Problem
Stoat can compile selected host primitives on macOS, but it does not yet have a qualified native macOS runtime or release. Cross-compilation is insufficient evidence for VM lifecycle support.
Initial target
- Host: macOS arm64
- Accelerator: QEMU HVF
- Guest: Ubuntu arm64 first, then Debian arm64
- Distribution: signed and documented native release artifact
Acceptance criteria
- Define and enforce the supported macOS and QEMU version floor from current primary sources.
- Add native process lifecycle, identity checks, private file handling, Unix control endpoints, dependency discovery, and seed-generation behavior.
- Select the correct firmware and arm64 cloud-image artifacts without changing Linux/amd64 behavior.
- Qualify create, start, SSH, recipe application, copy, sharing, stop/restart, and cleanup on real macOS arm64 hardware.
- Add a hosted or self-hosted hardware gate that records the exact host, QEMU, guest image, and Stoat build identities.
- Produce a signed release artifact with installation, upgrade, rollback, and uninstall documentation.
- Keep unsupported macOS configurations fail-closed with actionable diagnostics.
Out of scope
- macOS guests
- Intel macOS support until suitable hardware is available
- Cross-architecture emulation as a supported performance profile
Problem
Stoat can compile selected host primitives on macOS, but it does not yet have a qualified native macOS runtime or release. Cross-compilation is insufficient evidence for VM lifecycle support.
Initial target
Acceptance criteria
Out of scope