/vm-lab

name: vm-lab
description: "Parallels macOS VM lab: GUI automation, Peekaboo, TCC, Ghostty."

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:

prlctl list --all

Get VM status/IP:

prlctl list --info "macOS Tahoe"

Run guest commands as Peter:

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:

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:

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

Open Ghostty:

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:

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.

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.
• If Peekaboo permission probes hang with Screen Recording missing and emit `SWIFT TASK CONTINUATION MISUSE`, record it as a product bug; do not confuse it with the VM harness.

Two-Way Validation

For each GUI action, verify through two independent signals:

• Tool-under-test output: JSON, screenshot file, AX result, or app state.
• External verifier: `prlctl c