# paolo-projects/auto-unlocker

Unlocker for VMWare macOS

Repository: https://github.com/paolo-projects/auto-unlocker
Canonical: https://ross.abutalabs.com/products/auto-unlocker
Language: C++
License: GPL-3.0
License Family: copyleft
Last push: 2025-09-17T08:57:05+00:00

## Health v2 (maintenance only)
Score: 43/100 (v2, computed 2026-09-03T02:20:16.233290+00:00)
- activity 42, release rhythm 13, longevity 100
- inputs: {"age_days": 2514, "days_push": 350, "days_rel": 369, "gap_med": null, "n_releases_24m": 1}
- flags: none
- formula: round(0.45*activity + 0.35*rhythm + 0.20*longevity); archived -> min(score, 10)

## Adoption (not part of the score)
Stars 4959, forks 579 (observed 2026-08-28T04:09:03.862757+00:00)

## What it is
A native C++ unlocker for VMware Workstation and Player that patches VMware to allow macOS guests to boot and be created. It is a dependency-free port of the DrDonk Python Unlocker, with a Win32 GUI on Windows and a shell-based CLI on Linux.

## Use cases
- run macOS in VMware on Windows
- patch VMware Workstation to enable Apple macOS guest option
- unlock VMware Player for macOS without installing Python
- download macOS VMware tools (darwin.iso)
- uninstall the VMware macOS patch

## When to choose
- you want to boot macOS guests in VMware Workstation 11-15 or Player 7-15
- you're on Windows and want a single executable with no Python dependency
- you prefer a simple one-click GUI or a straightforward Linux CLI

## When to avoid
- you run newer VMware versions not covered by the patch
- you need a supported/legal path to macOS virtualization (e.g., running on Apple hardware with supported tooling)
- you need an actively maintained unlocker with broader VMware version support

## Facets
- artifact type: cli-tool
- maturity: active
- function: developer-tools, gui, cli
- domain: developer-tools, windows, cross-platform
- platform: windows, cpp, cli
- tags: vmware, macos-guest, unlocker, patching, virtualization, win32-gui, linux

## Member repositories
- paolo-projects/auto-unlocker (main) score 43

## Provenance
- Observed fields: from GitHub, fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:03.862757+00:00.
- Health v2: computed from the inputs above; adoption is never an input.
- Inferred fields (summary, facets, guidance): AI-extracted, prompt v1, taxonomy v1, on 2026-08-29T18:17:48.756325+00:00, confidence not recorded.
  - readme: https://github.com/paolo-projects/auto-unlocker (fetched 2026-08-28T04:09:03.862757+00:00, sha a78b88710c37)
- Data as of 2026-08-30T08:39:29.467469+00:00.