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mvm

Templates

Build & list

Build manifest-backed templates and inspect the local mvm registry.

Build from the current project:

Terminal window
mvmctl machine build

Or point at a project directory or manifest file:

Terminal window
mvmctl machine build --flake ./my-worker
mvmctl machine build --flake ./my-worker/mvm.toml

mvmctl machine build discovers mvm.toml or Mvmfile.toml, runs the Nix build through the builder VM where Linux build work belongs, and stores artifacts in a local slot keyed by the canonical manifest path.

Build options

Section titled “Build options”
Terminal window
mvmctl machine build --force
mvmctl machine build --update-hash
mvmctl machine run --flake . --cpus 4 --memory 2G
mvmctl machine checkpoint create my-machine --class vm-full
mvmctl machine build --json

Snapshot builds are backend-specific. Do not present snapshot availability or latency as universal unless the backend and readiness boundary are named.

Inspect built slots

Section titled “Inspect built slots”
Terminal window
mvmctl manifest ls
mvmctl manifest ls --json
mvmctl manifest info
mvmctl manifest info ./my-worker --json
mvmctl manifest verify

Use mvmctl machine ls, mvmctl machine inspect, mvmctl machine logs, and mvmctl machine stop for running VMs. Use mvmctl manifest * for build slots and registry state.

Boot after build

Section titled “Boot after build”
Terminal window
mvmctl machine run --manifest .
mvmctl machine run --manifest ./my-worker -- uname -a

If there is no built revision for the manifest, mvmctl machine run should fail with a hint to run mvmctl machine build.

Security checklist

Section titled “Security checklist”
  • Build Linux artifacts through the builder VM.
  • Treat --force as an intentional overwrite of the current slot revision.
  • Use manifest verify when moving artifacts between hosts or debugging cache state.
  • Keep mutable registry inputs out of production examples unless they are labeled local-only.