How to set up Darkbloom on a Mac, step by step

What you need

• BloomGauge runs on macOS 14+. To earn with Darkbloom you need an Apple Silicon Mac with 48 GB+ memory. Darkbloom accepts macOS 26, but update to macOS 27 first: it skips the MDM profile step, which Darkbloom is retiring.
• Check your chip, memory and macOS version in Apple menu → About This Mac. Darkbloom’s installer refuses Intel Macs.
• A Darkbloom account, to link the Mac to. Its earnings go to that account.
• Power and a steady internet connection. The provider only connects out (HTTPS to api.darkbloom.dev), so no router ports need opening.
• Free disk space for models. The model picker shows download sizes before you choose.

1. Update to macOS 27 first

On macOS 27 or later, Darkbloom verifies the Mac with Apple’s App Attest, and the installer skips the MDM profile download and System Settings approval. On older macOS the installer opens System Settings to enroll the Mac in Darkbloom’s MDM, which Darkbloom says will be switched off soon. So update first in System Settings → General → Software Update, then install. Already have Darkbloom’s profile from an earlier setup? Keep it until darkbloom unenroll confirms App Attest migration is ready, and keep any employer management profile.

2. Install the provider

1. Open Terminal on the Mac you want to connect.
2. Run Darkbloom’s install command: curl -fsSL https://api.darkbloom.dev/install.sh | bash
3. Then run source ~/.zshrc so Terminal finds the darkbloom command.
4. The installer needs no sudo. It checks the Mac is Apple Silicon, downloads the provider and verifies its checksums, installs it under ~/.darkbloom, adds it to your PATH, and runs darkbloom doctor at the end. It doesn’t download a model yet.

3. Link your account

1. Run darkbloom login.
2. It opens your browser and shows a one-time code. Approve it with the Darkbloom account where you want this Mac’s earnings to go.
3. Wait for “Account linked successfully!” in Terminal before you continue. If you skip this step, darkbloom start offers to link the account for you.

4. Pick a model and start

1. Run darkbloom start. Starting the provider means you accept Darkbloom’s Terms of Service, which it shows first.
2. It checks the Mac (System Integrity Protection, GPU and memory), then shows a model picker. Choose what to serve; the article on which Darkbloom model to run helps you choose.
3. It asks what to do with memory when idle: Always ready keeps models loaded, Free when idle (the default) unloads them after 60 minutes without requests and reloads them on demand.
4. It downloads the models and starts the provider in the background. The service starts again every time you log in. The first download can take a while, so keep the Mac on power and online.

5. Check it’s verified and online

1. Run darkbloom status. It shows the configuration, hardware, the running provider and a Trust line. hardware / online means Darkbloom can send your Mac public paid work.
2. Run darkbloom doctor. Lines marked ✗ are failures; it covers hardware, Metal, SIP, the account link, verification and whether it can reach Darkbloom.
3. Open the Darkbloom console dashboard to see this Mac’s connection, verification and earnings. A linked Mac may still be downloading models or waiting for verification, and being connected alone doesn’t prove it is serving or earning.
4. On older macOS, finish the legacy setup instead: run darkbloom enroll and approve the Darkbloom profile in System Settings.

6. Keep it earning

• Keep a model loaded: darkbloom idle keep-loaded, then darkbloom restart. With the default Free when idle setting, the model unloads after 60 minutes without requests, which pauses base rewards.
• Keep the Mac awake, on power and logged in. Verification needs a user logged in at the Mac’s screen, so turn on automatic login and turn off log out when idle.
• Running it without a monitor? Start it from the desktop session (Screen Sharing works), not over SSH. See the headless Mac article.
• The Darkbloom Mac setup checklist covers the rest: sleep, airflow, network, and what to check after updates.

Common setup errors

• Online but Trust shows self_signed or App Attest pending: see Darkbloom verification pending.
• darkbloom unenroll refuses or errors while you move from MDM to App Attest: see the darkbloom unenroll error article.
• launchctl bootstrap failed, or it won’t verify over SSH: see running Darkbloom on a headless Mac.
• A model won’t load, or says there isn’t enough memory: see Darkbloom model won’t load.

Sources

• Darkbloom provider setup page: console.darkbloom.dev/providers/setup
• Provider quickstart (install, login, start, verify): github.com/Layr-Labs/d-inference/blob/master/docs/provider/quickstart.md
• Installation (what the installer checks and writes): github.com/Layr-Labs/d-inference/blob/master/docs/provider/installation.md
• Hardware requirements: github.com/Layr-Labs/d-inference/blob/master/docs/provider/hardware-requirements.md
• Attestation and trust levels: github.com/Layr-Labs/d-inference/blob/master/docs/provider/attestation.md
• CLI reference (darkbloom start, status, doctor, idle): github.com/Layr-Labs/d-inference/blob/master/docs/provider/cli-reference.md

Questions

Related

• Darkbloom provider on a Mac: setup checklist
• Which Darkbloom model should I run on my Mac?
• Darkbloom verification pending: MDM, App Attest and trust on macOS 27
• Running Darkbloom on a headless Mac: no monitor, SSH and automatic login
• darkbloom unenroll errors: moving from MDM to App Attest, step by step
• Darkbloom model won’t load: not enough memory

Updated 2026-09-30. Still stuck? Ask in #bloomgauge on the Darkbloom Slack or contact us. BloomGauge is independent and not affiliated with Darkbloom.