# Amp — macOS Satellites

- Company: Amp (ampcode.com)
- Announced: 2026-10-29
- Category: capability-change
- Coverage: not counted
- Announcement: yes
- Group: announcements
- Source: https://ampcode.com/news/macos-satellites
- Record: https://forck.live/items/29174-macos-satellites
- Subject: Amp
- Pricing: macOS Satellite time comes out of the same orb usage your plan includes, just at a higher rate. Once that runs out, it comes out of your Amp credits, the same way orb time does.

Amp now gives its coding agent a Mac, so it can build, test and run iOS and Mac apps while the thread itself keeps running on a Linux orb. The Mac is a second machine attached to that orb: Amp decides on its own when work needs macOS, and the server then boots a fresh cloud Mac with Xcode and the simulators installed in about 30 seconds. Code stays in sync, so Amp still edits on the orb and only builds, runs and tests on the Mac, with screenshots, logs and builds returning to the thread and the app reaching the orb's backend through portals. The thread's Mac tab streams the Mac's screen, and users can take control to try the app themselves. Every Mac starts fresh and nothing on it is saved; when Amp is done it keeps the Mac running for 20 more minutes so a follow-up can reuse the same machine and build cache, then deletes it. Amp says it tried running whole threads on Macs, called Morbs, but Docker and backends took minutes to start and keeping a Mac disk per thread got expensive. macOS Satellites are in beta with a waitlist in Settings, and Mac time draws on the same orb usage at a higher rate, then on Amp credits.

## Evidence

Verbatim from https://ampcode.com/news/macos-satellites:

> Amp now has a Mac: ask it to work on your iOS or Mac app and watch it build, test, and run the app.
> 
> How It Works
> 
> Your thread still runs on a Linux orb, next to your dev server and toolchain. The Mac is a second machine attached to that orb. Amp can automatically start a Mac, run commands on it, and read and write files, so it decides on its own when the work needs a Mac.
> 
> When it does, our server boots a fresh Mac in the cloud with Xcode and the simulators installed, in about 30 seconds. Your orb connects to it and keeps your code in sync, so Amp still edits on the orb and only builds, runs, and tests on the Mac. Screenshots, logs, and builds come back to the thread, and the app on the Mac reaches your backend on the orb through portals.
> 
> The thread's Mac tab streams the Mac's screen. Watch Amp's work, or take control of the Mac and try the app yourself.
> 
> Every Mac starts fresh, and nothing on it is saved. When Amp is done with a Mac, it keeps it running for 20 more minutes. If you send a follow-up in that time, Amp reuses the same Mac and its build cache instead of starting a new Mac and building from scratch. After that, the Mac is deleted.

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Record: https://forck.live/items/29174-macos-satellites
Catalogue: https://forck.live/llms.txt
Current issue: https://forck.live/feed.md