Summary

Since updating to macOS 27.0 beta, the OrbStack 2.2.1 GUI crashes within approximately 1–2 seconds of every launch.

The OrbStack engine, docker CLI, and orb CLI remain functional, and containers continue running normally. The failure affects only the GUI app and the Sparkle updater window.

I found a reliable workaround: deleting OrbStack's macOS preference domain allows the GUI to launch successfully again.

This may be related to #2526, but this report covers a 100% reproducible launch-time crash on a later macOS 27 beta build, with a confirmed preferences-reset workaround.

Environment

• OrbStack: 2.2.1 (build 20628)
• macOS: 27.0 beta, build 26A5378n
• Architecture: Apple Silicon, ARM64
• Hardware: Mac14,9

Crash details

The GUI terminates with EXC_BREAKPOINT (SIGTRAP) on the main thread through +[NSApplication _crashOnException:].

An uncaught Objective-C exception originates in Apple's CoreUI while rasterizing a vector glyph during SwiftUI display-list rendering:

0   CoreFoundation    __exceptionPreprocess + 176
1   libobjc.A.dylib   objc_exception_throw + 88
2   Foundation        -[NSCalendarDate initWithCoder:] + 0
3   CoreUI            -[CUINamedVectorGlyph _rasterizeImageUsingScaleFactor:forTargetSize:renderingMode:colorResolver:] + 184
4   CoreUI            __64-[CUINamedVectorGlyph _imageForRenderingMode:withColorResolver:]_block_invoke + 1316
...
8   RenderBox         RB::Symbol::Presentation::template_image() + 540
9   RenderBox         RBSymbolUpdateTemplateImage + 36
10  SwiftUICore       _ShapeStyle_RenderedContext.renderVectorGlyph(...) + 436
...
22  SwiftUICore       GraphHost.runTransaction() + 208

The relevant frames are in CoreUI, RenderBox, SwiftUICore, and AppKit. No OrbStack frames appear above the application entry point.

This looks like a macOS 27 beta framework regression that is triggered by persisted OrbStack UI preferences or UI state derived from them.

Reproduction

Before applying the workaround, the crash reproduced on every launch:

• Normal application launch
• Launch using ApplePersistenceIgnoreState
• Sparkle updater launch through orbctl update

Setting the following did not help:

defaults write dev.kdrag0n.MacVirt ApplePersistenceIgnoreState -bool true

Clearing the following caches also had no effect:

• ~/Library/Caches/dev.kdrag0n.MacVirt
• Per-user Metal caches for dev.kdrag0n.MacVirt

Confirmed workaround

Back up and delete OrbStack's preference domain, then restart the preferences daemon:

backup="$HOME/Library/Preferences/dev.kdrag0n.MacVirt.plist.backup-$(date +%Y%m%d-%H%M%S)"

cp "$HOME/Library/Preferences/dev.kdrag0n.MacVirt.plist" "$backup"
defaults delete dev.kdrag0n.MacVirt
killall cfprefsd

After running these commands, OrbStack recreated its preference file and the GUI launched successfully. I verified that it remained running rather than crashing after 1–2 seconds.

This does not delete or reset OrbStack's engine data. My Docker engine remained running throughout, with all nine existing containers unaffected.

The workaround resets OrbStack's GUI preferences, so users may need to reconfigure application-level UI settings afterward.

Impact

Without the workaround:

• The OrbStack GUI is unusable.
• The in-app Sparkle updater is unusable.
• Updates must be installed through Homebrew or another external method.
• The VM engine and CLI remain fully functional.

Attachments

I have multiple crash reports with the same signature:

OrbStack-2026-07-16-101935.ips
OrbStack-2026-07-16-102146.ips
OrbStack-2026-07-16-102207.ips
OrbStack-2026-07-16-102348.ips
OrbStack-2026-07-16-102704.ips

I am happy to attach the full reports, test a debug build, or help identify which persisted preference triggers the CoreUI failure.