Manual install steps

The one-line installer in Install MSL suits most people. This page covers installing a release you downloaded yourself, installing without questions, and what the installer changes on your Mac.

Step 1: Download a release

Open the latest release and download msl-<version>-macos-arm64.tar.gz and its .sha256 file.

Check the download:

$ shasum -a 256 -c msl-<version>-macos-arm64.tar.gz.sha256

Step 2: Install it

Download the installer and point it at the file:

$ curl -fsSL -o install.sh https://raw.githubusercontent.com/onexay/msl/main/install.sh
$ sh install.sh --from msl-<version>-macos-arm64.tar.gz

Install without questions

Pass --yes and any options you need:

$ curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/onexay/msl/main/install.sh | sh -s -- --yes [options]

Option	Effect
`--prefix <dir>`	Where to install. The default is `~/.local`, which needs no sudo. `/usr/local` asks for sudo.
`--version <x.y.z>`	Install a specific release instead of the latest.
`--from <tarball>`	Install a downloaded `msl-<version>-macos-arm64.tar.gz`.
`--no-path`	Don’t add MSL to `PATH`.
`--no-ide`	Don’t set up the VS Code extension.
`--yes`, `-y`	Accept the defaults without asking.

MSL has no Homebrew formula. It updates itself with msl --update.

What the installer changes

What	Where	Removed by
MSL itself: the command, the service, the kernel and VM image, the VS Code extension	`<prefix>/bin/msl`, `<prefix>/libexec/msl/` (`msld`, `msl-portd`, `msl-fileviewd`), `<prefix>/share/msl/`, `<prefix>/share/doc/msl/`	`msl --uninstall`
`PATH`	One line in `~/.zshrc`, `~/.bash_profile`, `~/.config/fish/config.fish` or `~/.profile`	Removing the line by hand
LaunchAgent	`~/Library/LaunchAgents/dev.msl.msld.plist`, added the first time you run `msl`	`msl --uninstall`
VS Code extension	Each IDE’s extensions folder	`msl --manage-ide --ide all --uninstall`, or `msl --uninstall`
`enable-proposed-api`	Each IDE’s `argv.json`, for example `~/.vscode/argv.json`. The first change saves a backup, `argv.json.msl-backup`.	The same; the entry is removed
Which `msl` the extension runs	`~/Library/Application Support/msl/cli-path`	The same

MSL creates these the first time you use it:

What	Where
Distributions and state	`~/Library/Application Support/msl/`: each distribution’s sparse disk, `distros/<id>/ext4.img` (unless you chose another location), plus `registry.json`, `msld.log` and the service’s sockets
Distribution files in Finder	`~/.msl/distros/<distro>`, while the VM runs
Downloads	`~/Library/Caches/msl/`: distribution images, and the VS Code Server for your IDE’s version
VM settings	`~/.mslconfig`, only if you create it

MSL doesn’t install a kernel extension or a login item. Its LaunchAgent runs nothing at login: launchd starts msld when you first run msl, and msld stops the VM 60 seconds after nothing is running. When you log out, restart or shut down the Mac, launchd gives msld up to 30 seconds to stop the distributions and flush their disks. Over SSH with nobody logged in to the Mac, msl starts msld itself.

Install the VS Code extension by hand

The installer sets up the extension if it finds VS Code, VS Code Insiders, VSCodium or Cursor. Later, run msl --manage-ide. To install it without msl:

Download msl-<version>.vsix from the latest extension release.

Install it:

$ code --install-extension msl-<version>.vsix

In VS Code, run Preferences: Configure Runtime Arguments, add "enable-proposed-api": ["onexay.msl"] to argv.json, and save.
Quit VS Code with ⌘Q and open it again. Closing the window isn’t enough.

The extension isn’t on the Visual Studio Marketplace, because it uses VS Code’s proposed remote-resolver API. See Get started with VS Code.

Last updated on 1 October 2026

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