mac.md

macOS Setup Guide

This guide covers setting up DeepSeek R1 Local on macOS, including both CPU and GPU (Metal) support.

Note: I have not tested this on macOS. I've only verifed on Linux(Ubuntu) and Windows.

Prerequisites

• macOS 10.15 or later
• Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3) or Intel processor

Setup Steps

1. Install Docker Desktop for macOS:

   • Download from Docker's official website
   • For Apple Silicon Macs, ensure you download the Apple Silicon version
   • Follow the installer prompts
   • Start Docker Desktop and wait for it to complete initialization

2. Install make (if not already installed):

   • Using Homebrew (recommended):

     brew install make

   • Or using Xcode Command Line Tools:

     xcode-select --install

3. Start the service:

   For CPU-only:

   docker compose up -d

   For GPU (Metal) support:

   docker compose -f docker-compose.yml -f docker-compose.mac.yml up -d

Performance Notes

Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3)

• Native arm64 support provides excellent performance
• GPU acceleration via Metal is available out of the box
• Memory usage is typically lower than on Intel Macs

Intel Macs

• CPU-only operation
• May experience higher memory usage
• Consider resource limits in Docker Desktop settings

Troubleshooting

1. If Docker fails to start:

   • Check Docker Desktop is running
   • Ensure you have enough memory allocated in Docker Desktop settings
   • Try restarting Docker Desktop

2. For performance issues:

   • In Docker Desktop, adjust memory and CPU allocation:
     • Go to Preferences → Resources
     • Recommended minimum: 8GB RAM, 4 CPUs
   • Check activity monitor for resource usage

3. For Metal acceleration issues (Apple Silicon):

   • Ensure macOS is updated to the latest version
   • Check Docker Desktop settings for GPU support
   • Verify Metal support:

     docker run --rm -it --platform linux/arm64 ubuntu:latest apt-get update && apt-get install -y clinfo && clinfo