How to Get Support for apple/container: Official Channels and Bug Reporting Guide

Report issues through GitHub Issues using the bug report template, provide debug logs and system info, or contact Apple Developer Support for enterprise cases that cannot be reproduced on clean macOS 26 environments.

The apple/container repository provides a macOS-only, Apple-silicon-optimized tool for building and running OCI-compatible containers. Because it is tightly coupled to the macOS 26 virtualization stack, support is provided primarily through the open-source repository on GitHub. Understanding the official channels and required diagnostic information ensures maintainers can reproduce and resolve your issue quickly.

Official Support Channels for apple/container

GitHub Issues (Primary Channel)

The GitHub Issues tracker is the official bug-reporting workflow for the apple/container project. Before opening a new issue, search existing issues to avoid duplicates. If your problem is new, open an issue using the template provided in the repository.

Include the following diagnostic information in your report:

• Exact commands you ran (copy-paste from terminal)
• Full reproduction steps (see How to file effective bug reports in docs/bug-report-how-to.md)
• System information (sw_vers, Xcode version, container --version)
• Verbose logs (container --debug … or container logs <id>)
• macOS 26 version and Apple-silicon model

GitHub Discussions (Community Support)

If enabled in the repository, use GitHub Discussions for usage questions, workarounds, or clarification requests. Provide a brief description and a minimal reproducible example to help community members assist you effectively.

Apple Developer Support (Enterprise Escalation)

For enterprise-grade issues that cannot be reproduced on a clean macOS 26 environment, file a support ticket through the Apple Developer portal. Reference the open-source project URL and include the same diagnostic information required for GitHub Issues.

Required Information for Effective Bug Reports

The maintainers can reliably reproduce issues only on supported hardware due to the tool's dependency on macOS 26 and Apple silicon capabilities like nested virtualization and kernel features. All error handling is modeled with ContainerizationError types that surface "unsupported" or "invalidArgument" messages, so providing exact commands and flags lets the team map the error to the source code.

The bug-report guide at docs/bug-report-how-to.md defines the minimal information needed for a fast turnaround, reducing back-and-forth and ensuring reproducibility.

Essential Diagnostic Commands

Use these commands to gather the required information before filing an issue:

# Show the CLI version to verify you're on a supported release

container --version

# Run a command with full debug output

container --debug run --name test ubuntu:latest sh -c "echo hello"

# Pull logs from a running or crashed container

container logs <container-id>

# Verify host capabilities and environment

sw_vers
xcodebuild -version
uname -a

When filing an issue, paste these command outputs inside fenced code blocks (bash …) as recommended in the bug-report guide.

Key Documentation Files for Troubleshooting

Reference these authoritative source files when describing problems or searching for existing documentation:

• README.md – High-level overview, supported macOS version, and installation steps
• docs/bug-report-how-to.md – Step-by-step guide for creating effective bug reports
• docs/how-to.md – Practical recipes for building images, networking, and virtualization
• docs/command-reference.md – Full CLI reference including flags that may be unsupported on older hardware (e.g., --virtualization support mentioned at line 76)
• docs/technical-overview.md – Architecture overview explaining why the tool only runs on macOS 26/Apple silicon
• docs/container-machine.md – Details on nested virtualization support and kernel requirements

Summary

• apple/container is a macOS 26, Apple-silicon-only tool with support primarily through GitHub.
• GitHub Issues is the primary channel for bug reports; include version info, reproduction steps, and debug logs from docs/bug-report-how-to.md.
• Apple Developer Support handles enterprise cases that cannot be reproduced in clean environments.
• Use container --debug, container logs, and system commands (sw_vers, uname -a) to gather diagnostic data.
• Consult the repository documentation in docs/ for troubleshooting steps before filing issues.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where do I report bugs for apple/container?

Report bugs through the GitHub Issues tracker in the apple/container repository. Search existing issues first to avoid duplicates, then use the provided issue template. Include exact commands, system information (sw_vers, container --version), and verbose logs from container --debug to help maintainers map errors to specific ContainerizationError types in the source code.

What information should I include in a bug report?

Include the exact commands you ran, full reproduction steps as outlined in docs/bug-report-how-to.md, your macOS 26 version and Apple-silicon model, Xcode version, and verbose logs obtained via container --debug or container logs <id>. This information is required because the tool depends on specific host capabilities like nested virtualization that vary by hardware configuration.

Can I get support for apple/container on Intel Macs?

No. According to the source code in README.md and docs/technical-overview.md, apple/container only supports macOS 26 running on Apple silicon. The tool is tightly coupled to the Apple silicon virtualization stack, and many failure modes depend on host capabilities unavailable on Intel Macs. Issues reported on unsupported platforms will likely be closed as the maintainers cannot reproduce them.

How do I enable debug logging for troubleshooting?

Run any container command with the --debug flag to enable verbose output. For example, use container --debug run --name test ubuntu:latest sh -c "echo hello" to capture detailed execution logs. You can also retrieve logs from running containers using container logs <container-id>. Always include these logs when filing GitHub Issues to help diagnose ContainerizationError states.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "instagit": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "instagit@latest"]
    }
  }
}