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Lima

INFRA · APIS
Velocity2.5

Linux virtual machines with automatic file sharing and port forwarding on macOS

lima-vm.io ↗

Lima keeps adding guest operating systems, and a flag to stop AI agents wrecking the host.

local virtualizationguest os supportwindows guestsagent sandboxingqemu
◆Current state
Lima's release stream is a steady widening of what it can boot. The 2.1 line added experimental macOS and FreeBSD guests and a limactl shell --sync flag intended to keep AI agents from breaking host files; the 2.2 betas add experimental Windows Server 2025 and Windows 11 guests, TPM emulation under QEMU, a limactl screenshot command, and an option to turn off password-less sudo. Between those, the tags are CLI fixes and template maintenance.
◆Where it's heading
A tool that began as Linux VMs on macOS is becoming a general local virtualization front end, with macOS, FreeBSD, and Windows guests all arriving inside two release lines and much of it contributed through mentorship programs. A second thread is tightening the host boundary, with the sync flag, the sudo opt-out, and TPM emulation all narrowing what a guest can assume or reach. Everything guest-related is still marked experimental.
◆Prediction
Each guest platform has arrived experimental and then accumulated follow-up pull requests; Windows support is at that stage now, so the next releases most likely stabilize it rather than add another operating system.

◆Recent moves

  1. 23d ago

    2.2.0-rc.0: Windows 11 guests and a sudo opt-out

    Extends experimental Windows guest support to Windows 11 alongside Windows Server 2025, and lets Linux guests opt out of password-less sudo. It continues the guest-platform expansion that has defined the last two release lines.

    View source ↗
  2. 1mo ago

    2.2.0-beta.0: Windows Server 2025 guests and TPM emulation

    First experimental Windows Server 2025 guest support, plus TPM emulation under QEMU and a limactl screenshot command. TPM emulation is the enabling piece: Windows 11 requires it, and it lands here before the Windows 11 guest does.

    View source ↗
  3. 3mo ago

    2.1.2-beta.0: CLI mount and rsync path fixes

    CLI fixes for mount detection and rsync path quoting, a --param shortcut for template parameters, and template updates. Maintenance between the guest-support releases.

    View source ↗
  4. 4mo ago

    2.1.0-rc.1: macOS and FreeBSD guests, plus an agent sync guard

    ⚡ SPARK

    The release where Lima stops being a Linux-VM tool: experimental macOS and FreeBSD guests arrive together, alongside a shell flag aimed squarely at containing AI coding agents. The Windows work in the 2.2 line follows the same pattern this release established.

    View source ↗