Agents > Xedant Agent > Mac Docker Desktop

Mac Docker Desktop

Don’t want to read all this?

Just drop a link to https://xedant.com/agents/agent/mac-docker-desktop.md or to https://xedant.com/llms.txt into any AI chat (Claude, ChatGPT, etc.) and ask it to generate the config files and commands. It will read the docs, ask you a few questions about your setup, and hand you a ready-to-use configuration. Save time — let the model do the reading for you.

You can also reach me on Telegram — I’m always glad to help. And that’s not just politeness — I genuinely enjoy talking to like-minded people, especially if you love coding as much as I do.

Docker Desktop for Mac is a graphical application for managing Docker containers. A container is an isolated environment where Xedant Agent runs with all of its tools, scattering nothing across your system: easy to install, easy to remove, easy to replace with a new version. On the Mac, Xedant Agent runs in Docker Desktop just as easily on Apple Silicon computers (M1/M2/M3/M4) as on Intel models.

Installing Docker Desktop

Download the Docker Desktop installer for Mac from docker.com — be sure to pick the version for your computer:

  • Apple Silicon — Mac with an M1/M2/M3/M4 chip: the “Mac with Apple chip” version;
  • Intel — Mac with an Intel processor: the “Mac with Intel chip” version.

Open the downloaded .dmg file and drag Docker into the Applications folder, then launch it from there. macOS may ask permission to install system extensions — confirm in System Settings.

Setting up the project

Create a folder for your project. Inside it, create a docker-compose.yml file following the Docker Setup guide — or a .env file if you prefer launching with a command. Choose an image — both run on Apple Silicon and Intel alike, with no extra configuration:

  • registry2.xedant.com/agent:latest — the full development environment (2.8 GB): includes ASP.NET Core and Node.js development tools;
  • registry2.xedant.com/agent-min:latest — a compact, full-featured image (570 MB) when ASP.NET Core development tools are not needed: Node.js, Python and everything required are already inside.

Starting Xedant Agent

Open Terminal in the project folder and start the container:

# If you use Docker Compose
docker compose up -d

# If you use Docker CLI with a .env file
docker run -d --env-file .env -p 5001:80 -v ./MyProject:/project registry2.xedant.com/agent:latest

The running container appears in the Docker Desktop panel — there you can watch its logs, restart and stop the container with the mouse, no command line.

Open a browser and go to http://localhost:5001 (or the port you set).

Need special tools? If your project uses specific languages or tools that are not in the image, you can extend it with your own Dockerfile — how to do that is described in the Extending the image with your own tools section of the Docker Setup guide.

Useful tips

  • Apple Silicon — Docker Desktop runs natively on these chips. The images are x86-64, and Docker Desktop on Apple Silicon runs such images through built-in emulation — so the same image works on an M chip and on Intel, with no configuration.
  • Project files — the project folder is mounted straight into the container. Use paths relative to the current folder, or absolute ones — both work.
  • More power — memory and CPU allocation for Docker Desktop is configured in Settings → Resources, when your projects need more resources.
  • Start automatically — enable launching Docker Desktop at login (Settings → General), so your containers are always ready to work.

For the detailed Docker configuration (compose files, environment variables, credentials) see the Docker Setup guide.