> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.dotvibe.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Open an App

> What happens when you open a .vibeapp file on macOS.

## Prerequisites

* macOS 14 (Sonoma) or later
* [Vibe for Mac](https://github.com/dolfin/vibe/releases) installed

## Opening a .vibeapp

Double-click any `.vibeapp` file in Finder. Vibe will:

1. **Verify the signature** — check the Ed25519 signature against the package's file hashes
2. **Show the trust state** — one of four states (see below)
3. **Prompt for capabilities** — list the permissions the app requests (network, file import, etc.)
4. **Start the VM** — boot the persistent Alpine Linux VM if not already running
5. **Pull images and start services** — containers start in dependency order
6. **Open the app window** — a WebView connected to the app's primary port

## Trust States

| State                   | Condition                                          | What you see                                      |
| ----------------------- | -------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------- |
| **Signed + Trusted**    | Valid signature from a publisher you trust         | Green indicator; capabilities shown but not gated |
| **Signed + Untrusted**  | Valid signature, publisher not in your trust store | Yellow warning; option to trust publisher         |
| **Unsigned (Dev Mode)** | No signature — intended for local development      | Orange warning; explicit acknowledgement required |
| **Tampered**            | Signature present but verification fails           | Red block; app cannot be opened                   |

## Capability Prompts

Before an app runs for the first time, Vibe shows you the capabilities it requests:

| Capability           | What it means                           |
| -------------------- | --------------------------------------- |
| **Network access**   | App can make outbound internet requests |
| **Host file import** | App can import files from your Mac      |
| **Port exposure**    | App will listen on a local network port |

You can accept all, reject individual capabilities, or cancel. Decisions are saved per project instance and can be changed in project settings.

## Encrypted Packages

If the package is password-protected, Vibe will prompt for the password before doing anything else. The package is decrypted in memory — the plaintext is never written to disk.

## State Snapshots

Vibe auto-saves the app's state every 30 seconds. Up to 100 snapshots are kept per app. You can also save manually or restore a previous snapshot from the project menu.