A point-and-click app that runs the full mbX Pro 16S pipeline. Everything is bundled — Docker, QIIME2, R, Python and the analysis image — so you do not install any dependencies.

Requirements: a Mac with Apple Silicon (M1/M2/M3/M4), macOS 13+, and ~30 GB free disk space. (First launch provisions Rosetta automatically if needed.)

Install

Double-click mbXPro-Installer.pkg.
- macOS may say it's from an unidentified developer. If so: right-click the .pkg → Open → Open, then proceed.
- mbX Pro is not signed with a paid Apple Developer ID ($99/year), so macOS quarantines the file. If it still won't open (e.g. it says the package is "damaged" or Gatekeeper blocks it), clear the quarantine flag once in Terminal, then double-click the .pkg again:
```
sudo xattr -rd com.apple.quarantine /path/to/mbXPro-Installer.pkg
```
  Replace /path/to/ with wherever the .pkg actually lives — for example ~/Desktop/demo_mbXPro/software/mbXPro-Installer.pkg. (Tip: drag the .pkg into the Terminal window to fill in the path automatically. You'll be asked for your Mac password.)
Follow the installer. When it finishes you'll have:
- mbXPro in /Applications
- an mbXPro icon on your Desktop and in the Dock.

Run the test data set

Open mbXPro (Desktop icon, Dock, or Applications).
Set the three inputs (drag-and-drop, or click Choose):
- FASTQ folder → ../test_data_set/FASTQ
- Metadata file → ../test_data_set/metadata.txt
- Output location → anywhere in your home folder (a timestamped mbX_pro_outputs_… folder is created there).
Click Run Analysis.
When it finishes, click Open Report (or Reveal in Finder).

The run takes a while: the pipeline runs under x86 emulation on Apple Silicon. Keep your Mac awake until it finishes.

Notes

All processing is local — no data leaves your computer.
To remove: drag /Applications/mbXPro.app to the Trash and delete the ~/.mbxpro folder. (The bundled runtime/image live in /Library/Application Support/mbXPro.)

Cite mbX Pro

If mbX Pro helps your research, please cite our paper:

https://doi.org/10.3390/stats8020044
https://www.mdpi.com/2571-905X/8/2/44