Apple Container (container CLI)

Use this skill when

• Running, creating, stopping, or managing containers on macOS with Apple's container tool
• Building OCI images from Dockerfiles or Containerfiles
• Configuring container resources (CPU, memory, networking, volumes, capabilities)
• Working with container machines (persistent Linux environments)
• Troubleshooting container issues, networking, or system configuration
• Managing images, registries, builders, or container system services

Before you start

1. Verify the environment: container is macOS-only and requires macOS 15+ (full features on macOS 26+). It is not Docker-compatible.
2. Ensure the system is running: container system status or container system start
3. Check the CLI version: container --version

Core concepts