Start Mac VNC server from command line

gistfile1.txt

# Step 1: Set priveleges

$ sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -configure -allowAccessFor -allUsers -privs -all

Starting...
Setting allow all users to YES.
Setting all users privileges to 1073742079.
Done.

# Step 2: Allow VNC clients

$ sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -configure -clientopts -setvnclegacy -vnclegacy yes 

Starting...
Set the client options.
Done.

# Step 3: Set VNC password (change it at the end of the line (i.e. don't use supersecret))

$ sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -configure -clientopts -setvncpw -vncpw supersecret

Starting...
Set the client options.
Done.


# Step 4: Restart service

$ sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -restart -agent -console

Starting...
Stopped ARD Agent.
Stopped VNC Privilege Proxy
Stopped RFB Register MDNS
Done.


# Step 5: If no ARD services have been activated on the machine before, it is also necessary to run the following command

$ sudo /System/Library/CoreServices/RemoteManagement/ARDAgent.app/Contents/Resources/kickstart -activate

Starting...
Activated Remote Management.
Done.

@nateware you just saved my day (20.5hrs)
worked on
Amazon EC2 macOS Catalina 10.15.7, and
Amazon EC2 macOS Mojave

endpoint details are - IP, Username, Pass

Great script. It's working on BigSur too.

% uname -a
Darwin ip-172-31-30-21.us-east-2.compute.internal 20.3.0 Darwin Kernel Version 20.3.0: Thu Jan 21 00:07:06 PST 2021; root:xnu-7195.81.3~1/RELEASE_X86_64 x86_64

Love this script, have used it a few times to get me out of trouble.

On Mac OS 12.3 Any advice on how this works now? I get the following errors and I am able to login but get a black screen.

Trying to read up on this MDM configuration stuff but sounds relatively new and I'm not a Mac person so I'm not very familiar with how to manage these machines from a fully remote setting.

Screen recording might be disabled. Screen Sharing or Remote Management must be enabled from System Preferences or via MDM.
Screen control might be disabled. Screen Sharing or Remote Management must be enabled from System Preferences or via MDM.

On Mac OS 12.3 Any advice on how this works now? I get the following errors and I am able to login but get a black screen.

Trying to read up on this MDM configuration stuff but sounds relatively new and I'm not a Mac person so I'm not very familiar with how to manage these machines from a fully remote setting.

Screen recording might be disabled. Screen Sharing or Remote Management must be enabled from System Preferences or via MDM.
Screen control might be disabled. Screen Sharing or Remote Management must be enabled from System Preferences or via MDM.

Similar issue. Not a Mac user and would definitely appreciate any suggestion to enable the built-in VNC server via terminal.
Related: https://support.jumpdesktop.com/hc/en-us/articles/216425923-Mac-How-do-I-enable-the-VNC-Server-built-into-the-Mac-

how to define headless resoulution?

Here is a script to set VNC password in macos 10.14 and later:
echo runnerrdp | perl -we 'BEGIN { @k = unpack "C*", pack "H*", "1734516E8BA8C5E2FF1C39567390ADCA"}; $_ = <>; chomp; s/^(.{8}).*/$1/; @p = unpack "C*", $_; foreach (@k) { printf "%02X", $_ ^ (shift @p || 0) }; print "\n"' | sudo tee /Library/Preferences/com.apple.VNCSettings.txt
Origin: https://raw.githubusercontent.com/JohnnyNetsec/github-vm/main/mac/start.sh