@johnhenry/backend-mlx-darwin-arm64

The prebuilt MLX runtime that @johnhenry/backend-mlx loads on macOS/Apple Silicon. You normally never install this directly: it is an optionalDependency of @johnhenry/backend-mlx, and npm installs it only where os is darwin and cpu is arm64.

Install

npm install @johnhenry/backend-mlx   # pulls this package in on darwin/arm64
bun add @johnhenry/backend-mlx

Contents (lib/, 64 MB packed, 207 MB unpacked):

| File | From | |---|---| | libmlxc.dylib | mlx-c d4afaec ("Support MLX v0.32.2"), compiled against the wheel below by backend-mlx/scripts/build-mlxc.sh | | libmlx.dylib, libjaccl.dylib, mlx.metallib | Apple's mlx / mlx-metal 0.32.2 Python wheels — the same MLX that Python laya-mlx runs | | VERSION, SHA256SUMS | exact sources and file hashes | | licenses/MLX.LICENSE, licenses/mlx-c.LICENSE | Apple's MIT license texts |

The dylibs are relocatable (@rpath / @loader_path) and ad-hoc signed.

import { libDir, libmlxc } from "@johnhenry/backend-mlx-darwin-arm64";
// backend-mlx finds these on its own; the exports are for tools and for
// pointing $LAYA_MLXC_PATH at the bundle explicitly.

Why the whole bundle ships on npm

mlx.metallib (Apple's compiled Metal kernels) is 182 MB of the 207 MB. We ship it in the tarball instead of downloading it on first use because:

• npm accepts it: the same four files at the same size are already on the registry as @nielspeter/mlx-ts-darwin-arm64 (199 MB unpacked).
• Installs stay offline-capable, cached, and integrity-checked by npm itself (the lockfile's sha512), with no extra download code, cache directory or network access at runtime.
• The os/cpu gate means Linux, Windows and Intel Macs never download it.

Fallbacks if the registry ever rejects the size: attach the bundle to a GitHub Release and point $LAYA_MLXC_PATH at it, or build locally with npm run build:mlxc -w @johnhenry/backend-mlx.

Building and verifying (maintainers)

pip install mlx==0.32.2                                   # or MLX_PY_DIR=…/site-packages/mlx
npm run build:native --prefix packages/backend-mlx-darwin-arm64
npm run verify --prefix packages/backend-mlx-darwin-arm64  # sha256 of every file
npm pack ./packages/backend-mlx-darwin-arm64              # prepack re-verifies

This directory is deliberately outside npm workspaces (root "!packages/backend-mlx-darwin-arm64"): npm hard-fails with EBADPLATFORM on other platforms when an os/cpu-gated package is a workspace member. The repo root links it as an optional file: dependency plus an overrides entry instead, which npm skips silently elsewhere. Changesets therefore does not version it; bump it together with @johnhenry/backend-mlx (test/manifest-drift.test.ts enforces equal versions and the ^<version> optional range).

Limitations

• darwin/arm64 only; there is no MLX for other platforms.
• Pins MLX 0.32.2 and one mlx-c commit. For another MLX, build locally or set $LAYA_MLXC_PATH.
• The bundle is built on the CI's macOS image; the minimum macOS version is whatever Apple's 0.32.2 wheel supports (macOS 14+).

Family

Part of laya-js — see its package map.

• @johnhenry/backend-mlx resolves @johnhenry/backend-mlx-darwin-arm64/package.json and loads lib/libmlxc.dylib (step 3 of its resolution order, after libPath and $LAYA_MLXC_PATH).

License

MIT. The binaries are Apple's MLX and mlx-c (MIT, © 2023-2024 Apple Inc.); see NOTICE and lib/licenses/.