Darkbloom provider on a Mac: setup checklist

Darkbloom’s own guide covers installing the provider. This checklist covers what keeps a Mac earning afterwards, which is where most lost hours come from.

Before you start

An Apple Silicon Mac. Darkbloom sets its own hardware and macOS requirements; check its setup guide.
Install the provider with Darkbloom’s setup guide, sign in (darkbloom login) and start a model.

Keep it online

Keep the Mac awake: in System Settings, stop it from sleeping automatically while on power, or run caffeinate in Terminal while it serves.
Keep it on AC power. Loading models is heavy work.
Give it good airflow. A hot Mac throttles and answers requests more slowly.
Use a wired connection or strong Wi-Fi. Dropped connections interrupt requests.

Check it’s serving

Run darkbloom status: running, signed in, model loaded.
Find your Mac in the provider list on the Darkbloom console.
Watch your credits over the first hours. Nothing for a long stretch while online usually means a routing stall.

After updates and restarts

Since Darkbloom 0.9.9, restarts drain first and can take up to 10 minutes when requests are in flight. Let them finish, then check darkbloom status again.

How Bloomkeeper helps

Bloomkeeper watches all of this from the menu bar: live earnings, whether work is arriving, temperature and power, and it can pick and switch models for you.

Download Bloomkeeper, free for Mac

Questions

Does my Mac need to stay awake for Darkbloom?

Yes. A sleeping Mac drops off the network and receives no work. Prevent automatic sleep while on power, or run caffeinate while it serves.

How do I check my Darkbloom provider is working?

Run darkbloom status, confirm your Mac appears in the provider list on the Darkbloom console, and watch your credits over the first few hours.

Updated 2026-09-26. Still stuck? Ask in #bloom-dash-optimizer on the Darkbloom Slack or contact us. Bloomkeeper is independent and not affiliated with Darkbloom.