Update and uninstall MSL

Update MSL

$ msl --update

This installs the latest release in place and keeps your distributions and settings, and updates the VS Code extension in each IDE that has it. msl --update --pre-release installs a pre-release if one is available. Release notes lists what changed.

Breaking changes

These changes can break a script or a habit. Newest first.

0.3.0: update the VS Code extension once

MSL, its service and the VS Code extension now change together, and the extension that came with MSL 0.2.0 or earlier can’t connect to MSL 0.3.0. After updating from 0.2.0, run msl --manage-ide --install once. From then on, msl --update updates the extension too.

0.2.0: msld is a LaunchAgent

The first msl command after updating adds ~/Library/LaunchAgents/dev.msl.msld.plist, and launchd starts msld from then on, still only when msl needs it. It lets MSL shut the VM down cleanly when you log out, restart or shut down the Mac. msl --uninstall removes it; launchctl bootout gui/$(id -u)/dev.msl.msld stops it.

0.2.0: each distribution gets its own disk

New distributions get their own disk, ext4.img in their install location, instead of a directory on the shared data.img. Existing distributions keep working from data.img; move one onto its own disk with msl --manage <distro> --move <folder>. --manage --resize now grows one distribution’s disk (it must be stopped) rather than data.img for all of them, and msl --unregister deletes the distribution’s ext4.img. fsync inside a distribution on its own disk isn’t a durability point; see Durability.

0.1.10: reinstall on macOS 26 if you have 0.1.9

MSL 0.1.9 was built with an Xcode newer than MSL’s minimum macOS, and its service doesn’t start on macOS 26. If you installed 0.1.9 on macOS 26, reinstall with the one-line installer from Install MSL. Your distributions are kept. On macOS 27, msl --update is enough.

0.1.7: /mnt/mac is now /mnt/macos

Update scripts, shell profiles and editor settings that use the old names. There’s no link from /mnt/mac.

0.1.6: --manage --move is refused

msl --manage <distro> --move <location> used to report success without moving anything, because every distribution lived on one shared disk. From 0.1.6 it fails with “not supported”, until the next release, which gives each distribution its own disk and makes --move work.

The VM section of ~/.mslconfig is now [msl2]. [wsl2] still works, so a copied .wslconfig needs no change.

0.1.4: distribution files moved to ~/.msl/distros

Distribution files on macOS moved from ~/MSL/<distro> to ~/.msl/distros/<distro>. Finder still lists each distribution under Locations.

Uninstall MSL

$ msl --uninstall

This removes MSL and undoes the VS Code setup. Your distributions and settings stay in ~/Library/Application Support/msl, so installing MSL again brings them back. The line the installer added to your shell’s startup file stays; remove it by hand.

Remove everything, including distributions

1. Stop every distribution and the VM:

   $ msl --shutdown
   

2. Uninstall MSL:

   $ msl --uninstall
   

3. Delete MSL’s data, downloads and settings:

   $ rm -rf ~/Library/Application\ Support/msl ~/Library/Caches/msl ~/.mslconfig
   

~/Library/Application Support/msl holds each distribution’s disk, distros/<id>/ext4.img, and data.img, the shared disk of distributions from earlier versions. A distribution installed or moved to another folder keeps its ext4.img there; delete it with msl --unregister <distro> before you uninstall. ~/Library/Caches/msl holds downloaded images, and ~/.mslconfig exists only if you created it.