A Mac mini for AI agents, always on

Why people put agents on a Mac mini

A coding agent can work for hours on one task. On a laptop, that work stops when the lid closes or the Mac sleeps. A separate machine fixes that.

macOS also matters for some work. An agent building an iPhone app needs Xcode and the iOS simulator. Those only run on a Mac. Our guide on why an iOS coding agent needs a Mac explains the details.

What an always-on agent Mac needs

• It must never sleep, and it must come back after a reboot.
• The agent must run in a session that survives a disconnect.
• You need a way in when the agent gets stuck.
• It needs a wired network connection, not Wi-Fi.

You can set all of this up on your own Mac. Our always-on Mac guide shows how. Or you can rent one where it is already done.

What the agent plan includes

• A dedicated M6 Mac mini with 16 GB memory, for you alone.
• Claude Code and Codex installed. You sign in with your own Claude or ChatGPT plan. There are no API keys and no per-token fees from us.
• An agent session that survives reboots.
• The desktop in a browser tab, from "Open my Mac" in the portal.
• Control from your phone with the Claude or ChatGPT apps.
• Xcode 26.6 and the iOS 26.5 simulator runtime, for app work.
• SSH and screen sharing over a private Tailscale network.

The full list is on the agent Mac page.

Which Mac mini for AI agents

It depends on where the model runs. Claude Code and Codex send your prompts to Anthropic or OpenAI. The model runs on their servers. The Mac runs the tools, the builds and the tests. For that, 16 GB on the M6 is enough.

Local models are different. Memory sets the size of the model you can load. Apple lists the M5 Pro Mac mini with up to 64 GB of memory and 307 GB/s of bandwidth. We rent two M5 Pro tiers for this.

• M6, 16 GB memory, 256 GB SSD: $139 a month as a runner or $169 as an agent Mac. In stock, ready in 1 to 4 hours. The first month is $69 or $84.
• M4, 16 GB memory, 256 GB SSD: $119 a month as a runner or $149 as an agent Mac. The previous base chip, at the lowest price. Pre-order, live in about a week. Nothing is charged until it is live.
• M5 Pro, 48 GB memory, 1 TB SSD: $269 a month as a runner or $299 as an agent Mac. For agents that also run open models locally. Pre-order, live in about a week. A one-time build fee of $199 applies.
• M5 Pro, 64 GB memory, 1 TB SSD: $319 a month as a runner or $349 as an agent Mac. The most memory a Mac mini can hold. Pre-order, live in about a week. A one-time build fee of $249 applies.

A note on OpenClaw

Many people search for a Mac mini for OpenClaw. OpenClaw is an open source AI assistant under the MIT license. Its site says it runs on macOS, Windows and Linux. Its GitHub README says it talks to you through chat apps such as WhatsApp, Telegram, Slack and iMessage. The examples on its site are inbox, email, calendar and flight check-in tasks. We read both in October 2026.

Those personal assistant jobs do not belong on a rented Mac. Apple's license allows a leased Mac for developer services only. Our acceptable use policy also forbids messaging automation, such as iMessage bots. If you want OpenClaw to run your inbox, buy your own Mac mini.

You may install other agents yourself for work on your own software. We do not preinstall OpenClaw, and we support only Claude Code and Codex.

Rent or buy

A base M6 Mac mini is $899 at Apple. That is a little more than 5 months of our agent plan. If you have a wired spot at home and want it for years, buying is cheaper. Renting makes sense if you want it running today with the setup done. It also helps if you travel, or want to stop any month. The rent vs buy guide works through the numbers.

Who should not rent an agent Mac from us

• You want a personal assistant for email, calendar or messages.
• You want 70B-class models. Only our 64 GB M5 Pro can hold one, and only quantized.
• You need a GPU server, Windows, or a static IP.
• You want a free trial. We do not offer one.

To get going, see the agent Mac page. Or read how to run Claude Code 24/7 on a Mac and how to run Codex on a dedicated Mac.