Lakr233 / vphone-cli

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# vphone-cli
Run a virtual iPhone on an Apple Silicon Mac.
> [!WARNING]
> This project has never issued or authorized any cryptocurrency or token, and does not accept cryptocurrency payments or donations. Any cryptocurrency or token issued or promoted in this project's name, or claiming any affiliation with it, is a scam.
vphone-cli runs iOS with Apple's Virtualization.framework and PCC research virtual machines, for security research, reverse engineering, and debugging.
- **Graphical Window:** Use the virtual iPhone's screen on your Mac, browse apps and files, and take screenshots and screen recordings.
- **Custom Firmware:** The system comes pre-patched, and you can install a package environment.
- **Backup and Cloning:** You can export, import, and clone VMs.
- **Automation API:** An optional local HTTP and WebSocket interface.
- **No Extra Dependencies:** Needs no Xcode, Python, or Homebrew at runtime.
## Requirements
- A physical Apple Silicon Mac running macOS 15 or newer. It does not work in a macOS VM.
- Free disk space. Each VM has a 64 GB virtual disk by default, and firmware takes more.
- A network connection. Restoring the system fetches signing tickets online.
- Adjusted security settings. Boot into macOS Recovery, run these commands in Terminal, then restart:
 [code] 
 SIP stays enabled, with only the debugging restrictions relaxed. For details, see Host Setup.
## Get Started
1. Download `vphone-launchpad- -notarized.zip` from the latest release, unzip it, and open it. Not every release is notarized. If the latest one has no `-notarized` file, pick a notarized version from Downloads.
2. In **Host Setup**, grant Developer Tools access and install the helper.
3. In **Core Bundle**, click **Download and Install**.
4. In **Machines**, click **New Machine**, choose a firmware pairing, and click **Create**.
Launchpad downloads the firmware, patches it, restores the system, and boots the VM. To use your own iPhone and cloudOS IPSWs, see Compatibility.
To install a package manager in the VM, see Package Environment.
### Let an agent do it
If you use a coding agent (Claude Code, Codex, or similar) on this Mac, paste the prompt below instead of following the steps by hand. The agent reads the vphone skill, checks what is already set up, installs Launchpad and `VPhone.bundle`, and stops to ask when a step needs you, such as an administrator password or a change in macOS Recovery.
 [code] 
## Command Line
Launchpad drives VMs through the `vphone-cli` inside `VPhone.bundle`. You can also run it in Terminal:
 [code] 
VMs are stored in `~/.vphone/`. Run `vphone-cli --help` to see all commands. To create a VM without Launchpad, see Create and Run.
To turn on the automation API, add `--api-listen 127.0.0.1:8765` at launch and use the token it prints. See the API documentation.
## Boot ROMs
New VMs start from two open-source ROMs instead of the closed ones in Virtualization.framework:
- OpenAVB replaces AVPBooter, the