How to Install Vibium on macOS

To install Vibium on macOS, install Python 3.9 or newer, then run pip install vibium inside a virtual environment — Vibium does the rest. It ships as a single Go binary and auto-downloads its own Chrome for Testing on first run, so there's no ChromeDriver to match and no Selenium Grid to manage. The pip install vibium command automatically pulls the right platform package for your Mac, whether you're on Apple Silicon (arm64) or Intel (x64). macOS Gatekeeper used to quarantine the downloaded browser binary, but Vibium 26.2 fixed that by stripping the quarantine attribute after download, so current versions launch cleanly. Prefer Node? npm install vibium works the same way. Below is the complete macOS setup: install Python, create a virtualenv, install Vibium, optionally pre-fetch Chrome, and run a first script. The whole thing takes a couple of minutes. See what is Vibium for the bigger picture.

What do I need before installing Vibium on macOS?

You need Python 3.9 or higher (for the Python client) or Node.js (for the JavaScript/TypeScript client). Check Python first:

python3 --version

If you don't have it, the easiest route is Homebrew:

# Install Homebrew if you don't have it
/bin/bash -c "$(curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/Homebrew/install/HEAD/install.sh)"
 
# Install Python
brew install python

You do not need to install Chrome separately — Vibium downloads its own Chrome for Testing. That's a core design choice: one tool manages the browser, so there's no driver/browser version dance.

How do I install Vibium with pip?

Create a project folder and a virtual environment, then install Vibium into it:

mkdir my-vibium-project
cd my-vibium-project
 
python3 -m venv .venv
source .venv/bin/activate
 
pip install vibium

pip install vibium automatically resolves the correct platform package — vibium-darwin-arm64 on Apple Silicon, vibium-darwin-x64 on Intel — so you don't pick a build by hand. The virtual environment keeps Vibium isolated from your system Python, which avoids permission issues and version clashes.

Should I pre-download Chrome?

Optional, but recommended. By default Vibium fetches Chrome for Testing the first time you launch a browser. To pull it ahead of time (handy for CI or a faster first run):

vibium install

This downloads the Chrome build that matches your installed Vibium version, so the first real run doesn't pay the download cost.

How do I run my first script on macOS?

Create hello.py and launch a browser, visit a page, and take a screenshot:

from vibium import browser_sync as browser
 
vibe = browser.launch()
vibe.go("https://example.com")
 
print(vibe.find("h1").text())
 
png = vibe.screenshot()
with open("screenshot.png", "wb") as f:
    f.write(png)
 
vibe.quit()

Run it:

python3 hello.py

A Chrome window opens, loads the page, prints the heading, saves screenshot.png, and closes. Vibium auto-waits for actionability, so find("h1") blocks until the element is ready — no manual sleeps. See find element and take a screenshot for more.

What about Apple Silicon vs Intel?

Both are first-class. Vibium publishes native arm64 builds for M-series Macs and x64 builds for Intel, and pip install vibium selects the right one automatically. The matching Chrome for Testing is then downloaded for your architecture on first launch — no Rosetta workaround and no manual browser install.

Why does macOS block the browser, and how do I fix it?

macOS Gatekeeper can quarantine binaries downloaded from the internet, which historically blocked the browser driver from launching. Vibium 26.2 fixed this by removing the quarantine attribute from chromedriver after download, so up-to-date versions launch without a prompt. If you're on an older build and hit a Gatekeeper warning, upgrade and re-fetch the browser:

pip install -U vibium
vibium install

Staying current is the cleanest fix — see Vibium version mismatch errors if upgrading surfaces a Chrome version warning.

Prefer Node? Install the JavaScript client

The TypeScript/JavaScript client installs the same way:

npm install vibium

Same single-binary, same auto-downloaded Chrome for Testing. Choose Python or Node based on your stack — the API surface mirrors across both.

Next steps

• What is Vibium?
• How to install Vibium on Windows
• How to install Vibium on Linux