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FASTVLM GUIDE · MLX

FastVLM with MLX

Use the MLX-based app and official Apple Silicon checkpoints for native experiments on Mac and iOS.

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Before you run

The official app requires macOS 15.2+ or iOS 18.2+ and a compatible Xcode toolchain. Download the model before building. Use an empty model folder for the initial download; keep any existing custom model elsewhere before changing variants.

Check your first result

Build and run in Xcode. Select the target device, configure signing for iPhone, then ask a question about an image or camera frame. Check the generated answer and the app’s TTFT display.

Stage2 / Stage3 and Apple Silicon files →

Source checked September 12, 2026. Runtime performance depends on your device.

Step by step

  1. 1

    Use an Apple Silicon development machine.

  2. 2

    Follow the app README and pin the documented dependencies.

  3. 3

    Download the matching MLX model asset.

  4. 4

    Validate output and performance before modifying the pipeline.

Example

MLX 
git clone https://github.com/apple-aiml-research/ml-fastvlm.git
cd ml-fastvlm
chmod +x app/get_pretrained_mlx_model.sh
app/get_pretrained_mlx_model.sh --model 0.5b --dest app/FastVLM/model
open app/FastVLM/FastVLM.xcodeproj
# For another size, use a fresh model folder and --model 1.5b or --model 7b.

Verify against the primary source

APIs, model files and dependency versions can change. Treat this page as an implementation map, then confirm the current command and license in the linked official documentation.

Open official source