Renting out your Mac for AI inference: what runs and how to stop it

What the agent installs

The compute agent is readable Node.js source with no npm dependencies. Read it before you run it. Compute agent source

Before changing anything, the installer validates your supplier key. It then creates a private Python environment with mlx-lm 0.31.3, MLX 0.31.2 and Transformers 5.4.0, so no global pip installation is needed. It stores the key in ~/.proxies-compute/config.json with mode 600, copies itself to ~/.proxies-compute/compute-agent.js and loads your user's sx.proxies.compute launchd service, which starts at login. Installation reference

What runs and what it listens on

In the words of the operating guide: "It serves one pinned catalog model using MLX on 127.0.0.1:8734; it does not open a public MLX listener or carry proxy traffic." It downloads the model weights into the Hugging Face cache, checks a startup generation before reporting ready, and refuses to kill an unrelated process that already uses that port.

• It registers the chip, RAM, core count, macOS version and the Mac's hostname, which becomes the node's name.
• It sends a heartbeat every 60 seconds with model state, served models, version and free disk.
• It handles one job at a time, stops generation at 175 seconds or after 60 seconds without output, and stops when a rental claim becomes invalid.
• It checks power every minute and pauses below 20% battery when unplugged or below a 50% thermal CPU limit, resuming when the condition clears.

Renters receive managed inference access, not SSH, remote desktop, a shell or containers on your Mac. Agent operation

What it is not

The endpoint is not confidential computing. You own and administer the Mac, including its operating system and memory, and customer prompts pass through the platform and your Mac's runtime. The agent does not intentionally persist prompts, but runtime errors can contain sensitive data, so do not publish logs wholesale. Redact keys, personal paths and model text from any excerpt you share with support.

What is not promised

A listed Mac is not guaranteed rentals or payouts, and early access has no availability SLA. You cover electricity, connectivity and hardware. Installing does not admit a Mac: admission needs a signed and countersigned Partner Agreement, a passing benchmark and explicit admin approval, and complimentary rentals generate no paid-rental share. Supplier terms

Keep the key off screen

Enter the Compute supplier key only at the installer's non-echoing prompt. Never paste it into a chat, a command or a screenshot, and never print config.json, state.json or environment variables, which can hold keys and device tokens. An account can hold five active API keys; keep any key another working Mac uses.

Pause or leave at any time

The guide states: "Your Mac is yours. You can pause or leave at any time, without asking us and without a notice period. The only thing that blocks removal is a customer renting the machine at that moment."

# Pause: keeps identity, runtime and models
node "$HOME/.proxies-compute/compute-agent.js" --uninstall

# Leave for good (agent 0.3.3 or newer; the first line fetches it)
curl -fSLo /tmp/compute-agent.js https://agents.proxies.sx/compute/compute-agent.js
node /tmp/compute-agent.js --remove

An occupied Mac cannot be removed mid-rental: --remove stops with a message and deletes nothing while a customer rents the Mac. Wait for the rental to end, or open a farmer support ticket to have the customer moved. For any maintenance on a rented Mac, including stopping, reinstalling or replacing credentials, arrange it through a farmer support ticket first. If PROXIES.SX cannot be reached, --remove still cleans the Mac and tells you to delete the node in the farmer portal. Afterwards, revoke the API key under API keys, because a key cannot revoke itself. Pause and removal

Before you install

Check the prerequisites with the Mac compute eligibility checker. If you are choosing hardware, the Mac mini configuration guide maps Apple's memory options to the catalog. The provider setup guide covers the account, agreement and key, and provider troubleshooting covers a Mac that stops progressing.