Commands

Every command, in short. vmpal help <command> shows its options.

VMs

Command
vmpal list	Your VMs and what they're doing
vmpal info <VM>	One VM in full
vmpal systems	What you can install, with each system's ID
vmpal create <system> --wait	Make a VM and wait until it's installed and can run commands
vmpal clone <VM>	Copy a shut-down VM
vmpal set <VM> --cpus 4 --memory 8	Change settings: hardware, shared folders, ports and more
vmpal delete <VM>	Move a VM to the Trash. --permanently deletes it for good
vmpal import, move, compress	Import, move to another of VMPal's locations, or pack for another Mac
vmpal cancel [<VM>]	Stop a VM's download or move. Without a VM, the import or compression under way

Power

Command
vmpal start <VM> --wait	Start a VM and wait until it can run commands
vmpal stop <VM>	Shut it down. --force turns it off at once
vmpal pause, resume, suspend, restart	As VMPal's buttons do
vmpal show <VM>	Bring a running VM's window forward
vmpal wait <VM>	Wait until it can run commands

Inside a VM

Command
vmpal exec <VM> -- <command>	Run a command, with its output as it comes
vmpal cp <from> <to>	Copy files in or out. The VM side is <VM>:<path>
vmpal run <VM> -- <command>	Run a command in a fresh copy of a VM, then delete the copy
vmpal sign-in <VM>	Sign in at its sign-in screen with the password VMPal keeps
vmpal ui <VM> ...	Click, type and take screenshots
vmpal status <VM>	Whether it can run commands
vmpal send-files <VM> <path>...	Put files on its user's desktop, as dropping them on it does
vmpal reinstall-tools <VM>	Install VMPal Tools in it again

Snapshots

Command
vmpal snapshot <VM> [name]	Take one
vmpal snapshots <VM>	List them
vmpal revert <VM> [name]	Go back to one, the newest by default
vmpal rename-snapshot, delete-snapshot	Rename one, or delete it for good

Other

Command
vmpal library	VMPal's locations, its Base OS files, and the downloads, import or compression under way
vmpal add-location <path>	Add a folder VMPal keeps VMs in, such as on another disk. remove-location takes it off the list, and its VMs stay in it
vmpal delete-base-os <id>	Move a Base OS file to the Trash
vmpal tool <name> [<json>]	Call one of VMPal's MCP tools by its name
vmpal help [<command>]	Every command, or one command's options and guide

Rules worth knowing

• exec, cp, run, ui and sign-in need the VM's agent control. It's on unless someone turned it off: vmpal set <VM> --agent-control on.
• exec has no shell. For pipes and &&, run one: vmpal exec "Ubuntu" -- /bin/sh -c 'make && make test'.
• exec reads the output as text, which changes binary output. Copy binary files with cp.
• --admin runs a command as administrator.
• A command can run for up to 24 hours (--timeout). It gets no input.
• cp follows cp -R: vmpal cp . "Ubuntu:src" copies this folder's contents into src.
• In Windows, commands run once someone is signed in. start --wait and run sign in for you.