Open Source·Defense-in-Depth Security

Sandboxed AI Agents.
Two Layers Deep.

Run NVIDIA NemoClaw on Mac Mini with dual-layer sandboxing. macOS user isolation + container security.

Most NemoClaw guides only cover the container sandbox. This guide adds an outer layer — a dedicated, non-admin macOS user account — for true defense-in-depth. Fully self-contained. An AI agent given just the GitHub URL can follow it end-to-end.

2
Security Layers
3
Inference Backends
6
Claude Skills
45m
Setup Time
Layer 1: macOS User Isolation
Layer 2: NemoClaw Container Sandbox
AI Agent
Nemotron
Landlock FSseccompNet NamespaceInference Routing
No sudoNo cross-user accessNo system modification

Why This Guide Exists

Standard NemoClaw Setup

  • Single layer of protection — container sandbox only
  • Agent runs under your main user account with full home directory access
  • Assumes Docker Desktop — heavy, GUI-dependent, not ideal for headless
  • No hardware-to-model guidance — guessing which Nemotron fits your machine
  • One inference path — typically locked to a single backend

This Guide

  • Dual-layer security — macOS user isolation + container sandbox
  • Dedicated non-admin user via dscl — no sudo, no cross-user access
  • Colima instead of Docker Desktop — lightweight, CLI-only, open source
  • Hardware decision matrix — exact model for your specific RAM/VRAM config
  • Three inference backends — Ollama Cloud, Ollama Local, or LM Studio

Dual-Layer Security Model

Layer 1

macOS User Isolation

A dedicated non-admin macOS user account created via dscl. The agent cannot sudo, cannot access other users’ files, and cannot modify system settings — even if it escapes the container.

No sudo access — cannot escalate privileges
No cross-user file access — sandboxed home directory
No system modification — cannot change settings or install globally
No admin group membership — locked out of privileged operations
Layer 2

NemoClaw Container Sandbox

NemoClaw’s OpenShell runtime wraps every agent session in a hardened container with Landlock filesystem restrictions, seccomp syscall filtering, and network namespace isolation.

Landlock FS — writes only to /sandbox and /tmp
seccomp — blocks dangerous syscalls at kernel level
Network namespace — whitelist-based egress only
Inference routing — only approved backend endpoints

Flexible Inference Backends

Ollama Cloud

Easiest path — no local model downloads. Inference is routed through Ollama’s cloud. Good for getting started fast.

Cost

Free / $20 Pro / $100 Max per month

Privacy

Cloud-routed

Hardware

Any (no GPU needed)

Ollama Local

Full privacy — all inference happens on your machine. Requires sufficient RAM for your chosen model.

Cost

Free

Privacy

Fully on-device

Hardware

16–96+ GB RAM depending on model

LM Studio

GUI-based local inference with an OpenAI-compatible API. Visual model management with the same privacy as Ollama Local.

Cost

Free

Privacy

Fully on-device

Hardware

Same as Ollama Local

Hardware-to-Model Matrix

Instead of assuming everyone has 96 GB of VRAM, this guide maps specific hardware configurations to the right Nemotron model.

HardwareRecommended ModelDownload
Any Mac Mini (16 GB+)Nemotron 3 Super via cloudNone
Mac Mini M4 (16–32 GB)Nemotron 3 Nano 4B2.8 GB
Mac Mini M4 (32 GB)Nemotron 3 Nano 30B (MoE, 3.5B active)24 GB
Mac Mini M4 Pro (48–64 GB)Nemotron 3 Nano 30B with headroom24 GB
Mac Studio / 96+ GBNemotron 3 Super 120B (MoE, 12B active)87 GB
VPS with NVIDIA GPU (24+ GB VRAM)Nemotron 3 Nano 30B24 GB
VPS with NVIDIA GPU (96+ GB VRAM)Nemotron 3 Super 120B87 GB

Setup Flow

01

Choose Inference Backend

Ollama Cloud (free, easiest), Ollama Local (private), or LM Studio (GUI). The hardware decision matrix tells you exactly which Nemotron model fits your machine.

Terminal
# Check your hardware
system_profiler SPHardwareDataType | grep "Memory"
02

Install Host Prerequisites

Homebrew, Colima (lightweight Docker runtime), Docker CLI, and your chosen inference backend. Colima is CLI-only, open source, and better suited for headless setups than Docker Desktop.

Terminal
brew install colima docker
colima start --cpu 4 --memory 8
03

Create Sandboxed macOS User

Layer 1: A dedicated, non-admin macOS user account via dscl. This user cannot sudo, cannot access other users’ files, and cannot modify system settings.

Terminal
# Create a locked-down agent user
sudo dscl . -create /Users/eve
sudo dscl . -create /Users/eve UserShell /bin/zsh
sudo dscl . -create /Users/eve NFSHomeDirectory /Users/eve
04

Install NemoClaw as Agent User

Layer 2: NemoClaw’s installer runs as the agent user, setting up the container sandbox with OpenShell’s Landlock, seccomp, and network namespace isolation.

Terminal
# Switch to agent user and install
su - eve
curl -fsSL https://install.nemoclaw.com | bash
05

Verify & Monitor

Connect to the sandbox, test inference, and monitor with OpenShell’s built-in TUI. Confirm both security layers are active and the agent can reach only approved endpoints.

Terminal
# Check NemoClaw status
nemoclaw status
# Connect to sandbox
nemoclaw shell
# Monitor in real-time
nemoclaw monitor

Agent-Executable

Paste the repo URL and your machine specs into any AI agent. The AGENT-SETUP.md is designed so an agent can read it and execute every step sequentially.

Prompt
Set up a NemoClaw agent on my Mac Mini M4 Pro with 64 GB RAM
following https://github.com/bcharleson/nemoclaw-macmini-setup
— I want to run Nemotron locally for full privacy.
Agent name: EVE, username: eve.

Six Claude Skills Included

Prompt-engineering skills that can be loaded into any LLM — not just Claude. Each one is a standalone file in the repo.

Setup Assistant

Interactive NemoClaw setup with troubleshooting. Walks through every step based on your hardware.

Upgrade Assistant

Guided updates for NemoClaw, Ollama, and Colima. Handles version checks and rollbacks.

Sales Outreach

Personalized cold email and LinkedIn sequences using AIDA, PAS, and BAB frameworks.

Content Marketing

SEO blog posts, social media, and newsletters with templates. Optimized for search and engagement.

Customer Research

Buyer personas, ICP development, and Jobs-To-Be-Done analysis from market signals.

Competitive Analysis

Competitor profiles, battlecards, SWOT, and win/loss analysis for positioning.

Key Technologies

NemoClaw

NVIDIA’s open-source OpenClaw wrapper with security guardrails (Apache 2.0)

OpenShell

Sandboxed runtime: Landlock FS, seccomp, network namespace isolation

Nemotron 3 Super

120B param MoE (12B active), #1 on PinchBench, 1M context window

Ollama

Local and cloud inference — free cloud tier, fully private local mode

LM Studio

GUI-based local inference with OpenAI-compatible API

Colima

Lightweight Docker runtime for macOS — CLI-only, open source, headless-ready

Repo Structure

Repository
nemoclaw-macmini-setup/
├── README.md                              — Architecture diagram, prerequisites, quick start
├── AGENT-SETUP.md                         — Full walkthrough (7 parts, ~30-45 min)
├── SECURITY.md                            — Dual-layer security model with threat scenarios
├── claude-skill.md                        — Claude skill: interactive setup assistant
├── claude-upgrade-skill.md                — Claude skill: upgrade/update assistant
├── claude-sales-outreach-skill.md         — Claude skill: sales outreach
├── claude-content-marketing-skill.md      — Claude skill: SEO content creation
├── claude-customer-research-skill.md      — Claude skill: buyer personas & JTBD
├── claude-competitive-analysis-skill.md   — Claude skill: competitive intel & battlecards
├── LICENSE                                — MIT
└── .gitignore
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Dual-layer sandbox setup

macOS isolation + container security

🧠

Model & inference config

Hardware-matched Nemotron deployment

Agent skill wiring

Sales, marketing, and research skills live

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