Apple Container Backend

The Apple Container backend uses macOS’s native containerization framework for lightweight, secure isolation on Apple hardware.

Requirements

macOS 26 or later
Apple Silicon recommended (Intel supported but slower)

Creating Sessions

clauderon create --backend apple \
  --repo ~/project \
  --prompt "Build the iOS app"

How It Works

When you create an Apple Container session, clauderon:

Creates a git worktree in ~/.clauderon/worktrees/<session-name>/
Creates a native macOS container
Mounts the worktree into the container
Configures proxy environment variables
Starts the agent with your prompt

Features

Native Performance

Optimized for Apple Silicon
Low overhead compared to Docker
Fast startup times (~1s)

macOS Integration

Access to macOS frameworks
Xcode toolchain support
Native keychain integration (optional)

Resource Isolation

Memory limits
CPU limits
Filesystem isolation

Use Cases

iOS Development

Perfect for iOS/macOS app development:

clauderon create --backend apple \
  --repo ~/ios-app \
  --prompt "Fix the SwiftUI layout bug"

Swift Projects

Native Swift development with full toolchain:

clauderon create --backend apple \
  --repo ~/swift-package \
  --prompt "Add async/await support"

macOS Tool Development

Build macOS command-line tools:

clauderon create --backend apple \
  --repo ~/cli-tool \
  --prompt "Add new subcommand"

Configuration

No special configuration required. Set as default backend:

[general]
default_backend = "apple"

Resource Limits

Configure container resources:

clauderon create --backend apple \
  --cpu-limit 4 \
  --memory-limit 8g \
  --repo ~/project \
  --prompt "Build with heavy compilation"

Xcode Integration

Apple Containers can access Xcode toolchains:

# Session has access to xcodebuild, swift, etc.
clauderon create --backend apple \
  --repo ~/ios-app \
  --prompt "Run tests with xcodebuild"

Comparison with Docker

Feature	Apple Container	Docker
Startup	~1s	~2-5s
macOS SDK	Yes	Limited
Xcode	Yes	No
Linux tools	No	Yes
Custom images	No	Yes
Cross-platform	macOS only	Any

Choose Apple Container when:

Building iOS/macOS apps
Need native performance
Using Xcode tools
Only working on macOS

Choose Docker when:

Need Linux environment
Custom runtime requirements
Cross-platform development
Reproducible builds across systems

Limitations

macOS 26+ required
No custom images (uses system image)
Limited to macOS tools
Intel Macs may have slower performance

Troubleshooting

macOS Version Check

Verify your macOS version:

sw_vers

Must be macOS 26 or later.

Container Not Starting

Check system integrity:

csrutil status

Ensure SIP settings don’t block containerization.

Performance Issues (Intel)

On Intel Macs, consider:

Using Zellij instead for lightweight tasks
Using Docker for isolation with Rosetta
Upgrading to Apple Silicon

Xcode Not Found

Ensure Xcode is installed:

xcode-select -p

Install if needed:

xcode-select --install