Update README.md with instructions to enable RDMA. (#1031)

ca7adcc2a867c31ec66053b53fad290dc6ccc582 · 2025-12-28 20:56:26 +0000 · Alex Cheema

## Motivation

We didn't have instructions for enabling RDMA on macOS.

## Changes

I added instructions for enabling RDMA on macOS.

## Why It Works

Tried it on my M4 Max MacBook Pro and works.

## Test Plan

### Manual Testing
Tried it on my M4 Max MacBook Pro and works.

### Automated Testing
In the future, we could automate this from fresh macOS builds using KVM
over IP. See #1030

Files touched

M README.md

Diff

commit ca7adcc2a867c31ec66053b53fad290dc6ccc582
Author: Alex Cheema <41707476+AlexCheema@users.noreply.github.com>
Date:   Sun Dec 28 20:56:26 2025 +0000

    Update README.md with instructions to enable RDMA. (#1031)
    
    ## Motivation
    
    We didn't have instructions for enabling RDMA on macOS.
    
    ## Changes
    
    I added instructions for enabling RDMA on macOS.
    
    ## Why It Works
    
    Tried it on my M4 Max MacBook Pro and works.
    
    ## Test Plan
    
    ### Manual Testing
    Tried it on my M4 Max MacBook Pro and works.
    
    ### Automated Testing
    In the future, we could automate this from fresh macOS builds using KVM
    over IP. See #1030
---
 README.md | 23 +++++++++++++++++++++++
 1 file changed, 23 insertions(+)

diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 7342c2f2..6e93cfaf 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -168,6 +168,29 @@ The app will ask for permission to modify system settings and install a new Netw
 
 ---
 
+### Enabling RDMA on macOS
+
+RDMA is a new capability added to macOS 26.2. It works on any Mac with Thunderbolt 5 (M4 Pro Mac Mini, M4 Max Mac Studio, M4 Max MacBook Pro, M3 Ultra Mac Studio).
+
+Note that on Mac Studio, you cannot use the Thunderbolt 5 port next to the Ethernet port.
+
+To enable RDMA on macOS, follow these steps:
+
+1. Shut down your Mac.
+2. Hold down the power button for 10 seconds until the boot menu appears.
+3. Select "Options" to enter Recovery mode.
+4. When the Recovery UI appears, open the Terminal from the Utilities menu.
+5. In the Terminal, type:
+   ```
+   rdma_ctl enable
+   ```
+   and press Enter.
+6. Reboot your Mac.
+
+After that, RDMA will be enabled in macOS and exo will take care of the rest.
+
+---
+
 ### Using the API
 
 If you prefer to interact with exo via the API, here is an example creating an instance of a small model (`mlx-community/Llama-3.2-1B-Instruct-4bit`), sending a chat completions request and deleting the instance.

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