vm-lab

Files (4)

• SKILL.md
• openai.yaml · agents/
• bootstrap-diagnostics.md · references/
• parallels_type.py · scripts/

SKILL.md (first lines)

# VM Lab

Use this when the task needs a clean macOS VM to test GUI automation, TCC prompts, screenshot capture, clicking, typing, performance, or "two-way validation" of Peekaboo-like tools.

Core idea: run the tool under test inside the guest, but verify it from outside the guest with Parallels screenshots and host-side observations. Do not close apps you do not own.

## Safety Rules

- Only task-owned clones are disposable. Preserve source/golden snapshots, recovery VMs, and other tasks' VMs; never reset, revert, or delete their snapshots.
- Never access inherited guest credentials or bypass login/startup security to bootstrap a clone.
- Never print secrets. If `op` is needed, follow the 1Password skill and run it only inside `tmux`.
- Prefer fresh app windows you create yourself: TextEdit, a local HTML test page, or a small test app.
- Limit host writes to task-owned temporary diagnostics and explicitly authorized clone recovery. Never change global Bash/Codex settings for a lab workaround.
- For git repos inside the VM, use HTTPS remotes and normal branch discipline.

## Bootstrap Preflight

Before guest automation, confirm the exact task-owned VM UUID and snapshot provenance; the names below are examples, not permission to operate an existing VM.

- Apple-VZ clone fails to boot: verify the active raw disk's contents, not just clone success or logical size. A sparse linked child alone does not prove a broken chain; `clone --unlink` creates another clone, not an in-place repair.
- Packaging hangs before its first output: inspect the task-owned shell process and heredoc redirection before changing product code or build guards. A system-Bash retry must also pin PATH-resolved child shells, for that invocation only.

Use [Bootstrap diagnostics](references/bootstrap-diagnostics.md) for read-only checks, evidence limits, and narrowly scoped recovery boundaries.

## VM Discovery

List VMs:

```bash
prlctl list --all
```

Get VM status/IP:

```bash
prlctl list --info "macOS Tahoe"
```

Run guest commands as Peter:

```bash
prlctl exec "macOS Tahoe" \
  'sudo -u steipete -H /bin/zsh -lc '\''source ~/.zprofile 2>/dev/null || true; uname -a'\'''
```

Capture an independent host-side screenshot:

```bash
prlctl capture "macOS Tahoe" --file /tmp/vm-reference.png
sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight /tmp/vm-reference.png
```

## TCC / GUI Attribution

For macOS Screen Recording and Accessibility, the responsible process matters.

- `prlctl exec` is headless and can fail to produce useful Screen Recording attribution.
- Launch the test command from a visible terminal app in the guest when Screen Recording is involved.
- Ghostty works as a GUI terminal if installed.
- After a first failed capture, check `System Settings > Privacy & Security > Screen & System Audio Recording`.
- `permissions status` run through `prlctl exec` may still report Screen Recording false after Ghostty is allowed; validate Screen Recording by rerunning the capture from Ghostty.

Open the Screen Recording pane:

```bash
prlctl exec "macOS Tahoe" \
  'sudo -u steipete -H open "x-apple.systempreferences:com.apple.preference.security?Privacy_ScreenCapture"'
```

Open Ghostty:

```bash
prlctl exec "macOS Tahoe" 'sudo -u steipete -H open -a Ghostty'
```

## Running Commands Through Ghostty

Best path: create a guest script with `prlctl exec`, open/focus Ghostty, then type only a short launcher path into the visible terminal.

Guest script pattern:

```bash
prlctl exec "macOS Tahoe" 'sudo -u steipete -H /bin/zsh -lc '\''cat > /tmp/run-vm-lab.zsh <<EOF
#!/bin/zsh
source ~/.zprofile 2>/dev/null || true
cd ~/Projects/Peekaboo || exit 1
Apps/CLI/.build/debug/peekaboo image --path /tmp/peekaboo-vm.png --json
rc=$?
echo "EXIT:$rc"
[ -f /tmp/peekaboo-vm.png ] && sips -g pixelWidth -g pixelHeight /tmp/peekaboo-vm.png
echo "Press return to close..."
read _
exit $rc
EOF
chmod +x /tmp/run-vm-lab.zsh
ln -sf /tmp/run-vm-lab.zsh /tmp/r
open -a Ghostty'\'''
```

Then link the launcher into Ghostty's home directory and type `./r` with `scripts/parallels_type.py`. This avoids unreliable path characters in Parallels key injection.

```bash
prlctl exec "macOS Tahoe" \
  "sudo -u steipete -H /bin/zsh -lc 'ln -sf /tmp/run-vm-lab.zsh ~/r'"
python3 skills/vm-lab/scripts/parallels_type.py "macOS Tahoe" $'./r\n'
```

Avoid long command typing. Parallels key injection uses its own key-code table and can be layout-sensitive.

## Known Pitfalls

- macOS clipboard APIs may fail from `prlctl exec`; `pbcopy`, AppleScript clipboard, and Peekaboo paste can all fail in headless guest context.
- `open -na Ghostty.app --args -e ...` may only focus an existing Ghostty window on macOS; do not assume it runs the command.
- `prlctl exec` may re-join argv through a guest shell; for complex payloads, pass one fully shell-quoted command string or create the file with a tiny Python writer.
- Parallels `send-key-event --key` uses Parallels key values, not macOS virtual key codes.
- For normal typing, send `prlctl send-key-event <vm> --key <key>` with no `--event`; explicit `press`/`release` can repeat or stick. Return is an exception: use press then release.
- Prefer one `prlctl send-key-event --json` batch over many separate `send-key-event` processes; separate calls can drift under focus/latency.
- Use `PRL_KEY_ENTER = 36`, `PRL_KEY_SLASH = 61`, `PRL_KEY_R = 27`, `PRL_KEY_T = 28`, `PRL_KEY_M = 58`, `PRL_KEY_P = 33`.
- If keystrokes produce garbage, send Return to clear the line, create a shorter launcher, then retry.

From steipete/agent-scripts, MIT.

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