diff --git a/Platform/Main.swift b/Platform/Main.swift
index 7b9a948ef..4b8d606af 100644
--- a/Platform/Main.swift
+++ b/Platform/Main.swift
@@ -29,6 +29,29 @@ let logger = Logger(label: "com.utmapp.UTM") { label in
     ])
 }
 
+func readChannelLines(buf: DispatchData, channel: DispatchIO, handleMsg: @escaping (String) -> (), eof: @escaping () -> ()) {
+    channel.read(offset: 0, length: 1, queue: .global()) { _, data, error in
+        if(error != 0) { return print(error) }
+        // this will be what e.g. ^D will send.
+        if(data!.isEmpty) {
+            return eof()
+        }
+        let char = data!.withUnsafeBytes { $0[0] as Int8 }
+        var buf_ = buf
+        // \r or \n
+        if(char == 10 || char == 13) {
+            if(!buf_.isEmpty) {
+                let msg = buf_.withUnsafeBytes { String(utf8String: $0) }
+                handleMsg(msg!)
+                buf_ = DispatchData.empty
+            }
+        } else {
+            buf_.append(data!)
+        }
+        readChannelLines(buf: buf_, channel: channel, handleMsg: handleMsg, eof: eof)
+    }
+}
+
 @main
 class Main {
     static var jitAvailable = true
@@ -61,6 +84,91 @@ class Main {
         // register defaults
         registerDefaultsFromSettingsBundle()
         #endif
+        if CommandLine.arguments.contains("--with-socket") {
+            let socketQueue = DispatchQueue(label: "socket", qos: .background, attributes: .concurrent)
+            let prompt = "UTM> "
+            func writeMsg(channel: DispatchIO, msg: String) {
+                channel.write(offset: 0, data: msg.data(using: .utf8)!.withUnsafeBytes { DispatchData(bytes: $0) }, queue: socketQueue, ioHandler: { done, data, error in })
+            }
+            func writeLine(channel: DispatchIO, msg: String) {
+                writeMsg(channel: channel, msg: msg.appending("\n"))
+            }
+            func writePrompt(channel: DispatchIO) {
+                writeMsg(channel: channel, msg: prompt)
+            }
+            socketQueue.async {
+                let sock = "utm.socket"
+                print(URL(fileURLWithPath: sock))
+                try? FileManager.default.removeItem(atPath: sock)
+                let fd = socket(AF_UNIX, SOCK_STREAM, 0)
+                var addr = sockaddr_un()
+                addr.sun_family = sa_family_t(AF_UNIX)
+                addr.sun_len = UInt8(sock.utf8CString.count)
+                _ = withUnsafeMutablePointer(to: &addr.sun_path) { ptr in
+                    strncpy(UnsafeMutableRawPointer(ptr).assumingMemoryBound(to: CChar.self), sock, sock.utf8CString.count)
+                }
+                var ret: Int32 = 0
+                withUnsafePointer(to: &addr) { ptr in
+                    ptr.withMemoryRebound(to: sockaddr.self, capacity: 1) { ar in
+                        ret = bind(fd, ar, socklen_t(MemoryLayout<sockaddr_un>.size))
+                    }
+                }
+                guard ret == 0 else { print("Failed to bind to address"); return }
+                listen(fd,1)
+                let data: UTMData = UTMData()
+                while(true) {
+                    var clientaddr = sockaddr_un()
+                    var clientlen = socklen_t(MemoryLayout<sockaddr_un>.size)
+                    let clientfd = withUnsafeMutablePointer(to: &clientaddr) { addrptr in
+                        withUnsafeMutablePointer(to: &clientlen) { lenptr in
+                            return accept(fd, UnsafeMutableRawPointer(addrptr).assumingMemoryBound(to: sockaddr.self), lenptr)
+                        }
+                    }
+                    let channel = DispatchIO(type: .stream, fileDescriptor: clientfd, queue: .global()) { error in
+                        print("channel error: \(error)")
+                    }
+                    writePrompt(channel: channel)
+                    readChannelLines(buf: DispatchData.empty, channel: channel, handleMsg: { msg in
+                        socketQueue.async {
+                            let tokens = msg.split(separator: " ")
+//                            print("[Debug] \(tokens)")
+                            if(!tokens.isEmpty) {
+                                let resp: String
+                                switch tokens.first! {
+                                case "list":
+                                    let header = "UUID                                 Status   Name"
+                                    let lines = [header] + data.virtualMachines.map {
+                                        let status = $0.stateLabel.padding(toLength: 8, withPad: " ", startingAt: 0)
+                                        return "\($0.id) \(status) \($0.config.name)"
+                                    }
+                                    resp = lines.joined(separator: "\n")
+                                case "start":
+                                    if let vm: UTMVirtualMachine = data.virtualMachines.first(where: { "\($0.id)" == tokens[1] }) {
+                                        vm.requestVmStart()
+                                        let status = vm.stateLabel.padding(toLength: 8, withPad: " ", startingAt: 0)
+                                        resp = "\(vm.id) \(status) \(vm.config.name)"
+                                    } else {
+                                        resp = "Uknown UUID: \(tokens[1])"
+                                    }
+                                case "stop":
+                                    if let vm: UTMVirtualMachine = data.virtualMachines.first(where: { "\($0.id)" == tokens[1] }) {
+                                        vm.requestVmStop()
+                                        let status = vm.stateLabel.padding(toLength: 8, withPad: " ", startingAt: 0)
+                                        resp = "\(vm.id) \(status) \(vm.config.name)"
+                                    } else {
+                                        resp = "Uknown UUID: \(tokens[1])"
+                                    }
+                                default:
+                                    resp = "Unknown command: \(tokens.first!)"
+                                }
+                                writeLine(channel: channel, msg: resp)
+                            }
+                            writePrompt(channel: channel)
+                        }
+                    }, eof: { close(clientfd) })
+                }
+            }
+        }
         UTMApp.main()
     }