# How fast does a Cua Space start on a Mac?

On a Mac Studio (Apple M2 Max, 96 GB), a new headless Cua Space ran its first command 234.6 ms after create as a gVisor container, 341.1 ms as a microVM and 637.3 ms as a QEMU VM (p50, n = 30 each), measured 2026-10-25 on Cua Spaces 0.15.0.

- Page: https://cua.ai/benchmarks/spaces-cold-start
- Measured: 2026-10-25
- Raw data: https://cua.ai/benchmarks/spaces-cold-start.csv
- gVisor container: build Cua Spaces 0.15.0 DMG (https://github.com/trycua/cua/releases/download/cua-spaces-v0.15.0/cua-spaces-0.15.0-darwin-universal.dmg, sha256 8725a09ba4132aa8a1667fa48c86416c91d5dec0d3c7dc93f88f5f3e29e0aba0): bundled cua 0.9.0, Helpers/cua-spacesd 0.8.0, cua-vz; n = 30
- microVM: build Cua Spaces 0.15.0 DMG (https://github.com/trycua/cua/releases/download/cua-spaces-v0.15.0/cua-spaces-0.15.0-darwin-universal.dmg, sha256 8725a09ba4132aa8a1667fa48c86416c91d5dec0d3c7dc93f88f5f3e29e0aba0): bundled cua 0.9.0, Helpers/cua-spacesd 0.8.0, cua-vz; n = 30
- QEMU VM: build Cua Spaces 0.15.0 DMG (https://github.com/trycua/cua/releases/download/cua-spaces-v0.15.0/cua-spaces-0.15.0-darwin-universal.dmg, sha256 8725a09ba4132aa8a1667fa48c86416c91d5dec0d3c7dc93f88f5f3e29e0aba0): bundled cua 0.9.0, Helpers/cua-spacesd 0.8.0, cua-vz; n = 30

## Results

Time from the create call until the Space answers its first command, one Space at a time. Lower is better.

| Measure | gVisor container | microVM | QEMU VM |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Fastest | 204.8 ms | 323.2 ms | 576.9 ms |
| p50 | 234.6 ms | 341.1 ms | 637.3 ms |
| p90 | 257.7 ms | 349 ms | 657 ms |
| p99 | 270.1 ms | 359.9 ms | 674.7 ms |
| Slowest | 270.1 ms | 359.9 ms | 674.7 ms |

## Method (gVisor container)

Driver on the host: `rollout_bench create` (Rust SDK example built from the release tag) talks to this release's own `cua daemon` (isolated CUA_HOME). Workload: a gVisor container in the built-in Linux runtime VM (Lima on Virtualization.framework, default 4 vCPU / 32 GiB) Space created from ghcr.io/trycua/linux:24.04-slim with `--kind container --runtime gvisor --cpus 1 --memory-mb 1024 --headless` (only cua-spacesd in the guest, no desktop).

Each sample = `SandboxCreateOptions` create call start → the Space's cua-spacesd answers a first `sh -c true` with exit 0 (create + attach + first exec). n=30, serial (one at a time), each Space deleted after its sample. The warm pool is off (`CUA_POOL_AUTO=off`), so every sample is a real create. One warm-up create before the samples is excluded (image pull/unpack and the golden snapshot it records: 13014 ms).

## Environment (gVisor container)

- Machine: Mac Studio, Mac14,13 (Mac Studio)
- Chip: Apple M2 Max, 12 cores
- Memory: 96 GB
- OS: macOS 26.6.2 (25G83)
- Where: local
- Kind: gvisor
- Image: ghcr.io/trycua/linux:24.04-slim
- Shape: 1 vCPU, 1 GiB, --headless
- Other vms: 2
- Network: n/a (local)
- Settings: CUA_POOL_AUTO=off (no warm pool); golden snapshots at their default (on)
- Build: Cua Spaces 0.15.0 DMG (https://github.com/trycua/cua/releases/download/cua-spaces-v0.15.0/cua-spaces-0.15.0-darwin-universal.dmg, sha256 8725a09ba4132aa8a1667fa48c86416c91d5dec0d3c7dc93f88f5f3e29e0aba0): bundled cua 0.9.0, Helpers/cua-spacesd 0.8.0, cua-vz
- App: 0.15.0
- cua: 0.9.0
- cua_spacesd: 0.8.0

## Caveats (gVisor container)

- Headless shape (only cua-spacesd); the full desktop image starts slower.
- Golden snapshots on (the default): the excluded first create records the snapshot that later creates restore.
- With CUA_GVISOR_WARM=0 (no golden snapshot), n = 10: p50 257.9 ms, p95 272.9 ms.

## Reproduce (gVisor container)

```sh
# On an Apple silicon Mac (macOS 26), with Rust (rustup) and git:
curl -fLO https://github.com/trycua/cua/releases/download/cua-spaces-v0.15.0/cua-spaces-0.15.0-darwin-universal.dmg
hdiutil attach -nobrowse -mountpoint /tmp/cua-dmg cua-spaces-0.15.0-darwin-universal.dmg
mkdir -p ~/bench && ditto "/tmp/cua-dmg/Cua Spaces.app" ~/bench/"Cua Spaces.app" && hdiutil detach /tmp/cua-dmg
git clone --depth 1 --branch cua-spaces-v0.15.0 https://github.com/trycua/cua ~/bench/cua
(cd ~/bench/cua/libs/cua && cargo build --locked --release -p cua-sdk --example rollout_bench --example channel_bench)
export PATH="$HOME/bench/Cua Spaces.app/Contents/MacOS:$PATH" CUA_HOME=~/bench/home DO_NOT_TRACK=1 CUA_TELEMETRY=0
RB=~/bench/cua/libs/cua/target/release/examples/rollout_bench
cua daemon start --foreground &   # with CUA_POOL_AUTO=off in its environment
IMG=ghcr.io/trycua/linux:24.04-slim
$RB create --prefix warm- --n 1 --image $IMG --kind container --runtime gvisor --cpus 1 --memory-mb 1024 --headless   # excluded warm-up
$RB create --prefix cold- --n 30 --conc 1 --image $IMG --kind container --runtime gvisor --cpus 1 --memory-mb 1024 --headless   # one JSON line per sample (ready_ms)
```

## Method (microVM)

Driver on the host: `rollout_bench create` (Rust SDK example built from the release tag) talks to this release's own `cua daemon` (isolated CUA_HOME). Workload: a microVM, runtime vz (cua-vz, Virtualization.framework, one VM per Space, guest kernel 6.1.155) Space created from ghcr.io/trycua/linux:24.04-slim with `--kind microvm --cpus 1 --memory-mb 1024 --headless` (only cua-spacesd in the guest, no desktop).

Each sample = `SandboxCreateOptions` create call start → the Space's cua-spacesd answers a first `sh -c true` with exit 0 (create + attach + first exec). n=30, serial (one at a time), each Space deleted after its sample. The warm pool is off (`CUA_POOL_AUTO=off`), so every sample is a real create. One warm-up create before the samples is excluded (image pull/unpack and the golden snapshot it records: 435 ms).

## Environment (microVM)

- Machine: Mac Studio, Mac14,13 (Mac Studio)
- Chip: Apple M2 Max, 12 cores
- Memory: 96 GB
- OS: macOS 26.6.2 (25G83)
- Where: local
- Kind: microvm
- Image: ghcr.io/trycua/linux:24.04-slim
- Shape: 1 vCPU, 1 GiB, --headless
- Other vms: 2
- Network: n/a (local)
- Settings: CUA_POOL_AUTO=off (no warm pool); golden snapshots at their default (on)
- Build: Cua Spaces 0.15.0 DMG (https://github.com/trycua/cua/releases/download/cua-spaces-v0.15.0/cua-spaces-0.15.0-darwin-universal.dmg, sha256 8725a09ba4132aa8a1667fa48c86416c91d5dec0d3c7dc93f88f5f3e29e0aba0): bundled cua 0.9.0, Helpers/cua-spacesd 0.8.0, cua-vz
- App: 0.15.0
- cua: 0.9.0
- cua_spacesd: 0.8.0

## Caveats (microVM)

- Headless shape (only cua-spacesd); the full desktop image starts slower.
- Golden snapshots on (the default): the excluded first create records the snapshot that later creates restore.
- A start without the golden snapshot was not measured.

## Reproduce (microVM)

```sh
# On an Apple silicon Mac (macOS 26), with Rust (rustup) and git:
curl -fLO https://github.com/trycua/cua/releases/download/cua-spaces-v0.15.0/cua-spaces-0.15.0-darwin-universal.dmg
hdiutil attach -nobrowse -mountpoint /tmp/cua-dmg cua-spaces-0.15.0-darwin-universal.dmg
mkdir -p ~/bench && ditto "/tmp/cua-dmg/Cua Spaces.app" ~/bench/"Cua Spaces.app" && hdiutil detach /tmp/cua-dmg
git clone --depth 1 --branch cua-spaces-v0.15.0 https://github.com/trycua/cua ~/bench/cua
(cd ~/bench/cua/libs/cua && cargo build --locked --release -p cua-sdk --example rollout_bench --example channel_bench)
export PATH="$HOME/bench/Cua Spaces.app/Contents/MacOS:$PATH" CUA_HOME=~/bench/home DO_NOT_TRACK=1 CUA_TELEMETRY=0
RB=~/bench/cua/libs/cua/target/release/examples/rollout_bench
cua daemon start --foreground &   # with CUA_POOL_AUTO=off in its environment
IMG=ghcr.io/trycua/linux:24.04-slim
$RB create --prefix warm- --n 1 --image $IMG --kind microvm --cpus 1 --memory-mb 1024 --headless   # excluded warm-up
$RB create --prefix cold- --n 30 --conc 1 --image $IMG --kind microvm --cpus 1 --memory-mb 1024 --headless   # one JSON line per sample (ready_ms)
```

## Method (QEMU VM)

Driver on the host: `rollout_bench create` (Rust SDK example built from the release tag) talks to this release's own `cua daemon` (isolated CUA_HOME). Workload: a full Linux VM, runtime qemu (QEMU 10.2.2 on HVF, Homebrew build found by the runtime check), image resolves to linux:24.04-slim-disk Space created from ghcr.io/trycua/linux:24.04-slim with `--kind vm --cpus 1 --memory-mb 1024 --headless` (only cua-spacesd in the guest, no desktop).

Each sample = `SandboxCreateOptions` create call start → the Space's cua-spacesd answers a first `sh -c true` with exit 0 (create + attach + first exec). n=30, serial (one at a time), each Space deleted after its sample. The warm pool is off (`CUA_POOL_AUTO=off`), so every sample is a real create. One warm-up create before the samples is excluded (image pull/unpack and the golden snapshot it records: 1699 ms).

## Environment (QEMU VM)

- Machine: Mac Studio, Mac14,13 (Mac Studio)
- Chip: Apple M2 Max, 12 cores
- Memory: 96 GB
- OS: macOS 26.6.2 (25G83)
- Where: local
- Kind: vm
- Image: ghcr.io/trycua/linux:24.04-slim
- Shape: 1 vCPU, 1 GiB, --headless
- Other vms: 2
- Network: n/a (local)
- Settings: CUA_POOL_AUTO=off (no warm pool); golden snapshots at their default (on)
- Build: Cua Spaces 0.15.0 DMG (https://github.com/trycua/cua/releases/download/cua-spaces-v0.15.0/cua-spaces-0.15.0-darwin-universal.dmg, sha256 8725a09ba4132aa8a1667fa48c86416c91d5dec0d3c7dc93f88f5f3e29e0aba0): bundled cua 0.9.0, Helpers/cua-spacesd 0.8.0, cua-vz
- App: 0.15.0
- cua: 0.9.0
- cua_spacesd: 0.8.0

## Caveats (QEMU VM)

- Headless shape (only cua-spacesd); the full desktop image starts slower.
- Golden snapshots on (the default): the excluded first create records the snapshot that later creates restore.
- A start without the golden snapshot is not published.

## Reproduce (QEMU VM)

```sh
# On an Apple silicon Mac (macOS 26), with Rust (rustup) and git:
curl -fLO https://github.com/trycua/cua/releases/download/cua-spaces-v0.15.0/cua-spaces-0.15.0-darwin-universal.dmg
hdiutil attach -nobrowse -mountpoint /tmp/cua-dmg cua-spaces-0.15.0-darwin-universal.dmg
mkdir -p ~/bench && ditto "/tmp/cua-dmg/Cua Spaces.app" ~/bench/"Cua Spaces.app" && hdiutil detach /tmp/cua-dmg
git clone --depth 1 --branch cua-spaces-v0.15.0 https://github.com/trycua/cua ~/bench/cua
(cd ~/bench/cua/libs/cua && cargo build --locked --release -p cua-sdk --example rollout_bench --example channel_bench)
export PATH="$HOME/bench/Cua Spaces.app/Contents/MacOS:$PATH" CUA_HOME=~/bench/home DO_NOT_TRACK=1 CUA_TELEMETRY=0
RB=~/bench/cua/libs/cua/target/release/examples/rollout_bench
cua daemon start --foreground &   # with CUA_POOL_AUTO=off in its environment
IMG=ghcr.io/trycua/linux:24.04-slim
$RB create --prefix warm- --n 1 --image $IMG --kind vm --cpus 1 --memory-mb 1024 --headless   # excluded warm-up
$RB create --prefix cold- --n 30 --conc 1 --image $IMG --kind vm --cpus 1 --memory-mb 1024 --headless   # one JSON line per sample (ready_ms)
```

## Questions

### What does the time include?

From the create call until the Space's cua-spacesd answers a first `sh -c true`: create, attach and the first command. The warm pool was off, so every sample is a real create. One warm-up create, which pulls the image and records the golden snapshot, is excluded.

### Is this the full desktop?

No. These Spaces are headless: only cua-spacesd runs in them. The full desktop image starts slower and is not measured here.

### Can I run this myself?

Yes. The commands under Reproduce use the published Cua Spaces 0.15.0 release and the public trycua/cua repository at the tag cua-spaces-v0.15.0. A `cua bench run` command that wraps them is coming; it isn't in a release yet.