What Apple added
macOS 27 includes a new `fm` command-line tool that gives developers direct Terminal access to Apple Foundation Models. Apple’s WWDC26 session says the tool is preinstalled with macOS 27, so simple prompting and scripting no longer require wrapping the Foundation Models framework in a Swift application.
The same session introduces a Foundation Models SDK for Python. Apple positions the CLI and Python SDK as ways to integrate its on-device model with existing scripting, evaluation and automation workflows on Apple silicon Macs.
What the CLI can do
Apple demonstrates `fm respond` for interactive prompts and structured output, plus workflows that use the model to help organise files. The Foundation Models stack also supports guided generation and tool calling, allowing scripts to constrain model output or connect model reasoning to deterministic code.
This matters because the on-device model can now participate in ordinary shell and Python workflows. For developers who previously had to build a Swift host application to reach the same model, the friction for experiments, local utilities and evaluation pipelines is materially lower.
The wider Foundation Models change
Apple’s current Foundation Models documentation says macOS 27 also updates the on-device SystemLanguageModel, adds multimodal prompts, expands tool calling controls and introduces a common LanguageModel protocol that can target Apple models or other providers. The CLI is therefore one surface of a broader expansion of the framework rather than a standalone terminal product.
Limits and availability
The strongest direct evidence is Apple’s own developer documentation and WWDC material. Availability still depends on macOS 27, compatible Apple silicon hardware and Apple Intelligence support. Apple’s model policies and system-level availability rules continue to apply, so `fm` should be treated as an official access path to the system model rather than an unrestricted local model distribution.