Short version: don't run it in Docker. On an Apple Silicon Mac, Fregata is the native way to run the Frigate NVR — same engine, but with object detection on the Apple Neural Engine and no Docker.
You can, and it starts up fine — but Docker Desktop on macOS runs everything inside a Linux virtual machine, and that VM can't reach the two pieces of Apple Silicon that make an NVR efficient:
The result is a setup that technically works but runs hot, loud, and CPU-bound — the opposite of what an always-on recorder should be on a Mac.
Fregata is a native macOS port of Frigate. It's the same Frigate engine — same config.yml, same web UI, same MQTT topics, same Home Assistant integration, same Frigate+ support — repackaged as a signed, notarized .app you drag to Applications. No Docker, no Linux VM, no terminal.
What changes is the part that was Linux-shaped to begin with:
In practice a base Apple Silicon Mac mini handles real-time detection across 8 or more 4K cameras while sitting near idle.
Full walkthrough in the docs: Installation, Add your first camera, and — if you're moving an existing Docker setup — Migrating from Frigate to Fregata (your config and recordings carry over).
$10 one-time for a year of updates (the version you have keeps working forever), with a 30-day free trial and no per-camera fees. See the pricing and how Fregata compares to Frigate-in-Docker, Scrypted, Blue Iris, and Synology.
That's completely fine — Frigate is free, open source, and excellent. If you're on Linux or have a Coral / NVIDIA box, run upstream Frigate. Fregata exists specifically for people who want that same engine to run natively, and fast, on a Mac.