VMPal: Give Your AI Agent a Full Virtual Machine | Mohamed Said [Skip to content](#main) [ ![](https://cdn.msaied.com/01KT78WE565VEMM3PSNQAAB0MH.png) Mohamed SaidLaravel Backend Engineer ](https://msaied.com) - [Home](https://msaied.com) - [Projects](https://msaied.com/projects) - [Articles](https://msaied.com/articles) - [Certificates](https://msaied.com/certificates) - [About](https://msaied.com#about) [ Contact](https://msaied.com#contact) Menu Menu ---- Close - [HomeStart here](https://msaied.com) - [ProjectsCase studies](https://msaied.com/projects) - [ArticlesEngineering notes](https://msaied.com/articles) - [CertificatesCredentials](https://msaied.com/certificates) - [AboutHow I work](https://msaied.com#about) - [ContactGet in touch](https://msaied.com#contact) [Start a conversation](https://msaied.com#contact) [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/201094619204) [Email](mailto:hello@msaied.com) 1. [Home](https://msaied.com) 2. / 3. [Articles](https://msaied.com/articles) 4. / 5. [Laravel](https://msaied.com/articles?category=laravel) 6. / 7. VMPal: Give Your AI Agent a Whole Computer to Work With [Laravel](https://msaied.com/articles?category=laravel) [AI](https://msaied.com/articles?category=ai) VMPal: Give Your AI Agent a Whole Computer to Work With ======================================================== VMPal, from the TablePlus team, lets you hand a full macOS, Windows, or Linux virtual machine to Claude Code, Codex, Grok CLI, or Gemini CLI — complete screen, keyboard, mouse, and admin rights included. ![](https://cdn.msaied.com/01M22N44A70A5MC2S599JP0MPH.webp) [Mohamed Said](https://msaied.com#person) Published 6 Oct 2026 · Updated 6 Oct 2026 · 3 min read ShareCopy linkCopied ![VMPal: Give Your AI Agent a Whole Computer to Work With](https://cdn.msaied.com/747/77f5a18ff2915d631224ade73cf34aa6.png) On this page +1. [The Problem With Running AI Agents on Your Own Mac](#the-problem-with-running-ai-agents-on-your-own-mac) 2. [What VMPal Actually Does](#what-vmpal-actually-does) 3. [Setting Up Agent Control](#setting-up-agent-control) 4. [Isolation and Safety](#isolation-and-safety) 5. [Also a Capable Everyday VM App](#also-a-capable-everyday-vm-app) 6. [Pricing and Requirements](#pricing-and-requirements) 7. [Key Takeaways](#key-takeaways) The Problem With Running AI Agents on Your Own Mac -------------------------------------------------- AI coding agents like Claude Code and Codex are genuinely useful for writing and testing code, but they hit a wall the moment they need to do anything beyond the terminal. Clicking a dialog, answering a UAC prompt, running an installer, or taking a screenshot all require permissions that macOS and Windows guard carefully — Screen Recording, Accessibility access, and a sudo password. The result is that you end up sitting at your machine approving every prompt, which defeats the purpose of an autonomous agent. [VMPal](https://vmpal.com), from the team behind [TablePlus](https://tableplus.com), solves this by giving the agent its own isolated computer instead. What VMPal Actually Does ------------------------ VMPal is a virtual machine app for Apple silicon Macs that runs macOS, Windows 11, Ubuntu, and Fedora. What sets it apart from other VM tools is a built-in **MCP (Model Context Protocol) server** that exposes full machine control to any connected AI agent — no SSH, VNC, or remote desktop configuration required. When you enable agent control on a VM, the agent receives: - **Full screen access** — it sees the VM display without needing Screen Recording permission on your Mac. - **Mouse and keyboard control** — clicks, drags, scrolls, and keystrokes go through the VM's own input layer, bypassing macOS Accessibility restrictions. - **Administrator rights** — commands run as the VM user or administrator without a sudo password or UAC prompt. - **A direct MCP connection** — no extra networking setup needed. You approve the agent once when you connect it. After that it can run installers, answer prompts, and sign in autonomously. Setting Up Agent Control ------------------------ Configuration is straightforward: 1. Open a VM's **Settings › AI Agents**. 2. Toggle **Allow agent control of this VM**. 3. Choose whether the agent runs **on your Mac** (controlling the VM remotely) or **inside the VM** (with its own files and tools installed there). 4. Click **Add to Claude Code** — or the equivalent button for Codex, Grok CLI, or Gemini CLI. 5. Restart your agent and give it a task. No manual MCP server configuration, no port mapping, no credential juggling. Isolation and Safety -------------------- Full VM control sounds risky, but VMPal keeps the blast radius small: - The agent **never touches your Mac's screen, mouse, keyboard, or files** unless you explicitly share a folder. - Agent control is **off by default** and toggled per VM. - You can **snapshot the VM** before a big task and roll back in seconds if something goes wrong. - Network and folder access is limited to what you grant that specific VM. Also a Capable Everyday VM App ------------------------------ Beyond the AI agent features, VMPal works as a full-featured VM manager: - Installs macOS, Windows 11, Ubuntu, and Fedora automatically. - Uses your Mac's GPU inside each VM. - Includes port forwarding, shared folders, shared clipboard, and Parallels import. Pricing and Requirements ------------------------ VMPal is free to download. A license is a **one-time purchase** with one year of updates included. Launch pricing is currently 50% off: - **Individual:** $34.50 - **Team (per seat):** $49.50 Requires an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 26 or later. Key Takeaways ------------- - VMPal gives AI agents full, isolated control of a VM — screen, input, and admin rights — via a built-in MCP server. - Supports Claude Code, Codex, Grok CLI, and Gemini CLI out of the box. - Runs macOS, Windows 11, Ubuntu, and Fedora on Apple silicon. - Agent control is opt-in per VM; snapshots let you roll back instantly. - One-time license at $34.50 (individual) during launch pricing. --- *Source: [VMPal: Give Your AI Agent a Whole Computer — Laravel News](https://laravel-news.com/vmpal-ai-agent-virtual-machine)* - [AI Agents](https://msaied.com/articles?search=AI%20Agents) - [Virtual Machine](https://msaied.com/articles?search=Virtual%20Machine) - [MCP](https://msaied.com/articles?search=MCP) - [Developer Tools](https://msaied.com/articles?search=Developer%20Tools) - [Apple Silicon](https://msaied.com/articles?search=Apple%20Silicon) - [Claude Code](https://msaied.com/articles?search=Claude%20Code) Frequently asked questions --------------------------- Which AI agents does VMPal support?VMPal currently supports Claude Code, Codex, Grok CLI, and Gemini CLI. Each has a dedicated 'Add to...' button in the VM's AI Agents settings panel. Does the agent have access to my Mac's files and screen when using VMPal?No. The agent only controls the VM it is connected to. It cannot access your Mac's screen, mouse, keyboard, or files unless you explicitly share a folder with that VM. What are the system requirements for VMPal?VMPal requires an Apple silicon Mac running macOS 26 or later. It is not available for Intel Macs. ![Mohamed Said](https://cdn.msaied.com/01M22N44A70A5MC2S599JP0MPH.webp)About the author ---------------- [Mohamed Said](https://msaied.com#person)Senior Backend Engineer specializing in Laravel, scalable SaaS platforms, APIs, and cloud infrastructure. I build secure, high-performance web applications that help businesses grow. [About](https://msaied.com#about) [GitHub ↗](https://github.com/EG-Mohamed) [LinkedIn ↗](https://www.linkedin.com/in/msaiedm/) [WhatsApp ↗](https://wa.me/201094619204) [Email Address ↗](mailto:hello@msaied.com) [My CV ↗](https://drive.google.com/file/u/0/d/1MF20IPRJyzfy32mhEutjL5EpSls0w2Q8/view) [Previous articleService Container Deep Dive: Contextual Binding, Tagging, and Method Injection](https://msaied.com/articles/service-container-deep-dive-contextual-binding-tagging-and-method-injection-1) On this page ------------- 1. [The Problem With Running AI Agents on Your Own Mac](#the-problem-with-running-ai-agents-on-your-own-mac) 2. [What VMPal Actually Does](#what-vmpal-actually-does) 3. [Setting Up Agent Control](#setting-up-agent-control) 4. [Isolation and Safety](#isolation-and-safety) 5. [Also a Capable Everyday VM App](#also-a-capable-everyday-vm-app) 6. [Pricing and Requirements](#pricing-and-requirements) 7. [Key Takeaways](#key-takeaways) ### Have a technical challenge? 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I reply within two working days. [Discuss your project ↗](https://msaied.com#contact) © 2026 Mohamed Said · Built with Laravel, meant to last.Senior Backend Engineer specializing in Laravel, scalable SaaS platforms, APIs, and cloud infrastructure. I build secure, high-performance web applications that help businesses grow. - [Home](https://msaied.com) - [Articles](https://msaied.com/articles) - [Certificates](https://msaied.com/certificates) - [GitHub](https://github.com/EG-Mohamed) - [LinkedIn](https://www.linkedin.com/in/msaiedm/) - [WhatsApp](https://wa.me/201094619204) - [Email Address](mailto:hello@msaied.com) - [My CV](https://drive.google.com/file/u/0/d/1MF20IPRJyzfy32mhEutjL5EpSls0w2Q8/view) - [Sitemap](https://msaied.com/sitemap.xml)