Native macOS Standalone Installer (.pkg) for Home Assistant (No Docker, No VMs!)

Development
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Hi everyone! :waving_hand:

If you run Home Assistant on a Mac, you probably know the pain of using Docker Desktop or running a Virtual Machine. Docker on macOS runs a hidden Linux VM which consumes significant CPU and RAM. More importantly, Docker Desktop completely breaks host networking(network_mode: host), meaning core features like mDNS, HomeKit, and local auto-discovery fundamentally do not work right out of the box.

To solve this, I built a production-ready, native macOS standalone installer for Home Assistant! :green_apple::house_with_garden:

How it works: It uses a standalone, isolated Python virtualenv bundled directly into a standard Apple .pkg package. It essentially automates a perfect "Home Assistant Core" installation but packages it like a real macOS Server app.

Key Features:

Zero VM Overhead: Runs 100% natively on macOS (Universal 2 - supports both Apple Silicon M1/M2/M3 and Intel).
Perfect Networking: Because it runs natively, mDNS, Bonjour, and HomeKit auto-discovery work flawlessly!
System Integration: Includes a native macOS launchd daemon so Home Assistant starts automatically in the background when your Mac boots.
Secure: Runs under a dedicated, restricted background system user (_homeassistant) instead of your personal user or root.

Installation is as simple as:

  1. Download the latest .pkg release.
  2. Double-click to install.
  3. Go to http://localhost:8123

I built this specifically for Mac users who want a lightweight, "set-it-and-forget-it" server experience without the headache of managing Docker containers.

:link: Repository & Download: HomeAssistant-macOS-Installer on GitHub

Let me know what you think! I am actively maintaining this for the community and welcome any feedback or contributions.

2 Likes
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For those considering this install method, Home Assistant Core and Home Assistant’s Supervised installs were deprecated last year. Read more below deploying HA using this install method.

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Unfortunately this fails at the first hurdle:

Trying to open the package as Admin on an updated Mac brings the message below

"Apple could not verify “HomeAssistant-macOS-2.0.0.pkg” is free of malware that may harm your Mac or compromise your privacy."

It's a shame because I would LOVE to install and use this

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Same issue with v3.0

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Perhaps you're getting caught by Apple's security policies. See this video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BZpbWWWKF2g and this apple support discussion: Open a Mac app from an unknown developer – Apple Support (UK). You're loking for the 'Open Anyway' button mentioned in both. Heed the warnings on doing this though!

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I am aware of that issue - the open anyway button is not available!

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This security warning is easy to fix. Click the Apple logo in the upper left, then System Preferences, Security. It will still ask you if you want to run it, and you have to click “OK”. But only once, as we assume you would never power down Home Assistant.

That last part is the problem with running HA on a desktop – you never want to power off HA. It should be running 24x7 for years.

I’m running HA on a Mac Mini. But a 2014 vintage Intel Mac (i5 with 8GB RAM), and I installed Proxmox over macOS. So it is really not a Mac anymore.

So as not to be negative, I think the very best use case for this is someone who has Home Assistant running but wants to set up an experimental test environment. No, that on the Mac, try out and test some ideas, then shut it down. Also, it is VERY good for ESPHome development because the Mac compiles very fast. But again, “development” is something you can turn off at night. It is good having this on a Mac, but I would not want my primary MS system on any desktop computer.