autostart: Ensure instance is started/stopped by `launchd` or `systemctl` #4139

norio-nomura · 2025-10-05T08:51:15Z

This PR is formed with two parts:

autostart: Refactor to add autoStartManager to prepare for the following commit
autostart: Ensure the instance is started/stopped by launchd or systemctl

Refactor to add `autoStartManager`

Hide creating/deleting an autostart entry file into Register/Unregister as the implementation details.
Separate the launchd and systemd-specific code into packages.

Use `launchctl` or `systemctl` to start/stop the instance if it’s registered to autostart.

If the instance isn’t launched by launchd, it won’t be stopped on log out.

Affected sub commands:

limactl start
limactl stop
limactl restart
limactl edit
limactl shell

API changes

`pkg/autostart`

Introduced AutoStartedIdentifier():
- If not empty, it indicates whether the instance was started by launchd or systemd.
Added RequestStart():
- Delegates the operation to launchd or systemd.
Added RequestStop():
- Delegates the operation to launchd or systemd.

`pkg/autostart/launchd`

Added AutoStartedServiceName():
- Uses the XPC_SERVICE_NAME environment variable as the service name.
Added RequestStart():
- Uses launchctl enable service-target to avoid failing bootstrap.
- Uses launchctl bootstrap domain-target plist-path.
Added RequestStop():
- Uses launchctl bootout service-target if the instance is launched by launchd.
Added --progress to the limactl option in io.lima-vm.autostart.INSTANCE.plist:
- Required to support limactl start --progress.

`pkg/autostart/systemd`

Added AutoStartedServiceName():
- Uses CurrentUnitName() by github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22/util as the service identifier.
Added RequestStart():
- Uses systemctl --user start unit-name.
Added RequestStop():
- Uses systemctl --user stop unit-name if the instance is launched by systemd.
Added --progress to the limactl option in lima-vm@INSTANCE.service:
- Required to support limactl start --progress.

`pkg/hostagent`

Add AutoStartedIdentifier to Info.
- If not empty, it indicates whether the instance was started by launchd or systemd.

`pkg/instance`

StartWithPaths():
- Use autostart.IsRegistered() to check if the instance is registered to autostart.
- If launchHostAgentForeground is true, ignore autostart registration.
- If the instance is registered to autostart, use autostart.RequestStart() instead of launching HostAgent.
StopGracefully():
- Use autostart.RequestStop().
Restart(), RestartForcibly():
- Use autostart.IsRegistered() to skip networks.Reconcile() if the instance is registered to autostart.

AkihiroSuda · 2025-10-06T00:29:19Z

How to test this PR?

AkihiroSuda · 2025-10-06T00:30:04Z

Also please explain what issue is being solved by this PR

norio-nomura · 2025-10-06T00:59:52Z

Also please explain what issue is being solved by this PR

opened #4141

go.mod

AkihiroSuda · 2025-10-09T07:32:09Z

pkg/autostart/systemd/systemd.go

Should be *_linux.go?

Code that is platform-dependent and can only be built on Linux is already isolated in systemd_linux.go. systemd.go has code that can be built on any platform, only the operation is platform-dependent.

If we put the code itself included in systemd.go into systemd_linux.go, I think the number of dummy codes required for systemd_others.go will increase.

AkihiroSuda · 2025-10-09T07:32:22Z

pkg/autostart/systemd/lima-vm@INSTANCE.service


 [Service]
-ExecStart={{.Binary}} start %i --foreground
+ExecStart={{.Binary}} start %i --foreground --progress


AkihiroSuda · 2025-10-09T07:33:08Z

pkg/autostart/launchd/launchd.go

Should be *_darwin.go

The code included in launchd.go is based on the darwin platform, but the build is not based on the darwin platform.

The runtime guard should be enough.

AkihiroSuda · 2025-10-09T07:33:23Z

pkg/autostart/launchd/io.lima-vm.autostart.INSTANCE.plist

 		<string>start</string>
 		<string>{{ .Instance }}</string>
 		<string>--foreground</string>
+		<string>--progress</string>


Since there is no way to arbitrarily pass the --progress option from the limactl start process that the user starts to the limactl hostagent that is started via launchctl, It is to be handed over at the time of registration.

limactl hostagent collects progress logs regardless of whether there is a process to observe progress.

Why is --progress needed here?

To pass --progress to limactl hostagent.

User -> limactl start --progress -> launchctl -> launchd -> limactl start --progress -> limactl hostagent --progress.
There is no api to passing --progress from user initiated limactl start to limactl hostagent via launchctl.

Don't we need to support propagating other limactl start flags too?

For the time being, what I thought was necessary was the --progress flag, and I included it in this PR because it can be realized without changing the contents of the registration file when limactl start is executed.

I don't know the need for other flags.

I wanted to be able to change the environment variables rather than the flag, but I thought it would be too big to include it, so I put it off.

norio-nomura · 2025-10-09T08:57:48Z

How to test this PR?

I was researching how to test and took a detour to fix test-port-forwarding.pl. I will consider it again.

alexandear · 2025-10-14T10:33:16Z

pkg/autostart/launchd/launchd_test.go

+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("skipping testing on windows host")
+	}


We can instead add //go:build !windows at the top of the file.

alexandear · 2025-10-14T10:39:08Z

pkg/autostart/systemd/systemd_test.go

+	if runtime.GOOS == "windows" {
+		t.Skip("skipping testing on windows host")
+	}


We can instead add //go:build !windows at the top of the file.

- Hide creating/deleting an autostart entry file into `Register`/`Unregister` as the implementation details. - Separate the `launchd` and `systemd`-specific code into packages. Signed-off-by: Norio Nomura <norio.nomura@gmail.com>

…ctl` If the instance isn’t launched by `launchd`, it won’t be stopped on log out. This changes to use `launchctl` or `systemctl` to start/stop the instance if it’s registered to autostart. ## Affected sub commands: - `limactl start` - `limactl stop` - `limactl restart` - `limactl edit` - `limactl shell` ## API changes ### `pkg/autostart` - Introduced `AutoStartedIdentifier()`: - If not empty, it indicates whether the instance was started by `launchd` or `systemd`. - Added `RequestStart()`: - Delegates the operation to `launchd` or `systemd`. - Added `RequestStop()`: - Delegates the operation to `launchd` or `systemd`. ### `pkg/autostart/launchd` - Added `AutoStartedServiceName()`: - Uses the XPC_SERVICE_NAME environment variable as the service name. - Added `RequestStart()`: - Uses `launchctl enable service-target` to avoid failing `bootstrap`. - Uses `launchctl bootstrap domain-target plist-path`. - Added `RequestStop()`: - Uses `launchctl bootout service-target` if the instance is launched by `launchd`. - Added `--progress` to the `limactl` option in `io.lima-vm.autostart.INSTANCE.plist`: - Required to support `limactl start --progress`. ### `pkg/autostart/systemd` - Added `AutoStartedServiceName()`: - Uses `CurrentUnitName()` by `github.com/coreos/go-systemd/v22/util` as the service identifier. - Added `RequestStart()`: - Uses `systemctl --user start unit-name`. - Added `RequestStop()`: - Uses `systemctl --user stop unit-name` if the instance is launched by `systemd`. - Added `--progress` to the `limactl` option in `lima-vm@INSTANCE.service`: - Required to support `limactl start --progress`. ### `pkg/hostagent` - Add `AutoStartedIdentifier` to `Info`. - If not empty, it indicates whether the instance was started by `launchd` or `systemd`. ### `pkg/instance` - `StartWithPaths()`: - Use `autostart.IsRegistered()` to check if the instance is registered to autostart. - If `launchHostAgentForeground` is true, ignore autostart registration. - If the instance is registered to autostart, use `autostart.RequestStart()` instead of launching HostAgent. - `StopGracefully()`: - Use `autostart.RequestStop()`. - `Restart()`, `RestartForcibly()`: - Use `autostart.IsRegistered()` to skip `networks.Reconcile()` if the instance is registered to autostart. Signed-off-by: Norio Nomura <norio.nomura@gmail.com> bump `coreos/go-systemd` to v22.6.0 Signed-off-by: Norio Nomura <norio.nomura@gmail.com> # Conflicts: # cmd/limactl/edit.go # cmd/limactl/shell.go # cmd/limactl/start.go # pkg/instance/restart.go

…hctl bootstrap` Because instances may be stopped without unloading the plist file. e.g. `limactl stop -f` or `limactl factory-reset`. If the plist file is not unloaded, `launchctl bootstrap` will fail. Signed-off-by: Norio Nomura <norio.nomura@gmail.com>

Signed-off-by: Norio Nomura <norio.nomura@gmail.com>

norio-nomura marked this pull request as draft October 5, 2025 08:55

norio-nomura force-pushed the improve-autostart branch 7 times, most recently from 783c0f2 to 428fcb1 Compare October 5, 2025 12:13

norio-nomura marked this pull request as ready for review October 5, 2025 12:42

AkihiroSuda linked an issue Oct 6, 2025 that may be closed by this pull request

limactl should use launchctl to start/stop instance if it's registered to start-at-login #4141

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norio-nomura force-pushed the improve-autostart branch 2 times, most recently from ac9db28 to 31d7007 Compare October 6, 2025 07:05

AkihiroSuda added this to the v2.0.0 milestone Oct 6, 2025

norio-nomura force-pushed the improve-autostart branch 4 times, most recently from 89c500c to 7082f48 Compare October 8, 2025 15:42

AkihiroSuda reviewed Oct 9, 2025

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AkihiroSuda reviewed Oct 9, 2025

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norio-nomura force-pushed the improve-autostart branch from 7082f48 to 994efee Compare October 9, 2025 08:18

norio-nomura force-pushed the improve-autostart branch from 994efee to f3861a0 Compare October 12, 2025 08:47

AkihiroSuda requested a review from a team October 14, 2025 02:33

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norio-nomura force-pushed the improve-autostart branch 3 times, most recently from 2af6c71 to 497f9ed Compare October 21, 2025 00:08

AkihiroSuda requested a review from a team October 21, 2025 14:47

norio-nomura added 4 commits October 24, 2025 12:55

autostart: Refactor to add autoStartManager

3750baf

- Hide creating/deleting an autostart entry file into `Register`/`Unregister` as the implementation details. - Separate the `launchd` and `systemd`-specific code into packages. Signed-off-by: Norio Nomura <norio.nomura@gmail.com>

Use //go:build !windows to exclude tests

4a9a91e

Signed-off-by: Norio Nomura <norio.nomura@gmail.com>

norio-nomura force-pushed the improve-autostart branch from 497f9ed to 4a9a91e Compare October 24, 2025 03:55

autostart: Ensure instance is started/stopped by launchd or systemctl #4139

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autostart: Ensure instance is started/stopped by launchd or systemctl #4139

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norio-nomura commented Oct 5, 2025 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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Refactor to add autoStartManager

Use launchctl or systemctl to start/stop the instance if it’s registered to autostart.

Affected sub commands:

API changes

pkg/autostart

pkg/autostart/launchd

pkg/autostart/systemd

pkg/hostagent

pkg/instance

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AkihiroSuda commented Oct 6, 2025

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norio-nomura Oct 9, 2025 • edited Loading Uh oh! There was an error while loading. Please reload this page.

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autostart: Ensure instance is started/stopped by `launchd` or `systemctl` #4139

autostart: Ensure instance is started/stopped by `launchd` or `systemctl` #4139

norio-nomura commented Oct 5, 2025 •

edited

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Refactor to add `autoStartManager`

Use `launchctl` or `systemctl` to start/stop the instance if it’s registered to autostart.

`pkg/autostart`

`pkg/autostart/launchd`

`pkg/autostart/systemd`

`pkg/hostagent`

`pkg/instance`

norio-nomura Oct 9, 2025 •

edited

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