> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.mountthor.com/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# Bare metal

> Allocate and access a dedicated Apple Silicon Mac

A bare-metal machine gives you exclusive use of one physical Mac. Use it for
workloads that need dedicated hardware or host-level control.

## Allocate

The interactive command selects a name, machine class, and image:

```bash theme={null}
mthr bm allocate
```

For a repeatable command, choose an image from the
[catalog](/platform/images), then run:

```bash theme={null}
mthr bm allocate build-mac \
  --class m4-24g \
  --image IMAGE_NAME \
  --wait
```

Allocation discloses the prepaid hold the class will place and asks you to
confirm before committing. Pass `-y` (`--yes`) to skip the prompt in automation.
See [Billing](/platform/billing) for funds and readiness.

## Connect

```bash theme={null}
mthr bm ssh build-mac
```

Mount Thor brokers a short-lived SSH grant. The machine does not expose a
reusable host password or private key.

For desktop access:

```bash theme={null}
mthr bm desktop build-mac
```

## Inspect

```bash theme={null}
mthr bm ls
mthr bm get build-mac
```

## Release

```bash theme={null}
mthr bm free build-mac --wait
```

Release revokes active access and returns the Mac to the pool. See
[Billing](/platform/billing) for prices and minimum charges.

## Use kubectl

After [configuring kubectl](/quickstart#use-kubectl), list available machine
classes:

```bash theme={null}
kubectl get machineclasses
```

Create `build-mac.yaml`. Replace `IMAGE_NAME` with a catalog name.

```yaml theme={null}
apiVersion: compute.mountthor.com/v1alpha1
kind: BareMetalMachine
metadata:
  name: build-mac
spec:
  class: m4-24g
  image: IMAGE_NAME
```

Apply and inspect it:

```bash theme={null}
kubectl apply -f build-mac.yaml
kubectl get baremetalmachine build-mac --watch
```

Use the [lifecycle contract](/quickstart#observe-lifecycle) when polling.

Delete it to release the machine:

```bash theme={null}
kubectl delete baremetalmachine build-mac
```

See [Fleet and capacity](/platform/fleet-capacity) for capacity policy and
[Images](/platform/images) for image discovery.