# vphone-cli: Boot Virtual iPhones on Apple Silicon with Advanced Control This repository profile is provided by osrepos.com, an open source repository discovery platform. Source: osrepos.com Repository profile: https://osrepos.com/repo/lakr233-vphone-cli Generated for open source discovery and AI-assisted research. vphone-cli is a powerful command-line interface tool that enables users to boot virtual iPhones on Apple Silicon Macs. Leveraging Apple's Virtualization.framework, it provides comprehensive control over virtual iOS environments, including custom firmware installation and advanced debugging capabilities. This tool is ideal for researchers, developers, and security enthusiasts exploring iOS virtualization. GitHub: https://github.com/Lakr233/vphone-cli OSRepos URL: https://osrepos.com/repo/lakr233-vphone-cli ## Summary vphone-cli is a powerful command-line interface tool that enables users to boot virtual iPhones on Apple Silicon Macs. Leveraging Apple's Virtualization.framework, it provides comprehensive control over virtual iOS environments, including custom firmware installation and advanced debugging capabilities. This tool is ideal for researchers, developers, and security enthusiasts exploring iOS virtualization. ## Topics - Swift - Virtualization - iOS - Apple Silicon - macOS - Jailbreak - CLI - Mobile Research ## Repository Information Last analyzed by OSRepos: Sat Sep 19 2026 01:38:58 GMT+0100 (Western European Summer Time) Detail views: 0 GitHub clicks: 0 ## Safety Notice OSRepos shares public repositories for knowledge and discovery only. Review source code, dependencies, licenses, and security implications before running or installing anything. ## Content ## Introduction vphone-cli is an innovative command-line tool designed to boot virtual iPhones on Apple Silicon Macs. It utilizes Apple's Virtualization.framework, building upon the PCC research VM infrastructure to offer a robust and flexible environment for iOS virtualization. This project provides extensive control over virtual iOS devices, enabling users to perform tasks ranging from standard VM operations to advanced custom firmware installations. Key features include support for various firmware variants with increasing security bypass levels, such as `less`, `regular`, `dev`, `jb` (jailbreak), and `exp` (experimental). It also offers SSH and VNC connectivity for seamless interaction, making it an invaluable tool for mobile security research, development, and testing. ## Why Use and Benefits vphone-cli offers several compelling advantages for anyone needing to work with virtual iOS environments: * **Comprehensive Control**: Gain full command over virtual iPhones, from creation and configuration to launching and stopping, all through a powerful CLI. * **Custom Firmware Support**: Install custom firmware (CFW) with different levels of security bypass, including full jailbreak capabilities, providing unparalleled flexibility for research and development. * **Automation**: Automate the entire VM lifecycle, from downloading and patching IPSWs to DFU restore and CFW installation, streamlining complex workflows. * **Debugging and Research**: Access advanced debugging features and research patches, making it an excellent platform for security analysis and vulnerability research. * **Connectivity**: Easily connect to your virtual iPhone via SSH for command-line access or VNC for a graphical interface, facilitating interaction and testing. * **Open Source**: Released under the MIT License, promoting transparency and community contributions. ## Installation To get started with vphone-cli, ensure you meet the prerequisites and follow the installation steps. **Prerequisites:** * **Host:** Apple Silicon Mac, macOS 15+ (Sequoia), Xcode + iOS SDK. * **SIP/AMFI relaxation:** Required to allow private PV=3 entitlements with unsigned binaries. Refer to the official repository's README for detailed instructions on `csrutil` and `amfi_get_out_of_my_way` or `vphone-amfidont`. **Dependencies:** bash brew install python@3.13 aria2 wget gnu-tar openssl@3 ldid-procursus sshpass keystone cmake libusb ipsw zstd **Install via Homebrew:** bash brew install zqxwce/tap/vphone-cli **Build from Source:** bash git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/Lakr233/vphone-cli.git ./scripts/setup_tools.sh # install deps, build toolchain submodules, create the Python venv ./scripts/build.sh # build + sign vphone-cli, bundle the .app, cross-compile vphoned cd .build/vphone-cli.app/Contents/MacOS/ vphone-cli --help ## Examples Here are some quick examples to demonstrate how to use vphone-cli. **Quick Start: Create and Launch a Jailbroken VM** This command creates a VM end-to-end, including download, patch, DFU restore, CFW install, and first boot. bash vphone-cli vm create myphone -V jb vphone-cli vm launch myphone **Manage Virtual Machines** bash vphone-cli vm list # list VMs vphone-cli vm info myphone # show one VM vphone-cli vm new myphone # create an empty bundle vphone-cli vm config myphone --cpu 8 --memory 8192 vphone-cli vm clone myphone myphone-2 # fast APFS clone vphone-cli vm export myphone --out myphone.tzst # export VM vphone-cli vm import myphone.tzst --name restored vphone-cli vm rename myphone iphone16 vphone-cli vm delete iphone16 **Build a VM Manually** For granular control, you can build a VM step-by-step. bash vphone-cli vm new myphone # 1. empty bundle vphone-cli fw prepare myphone --iphone-version 26.1 # 2. download + merge IPSWs vphone-cli fw patch myphone --variant jb # 3. patch the boot chain vphone-cli vm launch myphone --dfu & # 4. boot into DFU (background) vphone-cli restore myphone --get-shsh # fetch SHSH vphone-cli restore myphone # DFU restore vphone-cli vm stop myphone # stop the DFU boot vphone-cli cfw install myphone --variant jb # 5. install CFW (host-mount; asks for sudo) vphone-cli vm launch myphone # 6. first boot **Connecting to the VM** * **SSH (jailbreak):** `ssh -p 22222 mobile@` (password `alpine`) * **SSH (regular/dev):** `ssh -p 22222 root@` * **VNC:** `vnc://:5901` ## Links * **GitHub Repository:** [https://github.com/Lakr233/vphone-cli](https://github.com/Lakr233/vphone-cli){:target="_blank"}