The Verdict object

Preview — documented before it ships

The shape below is the contract. The generated reference renders it directly from the OpenAPI spec, nested in each operation’s response.

Everything DoesItARM returns is built from one object: the Verdict. Learn it once and every endpoint and MCP tool reads the same. Concept first — the why behind these fields is How verdicts work.

The shape

type Verdict = {
  slug: string                 // canonical id on doesitarm.com
  title: string
  kind: "app" | "game"
  status: "native" | "rosetta2" | "translation" | "unsupported" | "unknown"
  translationLayer?: "gptk" | "crossover" | "whisky" | "vm" | null
  confidence: "high" | "medium" | "low"
  basis: ("binary" | "automated_test" | "crowd" | "vendor" | "curator")[]
  macosVersion: string         // e.g. "26", "27"
  chip: string                 // "apple_silicon" | "m1" | "m2" | "m3" | "m4"
  caveats: string[]
  breaksAtRosettaEol: boolean
  lastVerified: string         // ISO date
  stale: boolean
  signals: Signal[]            // contributing reports/tests, newest first
  alternatives?: Alternative[] // native equivalents, mainly when unsupported/unknown
}

Field by field

• status — the answer. unknown means Needs more data, a real verdict, not a failure. We assert positives/negatives only on strong evidence (a negative needs a reproduced failure), so unknown is the honest default.
• translationLayer — set only when status is translation; names the layer (gptk, crossover, whisky, vm). null or absent otherwise.
• confidence + basis — how sure we are, and how we know (binary inspection, automated test, crowd reports, vendor statement, curator note).
• macosVersion + chip — the scope this answer applies to.
• caveats — qualifiers like “no online play” or “low FPS”.
• breaksAtRosettaEol — true when the title only survives via Rosetta 2 and will break at macOS 28 (fall 2027).
• lastVerified + stale — the freshness fields. See Caching & freshness.
• signals — the evidence trail, newest first.
• alternatives — native equivalents, surfaced mainly when a title is unsupported or unknown.

The honesty fields are the point

status: "unknown", confidence: "low", stale: true, and a populated caveats[] are features, not edge cases. DoesItARM’s value is being trustworthy — so it tells you what it doesn’t know. Build for these branches first.

Worked examples

native

{
  "slug": "adobe-photoshop", "title": "Adobe Photoshop", "kind": "app",
  "status": "native", "confidence": "high",
  "basis": ["binary", "vendor", "automated_test"],
  "macosVersion": "26", "chip": "apple_silicon",
  "caveats": [], "breaksAtRosettaEol": false,
  "lastVerified": "2026-06-21", "stale": false,
  "signals": [{ "id": "sig_01", "kind": "test", "status": "native",
    "confidence": "high", "macosVersion": "26", "chip": "m3",
    "at": "2026-06-21T00:00:00Z",
    "ref": "https://doesitarm.com/adobe-photoshop#test-01" }],
  "alternatives": []
}

translation (game)

{
  "slug": "cyberpunk-2077", "title": "Cyberpunk 2077", "kind": "game",
  "status": "translation", "translationLayer": "gptk", "confidence": "medium",
  "basis": ["crowd", "automated_test"],
  "macosVersion": "26", "chip": "apple_silicon",
  "caveats": ["Runs via Game Porting Toolkit; no anti-cheat online play."],
  "breaksAtRosettaEol": false,
  "lastVerified": "2026-06-19", "stale": false,
  "signals": [{ "id": "sig_8f3", "kind": "report", "status": "translation",
    "confidence": "medium", "macosVersion": "26", "chip": "m2",
    "at": "2026-06-19T14:02:00Z",
    "ref": "https://doesitarm.com/cyberpunk-2077#report-8f3" }],
  "alternatives": [{ "forSlug": "cyberpunk-2077", "altSlug": "baldurs-gate-3",
    "reason": "Runs natively on Apple Silicon; similar open-world RPG." }]
}

stale

{
  "slug": "final-cut-pro", "title": "Final Cut Pro", "kind": "app",
  "status": "native", "confidence": "medium", "basis": ["vendor", "crowd"],
  "macosVersion": "26", "chip": "apple_silicon",
  "caveats": ["Last verified before macOS 26.2; re-check pending."],
  "breaksAtRosettaEol": false,
  "lastVerified": "2025-09-02", "stale": true,
  "signals": [{ "id": "sig_fcp1", "kind": "source", "status": "native",
    "confidence": "medium", "macosVersion": "25", "chip": "m2",
    "at": "2025-09-02T00:00:00Z",
    "ref": "https://doesitarm.com/final-cut-pro#source-1" }],
  "alternatives": []
}

unknown

{
  "slug": "some-ancient-installer", "title": "Some Ancient Installer", "kind": "app",
  "status": "unknown", "confidence": "low", "basis": [],
  "macosVersion": "26", "chip": "apple_silicon",
  "caveats": ["No binary or report on file. Submit one to improve this verdict."],
  "breaksAtRosettaEol": false,
  "lastVerified": "2026-06-10", "stale": false,
  "signals": [],
  "alternatives": [{ "forSlug": "some-ancient-installer",
    "altSlug": "a-maintained-equivalent",
    "reason": "Actively maintained, native on Apple Silicon." }]
}

rosetta2

{
  "slug": "quicken-2017", "title": "Quicken 2017", "kind": "app",
  "status": "rosetta2", "confidence": "high", "basis": ["binary", "crowd"],
  "macosVersion": "26", "chip": "apple_silicon",
  "caveats": ["x86_64 only; runs under Rosetta 2 today."],
  "breaksAtRosettaEol": true,
  "lastVerified": "2026-06-18", "stale": false,
  "signals": [{ "id": "sig_qk1", "kind": "report", "status": "rosetta2",
    "confidence": "high", "macosVersion": "26", "chip": "m2",
    "at": "2026-06-18T00:00:00Z",
    "ref": "https://doesitarm.com/quicken-2017#report-qk1" }],
  "alternatives": []
}

breaksAtRosettaEol: true — it runs today, but only through Rosetta 2, so it stops working at macOS 28 (fall 2027). Plan the migration before then.

unsupported

{
  "slug": "aperture", "title": "Aperture", "kind": "app",
  "status": "unsupported", "confidence": "high", "basis": ["binary", "crowd"],
  "macosVersion": "26", "chip": "apple_silicon",
  "caveats": ["Discontinued by Apple; reproduced failure to launch on macOS 26."],
  "breaksAtRosettaEol": false,
  "lastVerified": "2026-06-15", "stale": false,
  "signals": [{ "id": "sig_ap1", "kind": "test", "status": "unsupported",
    "confidence": "high", "macosVersion": "26", "chip": "m3",
    "at": "2026-06-15T00:00:00Z",
    "ref": "https://doesitarm.com/aperture#test-ap1" }],
  "alternatives": [{ "forSlug": "aperture", "altSlug": "lightroom-classic",
    "reason": "Native on Apple Silicon; closest pro photo library and RAW editor." }]
}

A negative needs a reproduced failure (the caveats say so), and alternatives[] points at a native replacement — the pairing the data model is built around.

The related shapes — Signal and Alternative — are nested inside the Verdict and render in full on the generated lookupVerdict reference.