Macbook restart after shutdown when Podman was used

[RogierEnders]

Issue Description

My Macbook restarts after 3 or 4 minutes when it was shutdown and a Podman machine was running just before shutting down the Mac. The same issue was reported in Q&A but never answered.

Steps to reproduce the issue

Steps to reproduce the issue

1. Start up the Macbook
2. Open a terminal window
3. Start Podman machine with the command "podman machine start"
4. Wait until the machine is started succesfully
5. Stop Podman machine with the command "podman machine stop"
6. Shutdown the Macbook (Apple icon on the leftcorner of the screen -> Shut Down...)

Describe the results you received

It looks like the Mac has shutdown but after 3 or 4 minutes it is restarting
When I log in, there is a message "your computer was restarted because of a problem", when I click details, this is the comment:

---

panic(cpu 2 caller 0xfffffe00355812c8): watchdog timeout: no checkins from watchdogd in 130 seconds (41 totalcheckins since monitoring last enabled), shutdown in progress, vfs shutdown in progress, last vfs completion time: 124 seconds ago
Debugger message: panic
Memory ID: 0xff
OS release type: User
OS version: 25E253
Kernel version: Darwin Kernel Version 25.4.0: Thu Mar 19 19:31:17 PDT 2026; root:xnu-12377.101.15~1/RELEASE_ARM64_T6020

---

Describe the results you expected

When I shut down the Mac, I don't want it to reboot automaticity due to an issue with Podman.

podman info output

Client:
  APIVersion: 5.8.2
  BuildOrigin: pkginstaller
  Built: 1776188902
  BuiltTime: Tue Apr 14 19:48:22 2026
  GitCommit: 5b263b5f5b48004a87caac44e67349a8266d9ef4
  GoVersion: go1.26.2
  Os: darwin
  OsArch: darwin/arm64
  Version: 5.8.2
host:
  arch: arm64
  buildahVersion: 1.43.1
  cgroupControllers:
  - cpuset
  - cpu
  - io
  - memory
  - pids
  - rdma
  - misc
  - dmem
  cgroupManager: systemd
  cgroupVersion: v2
  conmon:
    package: conmon-2.2.1-2.fc43.aarch64
    path: /usr/bin/conmon
    version: 'conmon version 2.2.1, commit: '
  cpuUtilization:
    idlePercent: 99.41
    systemPercent: 0.37
    userPercent: 0.22
  cpus: 8
  databaseBackend: sqlite
  distribution:
    distribution: fedora
    variant: coreos
    version: "43"
  emulatedArchitectures:
  - linux/386
  - linux/amd64
  - linux/arm64be
  eventLogger: journald
  freeLocks: 2048
  hostname: localhost.localdomain
  idMappings:
    gidmap: null
    uidmap: null
  kernel: 6.19.7-200.fc43.aarch64
  linkmode: dynamic
  logDriver: journald
  memFree: 15179038720
  memTotal: 15662424064
  networkBackend: netavark
  networkBackendInfo:
    backend: netavark
    defaultNetwork: podman
    dns:
      package: aardvark-dns-1.17.0-1.fc43.aarch64
      path: /usr/libexec/podman/aardvark-dns
      version: aardvark-dns 1.17.0
    package: netavark-1.17.2-1.fc43.aarch64
    path: /usr/libexec/podman/netavark
    version: netavark 1.17.2
  ociRuntime:
    name: crun
    package: crun-1.25.1-1.fc43.aarch64
    path: /usr/bin/crun
    version: |-
      crun version 1.25.1
      commit: 156ae065d4a322d149c7307034f98d9637aa92a2
      rundir: /run/crun
      spec: 1.0.0
      +SYSTEMD +SELINUX +APPARMOR +CAP +SECCOMP +EBPF +CRIU +LIBKRUN +WASM:wasmedge +YAJL
  os: linux
  pasta:
    executable: /usr/bin/pasta
    package: passt-0^20260120.g386b5f5-1.fc43.aarch64
    version: |
      pasta 0^20260120.g386b5f5-1.fc43.aarch64-pasta
      Copyright Red Hat
      GNU General Public License, version 2 or later
        <https://www.gnu.org/licenses/old-licenses/gpl-2.0.html>
      This is free software: you are free to change and redistribute it.
      There is NO WARRANTY, to the extent permitted by law.
  remoteSocket:
    exists: true
    path: unix:///run/podman/podman.sock
  rootlessNetworkCmd: pasta
  security:
    apparmorEnabled: false
    capabilities: CAP_CHOWN,CAP_DAC_OVERRIDE,CAP_FOWNER,CAP_FSETID,CAP_KILL,CAP_NET_BIND_SERVICE,CAP_SETFCAP,CAP_SETGID,CAP_SETPCAP,CAP_SETUID,CAP_SYS_CHROOT
    rootless: false
    seccompEnabled: true
    seccompProfilePath: /usr/share/containers/seccomp.json
    selinuxEnabled: true
  serviceIsRemote: true
  slirp4netns:
    executable: /usr/bin/slirp4netns
    package: slirp4netns-1.3.1-3.fc43.aarch64
    version: |-
      slirp4netns version 1.3.1
      commit: e5e368c4f5db6ae75c2fce786e31eef9da6bf236
      libslirp: 4.9.1
      SLIRP_CONFIG_VERSION_MAX: 6
      libseccomp: 2.6.0
  swapFree: 0
  swapTotal: 0
  uptime: 0h 1m 52.00s
  variant: v8
plugins:
  authorization: null
  log:
  - k8s-file
  - none
  - passthrough
  - journald
  network:
  - bridge
  - macvlan
  - ipvlan
  volume:
  - local
registries:
  search:
  - containers.cicd.ontwikkel.local
  - docker.io
store:
  configFile: /usr/share/containers/storage.conf
  containerStore:
    number: 0
    paused: 0
    running: 0
    stopped: 0
  graphDriverName: overlay
  graphOptions:
    overlay.additionalImageStores:
    - /usr/lib/containers/storage
    overlay.imagestore: /usr/lib/containers/storage
    overlay.mountopt: nodev,metacopy=on
  graphRoot: /var/lib/containers/storage
  graphRootAllocated: 109948487839744
  graphRootUsed: 2107448713216
  graphStatus:
    Backing Filesystem: xfs
    Native Overlay Diff: "false"
    Supports d_type: "true"
    Supports shifting: "true"
    Supports volatile: "true"
    Using metacopy: "true"
  imageCopyTmpDir: /var/tmp
  imageStore:
    number: 0
  runRoot: /run/containers/storage
  transientStore: false
  volumePath: /var/lib/containers/storage/volumes
version:
  APIVersion: 5.8.2
  BuildOrigin: 'Copr: packit/containers-podman-28501'
  Built: 1776038400
  BuiltTime: Mon Apr 13 02:00:00 2026
  GitCommit: 5b263b5f5b48004a87caac44e67349a8266d9ef4
  GoVersion: go1.25.9 X:nodwarf5
  Os: linux
  OsArch: linux/arm64
  Version: 5.8.2

Podman in a container

No

Privileged Or Rootless

Privileged

Upstream Latest Release

Yes

Additional environment details

Output of "sw_vers"
ProductName: macOS
ProductVersion: 26.4.1
BuildVersion: 25E253

---

Output of "system_profiler SPHardwareDataType"
2026-05-10 21:38:34.121 system_profiler[33416:149236] hw.cpufamily: 0xda33d83d
Hardware:

Hardware Overview:

  Model Name: MacBook Pro
  Model Identifier: Mac14,10
  Model Number: Z174001A2N/A
  Chip: Apple M2 Pro
  Total Number of Cores: 12 (8 Performance and 4 Efficiency)
  Memory: 32 GB
  System Firmware Version: 18000.101.7
  OS Loader Version: 18000.101.7
  Serial Number (system): JFM7WF3CM7
  Hardware UUID: B034B99B-490D-50E0-9488-EDBA25E56AA8
  Provisioning UDID: 00006020-000A69482133C01E
  Activation Lock Status: Disabled

Additional information

Output of "podman machine info"
host:
arch: arm64
currentmachine: podman-machine-default
defaultmachine: ""
eventsdir: /var/folders/12/z4z1p61d5vs003zbxj90k60r0000gp/T/storage-run-502/podman
machineconfigdir: /Users//.config/containers/podman/machine/applehv
machineimagedir: /Users//.local/share/containers/podman/machine/applehv
machinestate: Running
numberofmachines: 1
os: darwin
vmtype: applehv
version:
apiversion: 5.8.2
version: 5.8.2
goversion: go1.26.2
gitcommit: 5b263b5
builttime: Tue Apr 14 19:48:22 2026
built: 1776188902
buildorigin: pkginstaller
osarch: darwin/arm64
os: darwin

---

Output of "podman machine inspect"

[
     {
          "ConfigDir": {
               "Path": "/Users/<replaced-user-home-folder>/.config/containers/podman/machine/applehv"
          },
          "ConnectionInfo": {
               "PodmanSocket": {
                    "Path": "/var/folders/12/z4z1p61d5vs003zbxj90k60r0000gp/T/podman/podman-machine-default-api.sock"
               },
               "PodmanPipe": null
          },
          "Created": "2026-05-08T23:50:42.571962+02:00",
          "LastUp": "2026-05-09T00:34:49.426592+02:00",
          "Name": "podman-machine-default",
          "Resources": {
               "CPUs": 8,
               "DiskSize": 102400,
               "Memory": 15360,
               "USBs": []
          },
          "SSHConfig": {
               "IdentityPath": "/Users/<replaced-user-home-folder>/.local/share/containers/podman/machine/machine",
               "Port": 49786,
               "RemoteUsername": "core"
          },
          "State": "running",
          "UserModeNetworking": true,
          "Rootful": true,
          "Rosetta": false
     }
]

[baude]

before you shut down, can you use ps and top to poke around and see if any machine related processes are still running?

[RogierEnders]

Hi Baude, I can use ps and top but I don't see any machine processes still running. I have adding the output of ps and top, see the table for the filenames and the description. Perhaps you spot something weird.

command	filename	description
ps	processes-direct-after-mac-boot.txt	output of ps just after booting and log in to the macbook
ps	processes-direct-after-machine-start-command.txt	output of ps just after starting the podman machine from a command line
ps	processes-direct-after-machine-stop-command.txt	output of ps just after stopping the podman machine from a command line
top	top-direct-after-mac-boot.txt	output of top just after booting and log in to the macbook
top	top-direct-machine-start-command.txt	output of top just after starting the podman machine from a command line
top	top-direct-machine-stop-command.txt	output of top just after stopping the podman machine from a command line

[Honny1]

I am not sure about this. I was not able to reproduce this on my Mac. Also found a similar error on https://discussions.apple.com/thread/256197784?sortBy=rank

Maybe this cloud can solve this issue: crc-org/vfkit#316
I think Podman is still using vfkit v0.6.1. Let's update vfkit to v0.6.2 for podman 6. WDYT? @baude

[RogierEnders]

Thanks @Honny1 for looking into this issue. It's hard to fix an issue when you cannot reproduce it yourself. The update of vfkit sounds promising.

Since this morning, Tahoe 26.5 is available. I'm going to install this later today but I don't think this will resolve the issue.

[baude]

Maybe this cloud can solve this issue: crc-org/vfkit#316
I think Podman is still using vfkit v0.6.1. Let's update vfkit to v0.6.2 for podman 6. WDYT? @baude

I was thinking 0.8.2 ? we also need to to do this for podman-5.x as well (and right quick) bc it fixes a bad regression in vfkit.

[RogierEnders]

As expected, updating to Tahoe 26.5 didn't resolve this issue.

[Honny1]

Is it possible that you have a device connected, such as a hard drive or something similar? A related question: if you don't boot the podman machine, does the issue still occur? And what happens if you don't shut down the podman machine?

[RogierEnders]

Nothing is connected to the Mac when this happens. When I have a docking station connected with a monitor, mouse and keyboard, it also happens.

The issue (message of restarted because of a problem) doesn't occur if the podman machine is not started/running.

And the issue also occur if the podman machine isn't shutdown by me before shutting down the Mac.

[Honny1]

Okay, the fastest way to mitigate this is to try using libkrun as the provider if you don't need Rosetta.

[RogierEnders]

The machine was already configured not to use Rosetta, see the output of "podman machine inspect". But it was using "apple hypervisor". So I removed the machine "podman-machine-default" and created a new machine from a terminal with this command:

CONTAINERS_MACHINE_PROVIDER=libkrun podman machine init --cpus 8 --disk-size 102400 --memory 15360 --rootful machine-libkrun

Output of 'podman machine list'

NAME	VM TYPE	CREATED	LAST UP	CPUS	MEMORY	DISK SIZE
machine-libkrun	libkrun	About an hour ago	9 minutes ago	8	15GiB	100TiB

The disksize in TiB is strange, I don't have 100 TiB in the Mac.

But the issue is still there. After starting and stopping the machine and shut down the Mac, after 2 to 3 minutes the Macbook starts again. The detail message is still mentioning 'vfs shutdown in progress'.

[Honny1]

Well, 100TiB seems strange, and I suspect that's the issue.