnet binary must be installed into a secure location only alterable by the "root" user.
  # - lima: shared
  #   # MAC address of the instance; lima will pick one based on the instance name,
  #   # so DHCP assigned ip addresses should remain constant over instance restarts.
  #   macAddress: ""
  #   # Interface name, defaults to "lima0", "lima1", etc.
  #   interface: ""
```

--------------------------------

### Install Lima via Binary Archive

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/installation/_print

Download and extract the latest Lima binary release to /usr/local.

```bash
VERSION=$(curl -fsSL https://api.github.com/repos/lima-vm/lima/releases/latest | jq -r .tag_name)
curl -fsSL "https://github.com/lima-vm/lima/releases/download/${VERSION}/lima-${VERSION:1}-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m).tar.gz" | tar Cxzvm /usr/local

# For Lima v1.1 onward
curl -fsSL "https://github.com/lima-vm/lima/releases/download/${VERSION}/lima-additional-guestagents-${VERSION:1}-$(uname -s)-$(uname -m).tar.gz" | tar Cxzvm /usr/local
```

--------------------------------

### Setup Multi-node Kubernetes Cluster

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/containers/kubernetes

Commands to initialize a multi-node cluster using kubeadm and the lima:user-v2 network.

```bash
limactl start --name k8s --network lima:user-v2 template:k8s
limactl shell k8s sudo kubeadm token create --print-join-command
# (The join command printed here)
```

```bash
limactl start --name k8s-1 --network lima:user-v2 template:k8s
limactl shell k8s-1 sudo bash -euxc "kubeadm reset --force ; ip link delete cni0 ; ip link delete flannel.1 ; rm -rf /var/lib/cni /etc/cni"
limactl shell k8s-1 sudo <JOIN_COMMAND_FROM_ABOVE>
```

```bash
limactl start --name k8s --network lima:user-v2 template:k8s
limactl shell k8s sudo kubeadm token create --print-join-command
# (The parameters for the start command printed here)
```

```bash
limactl start --name k8s-1 --network lima:user-v2 template:k8s \
              --param url="https://<ADDRESS_FROM_ABOVE>" --param token="<TOKEN_FROM_ABOVE>" \
              --param discoveryTokenCaCertHash="<DISCOVERY_TOKEN_CA_CERT_HASH_FROM_ABOVE>"
```

--------------------------------

### Create a Custom 'ps' Alias

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/plugin/cli

Steps to create, install, and execute a custom 'ps' alias for listing instances.

```bash

#!/bin/sh
# Show instances in a compact format
limactl list --format table "$@"

```

```bash

chmod +x limactl-ps
sudo mv limactl-ps /usr/local/bin/

```

```bash

limactl ps                    # Shows instances in table format
limactl ps --quiet            # Shows only instance names

```

--------------------------------

### Network creation and VM connection examples

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_network_create

Demonstrates creating a network with a specific gateway and attaching multiple VM instances to it.

```bash
  Create a network:
  $ limactl network create foo --gateway 192.168.42.1/24

  Connect VM instances to the newly created network:
  $ limactl create --network lima:foo --name vm1
  $ limactl create --network lima:foo --name vm2
```

--------------------------------

### Install Rosetta 2

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/faq

Command to install Rosetta on macOS if Lima gets stuck during installation.

```bash
softwareupdate --install-rosetta
```

--------------------------------

### Configure wsl2 mount

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/mount

Examples for enabling the experimental wsl2 mount type on Windows hosts.

```bash
limactl start --vm-type=wsl2 --mount-type=wsl2
```

```yaml
vmType: "wsl2"
mountType: "wsl2"
```

--------------------------------

### Build and install krunkit driver manually

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/krunkit

Steps to build the driver from the Lima source repository if not pre-installed.

```bash
git clone https://github.com/lima-vm/lima
cd lima
# Replace vX.Y.Z with the actual version
git checkout vX.Y.Z
make ADDITIONAL_DRIVERS=krunkit additional-drivers
# Replace /usr/local with the actual installation prefix
cp -a _output/libexec/lima/lima-driver-krunkit /usr/local/libexec/lima/
```

--------------------------------

### Start Lima with vz via CLI

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/vz

Use the --vm-type flag to explicitly set the virtualization driver to vz.

```bash
limactl start --vm-type=vz
```

--------------------------------

### Run model using containers

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/_print

Start a krunkit VM and execute the model inside a container with GPU access.

```bash
limactl start --vm-type=krunkit
limactl shell default
```

```bash
nerdctl run --rm -ti \
  --device /dev/dri \
  -v $(pwd)/models:/models \
  quay.io/slopezpa/fedora-vgpu-llama
```

```bash
llama-cli -m /models/Qwen3-1.7B-Q8_0.gguf -b 512 -ngl 99 -p "Introduce yourself"
```

--------------------------------

### Open interactive shell with sync

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/_print

Start an interactive shell session in the guest VM with the current directory synchronized.

```bash
limactl shell --sync . default
```

--------------------------------

### Execute custom URL handlers

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/plugin/url

Commands to start instances using the defined custom URL schemes.

```bash
$ limactl start dev:webapp    # uses master branch
$ limactl start prod:webapp   # uses pinned release
```

--------------------------------

### Configure VZ VM Type

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/_print

Examples for setting the VZ driver via CLI or YAML configuration.

```bash
limactl start --vm-type=vz
```

```yaml
vmType: "vz"

base:
- template:_images/ubuntu
- template:_default/mounts
```

--------------------------------

### Configure 9p mount

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/mount

Examples for enabling the 9p mount type via CLI or YAML configuration.

```bash
limactl start --vm-type=qemu --mount-type=9p
```

```yaml
vmType: "qemu"
mountType: "9p"
mounts:
- location: "~"
  9p:
    # Supported security models are "passthrough", "mapped-xattr", "mapped-file" and "none".
    # "mapped-xattr" and "mapped-file" are useful for persistent chown but incompatible with symlinks.
    # 🟢 Builtin default: "none" (since Lima v0.13)
    securityModel: null
    # Select 9P protocol version. Valid options are: "9p2000" (legacy), "9p2000.u", "9p2000.L".
    # 🟢 Builtin default: "9p2000.L"
    protocolVersion: null
    # The number of bytes to use for 9p packet payload, where 4KiB is the absolute minimum.
    # 🟢 Builtin default: "128KiB"
    msize: null
    # Specifies a caching policy. Valid options are: "none", "loose", "fscache" and "mmap".
    # Try choosing "mmap" or "none" if you see a stability issue with the default "fscache".
    # See https://www.kernel.org/doc/Documentation/filesystems/9p.txt
    # 🟢 Builtin default: "fscache" for non-writable mounts, "mmap" for writable mounts
    cache: null
```

--------------------------------

### Start Lima with WSL2 via CLI

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/wsl2

Command to initialize a Lima instance using the wsl2 vmType and mount type.

```bash
limactl start --vm-type=wsl2 --mount-type=wsl2 --containerd=system
```

--------------------------------

### Start Lima VM with QEMU via CLI

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/qemu

Use the command line interface to initialize a VM using the QEMU driver.

```bash
limactl start --vm-type=qemu
```

--------------------------------

### Install Lima via MacPorts

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/installation/_print

Use MacPorts to install Lima on macOS.

```bash
sudo port install lima
```

--------------------------------

### Install bypass4netnsd

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/containers/containerd/advanced/bypass4netns

Installs the bypass4netns daemon process within the Lima VM.

```bash
lima containerd-rootless-setuptool.sh install-bypass4netnsd
```

--------------------------------

### Start Slow Mode VM via CLI

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/multi-arch

Initializes a VM with a foreign architecture using QEMU system emulation.

```bash
limactl start --vm-type=qemu --arch=x86_64 --plain
```

--------------------------------

### View Plugin Info JSON

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/plugin/cli

Example JSON output from 'limactl info' displaying plugin paths.

```json

{
   "plugins": [
      {
         "name": "ps",
         "path": "/opt/homebrew/bin/limactl-ps"
      },
      {
         "name": "sh",
         "path": "/opt/homebrew/bin/limactl-sh"
      }
   ]
}

```

--------------------------------

### Install Lima via Nix

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/installation/_print

Use the Nix package manager to install Lima.

```bash
nix-env -i lima
```

--------------------------------

### Install Lima via Homebrew

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/installation/_print

Use Homebrew to install Lima on macOS or Linux.

```bash
brew install lima
```

--------------------------------

### Command options for autostart enable

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_autostart_enable

Configuration flags for defining the startup condition and user context.

```bash
      --condition string   When to start the instance: "login" (user session) or "boot" (system boot, macOS only) (default "login")
  -h, --help               help for enable
      --user string        macOS username to run the instance as when --condition=boot (default: $USER)
```

--------------------------------

### Start Rootless Docker

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/containers/docker/_print

Initializes a rootless Docker instance and sets the DOCKER_HOST environment variable to point to the Lima socket.

```bash
limactl start template:docker
export DOCKER_HOST=$(limactl list docker --format 'unix://{{.Dir}}/sock/docker.sock')
docker run -d --name nginx -p 127.0.0.1:8080:80 nginx:alpine
```

--------------------------------

### Setup Multi-node K3s Cluster

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/containers/kubernetes

Commands to initialize a multi-node K3s cluster using the lima:user-v2 network.

```bash
limactl start --name k3s --network lima:user-v2 template:k3s
printf "https://lima-%s.internal:6443\n" k3s
# (The url for the start command printed here)
limactl shell k3s sudo cat /var/lib/rancher/k3s/server/node-token
# (The token for the start command printed here)
```

```bash
limactl start --name k3s-1 --network lima:user-v2 template:k3s \
              --param url="<URL_FROM_ABOVE>" --param token="<TOKEN_FROM_ABOVE>"
```

--------------------------------

### Verify limactl mcp installation

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/ai/outside/gemini

Check the installed version of the limactl mcp plugin.

```bash
$ limactl mcp -v
limactl-mcp version 2.0.0-alpha.1
```

--------------------------------

### Initialize Single-node Kubernetes Clusters

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/containers/kubernetes

Commands to start a single-node cluster and configure the KUBECONFIG environment variable for various distributions.

```bash
limactl start template:k8s
export KUBECONFIG=$(limactl list k8s --format 'unix://{{.Dir}}/copied-from-guest/kubeconfig.yaml')
kubectl create deployment nginx --image nginx:alpine
kubectl create service nodeport nginx --node-port=31080 --tcp=80:80
```

```bash
limactl start template:k3s
export KUBECONFIG=$(limactl list k3s --format 'unix://{{.Dir}}/copied-from-guest/kubeconfig.yaml')
kubectl create deployment nginx --image nginx:alpine
kubectl create service nodeport nginx --node-port=31080 --tcp=80:80
```

```bash
limactl start template:k0s
export KUBECONFIG=$(limactl list k0s --format 'unix://{{.Dir}}/copied-from-guest/kubeconfig.yaml')
kubectl create deployment nginx --image nginx:alpine
kubectl create service nodeport nginx --node-port=31080 --tcp=80:80
```

```bash
limactl start template:experimental/rke2
export KUBECONFIG=$(limactl list rke2 --format 'unix://{{.Dir}}/copied-from-guest/kubeconfig.yaml')
kubectl create deployment nginx --image nginx:alpine
kubectl create service nodeport nginx --node-port=31080 --tcp=80:80
```

```bash
limactl start template:experimental/u7s
export KUBECONFIG=$(limactl list u7s --format 'unix://{{.Dir}}/copied-from-guest/kubeconfig.yaml')
kubectl create deployment nginx --image nginx:alpine
# NodePorts are not available by default in the case of Usernetes
kubectl port-forward deployments/nginx 8080:80
```

--------------------------------

### Run rootless Podman containers

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/containers/podman

Commands to start a rootless Podman instance and run an Nginx container from within the VM.

```bash
limactl start template:podman
limactl shell podman podman run -d --name nginx -p 127.0.0.1:8080:80 docker.io/library/nginx:alpine
```

--------------------------------

### Connect to VM via SOCKS proxy

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/_print

Examples for accessing the VM network using curl or environment variables.

```bash
curl --proxy socks5h://127.0.0.1:<PORT> http://lima-default.internal
```

```bash
export ALL_PROXY=socks5h://127.0.0.1:<PORT>
curl http://lima-default.internal
```

--------------------------------

### Delete a snapshot example

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_snapshot_delete

An example of deleting a snapshot named 'snap1' from the 'default' instance.

```bash
  Delete a snapshot:
  $ limactl snapshot delete default --tag snap1
```

--------------------------------

### Download Qwen3-1.7B model

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/krunkit

Prepare a local directory and download the GGUF model for testing.

```bash
mkdir -p models
curl -LO --output-dir models 'https://huggingface.co/Qwen/Qwen3-1.7B-GGUF/resolve/main/Qwen3-1.7B-Q8_0.gguf'
```

--------------------------------

### Install and run Claude Code

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/ai

Installs Claude Code using npm and configures the API key.

```bash
lima sudo snap install node --classic
lima sudo npm install -g @anthropic-ai/claude-code
lima claude
```

```bash
lima vi "/home/${USER}.linux/.bash_profile"
```

--------------------------------

### limactl start

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_start

Starts a Lima instance. If the instance does not exist, it is created based on the provided template, file, or URL.

```APIDOC
## limactl start

### Description
Starts a Lima virtual machine instance. If the instance name is not already created, it will be created using the specified template, YAML file, or URL.

### Usage
`limactl start [NAME|FILE.yaml|URL] [flags]`

### Parameters
#### Positional Arguments
- **NAME|FILE.yaml|URL** (string) - Optional - The name of the instance, a path to a configuration file, or a URL to a template.

#### Flags
- **--arch** (string) - Optional - Machine architecture (x86_64, aarch64, riscv64, armv7l, s390x, ppc64le).
- **--cpus** (int) - Optional - Number of CPUs.
- **--memory** (float32) - Optional - Memory in GiB.
- **--disk** (float32) - Optional - Disk size in GiB.
- **--foreground** (bool) - Optional - Run the hostagent in the foreground.
- **--timeout** (duration) - Optional - Duration to wait for the instance to be running (default 10m0s).
- **--name** (string) - Optional - Override the instance name.
- **--debug** (bool) - Optional - Enable debug mode.
- **--tty** (bool) - Optional - Enable TUI interactions.

### Examples
- Start/Create default instance: `limactl start`
- Start/Create instance from template: `limactl start --name=default template:docker`
```

--------------------------------

### Ping output example

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/faq

Example of ping behavior showing duplicate packets and high latency due to SLIRP networking.

```text
$ ping google.com
PING google.com (172.217.165.14): 56 data bytes
64 bytes from 172.217.165.14: seq=0 ttl=42 time=2395159.646 ms
64 bytes from 172.217.165.14: seq=0 ttl=42 time=2396160.798 ms (DUP!)
```

--------------------------------

### Run llama-cli manually

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/vmtype/krunkit

Execute the model after manual installation of dependencies.

```bash
llama-cli -m models/Qwen3-1.7B-Q8_0.gguf -b 512 -ngl 99 -p "Introduce yourself"
```

--------------------------------

### Disable containerd

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/containers/containerd/_print

Command to start a Lima instance without containerd.

```bash
limactl start --containerd=none
```

--------------------------------

### limactl watch examples

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_watch

Common usage patterns for monitoring instance events.

```bash
# Watch events from all instances:
  $ limactl watch

  # Watch events from a specific instance:
  $ limactl watch default

  # Include historical events:
  $ limactl watch --history default

  # Show verbose output (host agent logs, etc.):
  $ limactl watch --verbose

  # Watch events in JSON format (for scripting):
  $ limactl watch --json default
```

--------------------------------

### Configure sudoers for network daemon

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/network/vmnet

Commands to generate and install the sudoers file for socket_vmnet.

```bash
limactl sudoers >etc_sudoers.d_lima
less etc_sudoers.d_lima  # verify that the file looks correct
sudo install -o root etc_sudoers.d_lima /etc/sudoers.d/lima
rm etc_sudoers.d_lima
```

--------------------------------

### Compare Container Start-up with eStargz

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/containers/containerd/advanced/_print

Compare standard container start-up times with eStargz lazy-pulling performance.

```bash
$ time lima nerdctl run ghcr.io/stargz-containers/python:3.13-org python3 -c 'print("hi")'
hi

real	0m14.031s
user	0m0.017s
sys	0m0.018s
```

```bash
$ time lima nerdctl --snapshotter=stargz run ghcr.io/stargz-containers/python:3.13-esgz python3 -c 'print("hi")'
hi

real	0m3.275s
user	0m0.017s
sys	0m0.016s
```

--------------------------------

### Setup Fast Mode with QEMU User Emulation

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/config/multi-arch

Configures containerd to use QEMU user-mode emulation for faster cross-architecture container execution.

```bash
lima sudo systemctl start containerd
lima sudo nerdctl run --privileged --rm tonistiigi/binfmt:qemu-v10.0.4-56@sha256:30cc9a4d03765acac9be2ed0afc23af1ad018aed2c28ea4be8c2eb9afe03fbd1 --install all
```

--------------------------------

### Unlock disk examples

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_disk_unlock

Commands to unlock a single disk or multiple disks simultaneously.

```bash
$ limactl disk unlock DISK
```

```bash
$ limactl disk unlock DISK1 DISK2 ...
```

--------------------------------

### limactl autostart command options

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/reference/limactl_autostart

Displays the specific help options available for the autostart command.

```bash
  -h, --help   help for autostart
```

--------------------------------

### Start Lima VM with project directory mount

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/ai

Mounts the current directory into the VM. Use the v2.0+ syntax for simple mounting or the v1.x syntax for explicit configuration.

```bash
limactl start --mount-only .:w
```

```bash
limactl start --set ".mounts=[{\"location\":\"$(pwd)\", \"writable\":true}]"
```

--------------------------------

### Start Lima with vzNAT

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/examples/containers/containerd/advanced/bypass4netns

Recommended configuration for macOS hosts to reduce user-mode networking overhead.

```bash
limactl start --network vzNAT
```

--------------------------------

### Configure VM settings with Lima and Colima

Source: https://lima-vm.io/docs/faq/colima

Comparison of CLI flags for configuring CPU, mounting, and networking options.

```bash
limactl start --cpus=4
```

```bash
colima start --cpu=4
```

```bash
limactl start --mount-type=reverse-sshfs
```

```bash
colima start --mount-type=sshfs
```

```bash
limactl start --rosetta
```

```bash
colima start --vz-rosetta
```

```bash
limactl start --network=lima:shared
```

```bash
colima start --network-address
```
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