Skip to content
CoderClaw CoderClaw

Sandbox CLI

Sandbox CLI

Section titled “Sandbox CLI”

Manage Docker-based sandbox containers for isolated agent execution.

Overview

Section titled “Overview”

CoderClaw can run agents in isolated Docker containers for security. The sandbox commands help you manage these containers, especially after updates or configuration changes.

Commands

Section titled “Commands”

coderclaw sandbox explain

Section titled “coderclaw sandbox explain”

Inspect the effective sandbox mode/scope/workspace access, sandbox tool policy, and elevated gates (with fix-it config key paths).

Terminal window
coderclaw sandbox explain
coderclaw sandbox explain --session agent:main:main
coderclaw sandbox explain --agent work
coderclaw sandbox explain --json

coderclaw sandbox list

Section titled “coderclaw sandbox list”

List all sandbox containers with their status and configuration.

Terminal window
coderclaw sandbox list
coderclaw sandbox list --browser  # List only browser containers
coderclaw sandbox list --json     # JSON output

Output includes:

  • Container name and status (running/stopped)
  • Docker image and whether it matches config
  • Age (time since creation)
  • Idle time (time since last use)
  • Associated session/agent

coderclaw sandbox recreate

Section titled “coderclaw sandbox recreate”

Remove sandbox containers to force recreation with updated images/config.

Terminal window
coderclaw sandbox recreate --all                # Recreate all containers
coderclaw sandbox recreate --session main       # Specific session
coderclaw sandbox recreate --agent mybot        # Specific agent
coderclaw sandbox recreate --browser            # Only browser containers
coderclaw sandbox recreate --all --force        # Skip confirmation

Options:

  • --all: Recreate all sandbox containers
  • --session <key>: Recreate container for specific session
  • --agent <id>: Recreate containers for specific agent
  • --browser: Only recreate browser containers
  • --force: Skip confirmation prompt

Important: Containers are automatically recreated when the agent is next used.

Use Cases

Section titled “Use Cases”

After updating Docker images

Section titled “After updating Docker images”
Terminal window
# Pull new image
docker pull coderclaw-sandbox:latest
docker tag coderclaw-sandbox:latest coderclaw-sandbox:bookworm-slim


# Update config to use new image
# Edit config: agents.defaults.sandbox.docker.image (or agents.list[].sandbox.docker.image)


# Recreate containers
coderclaw sandbox recreate --all

After changing sandbox configuration

Section titled “After changing sandbox configuration”
Terminal window
# Edit config: agents.defaults.sandbox.* (or agents.list[].sandbox.*)


# Recreate to apply new config
coderclaw sandbox recreate --all

After changing setupCommand

Section titled “After changing setupCommand”
Terminal window
coderclaw sandbox recreate --all
# or just one agent:
coderclaw sandbox recreate --agent family

For a specific agent only

Section titled “For a specific agent only”
Terminal window
# Update only one agent's containers
coderclaw sandbox recreate --agent alfred

Why is this needed?

Section titled “Why is this needed?”

Problem: When you update sandbox Docker images or configuration:

  • Existing containers continue running with old settings
  • Containers are only pruned after 24h of inactivity
  • Regularly-used agents keep old containers running indefinitely

Solution: Use coderclaw sandbox recreate to force removal of old containers. They’ll be recreated automatically with current settings when next needed.

Tip: prefer coderclaw sandbox recreate over manual docker rm. It uses the Gateway’s container naming and avoids mismatches when scope/session keys change.

Configuration

Section titled “Configuration”

Sandbox settings live in ~/.coderclaw/coderclaw.json under agents.defaults.sandbox (per-agent overrides go in agents.list[].sandbox):

{
  "agents": {
    "defaults": {
      "sandbox": {
        "mode": "all", // off, non-main, all
        "scope": "agent", // session, agent, shared
        "docker": {
          "image": "coderclaw-sandbox:bookworm-slim",
          "containerPrefix": "coderclaw-sbx-",
          // ... more Docker options
        },
        "prune": {
          "idleHours": 24, // Auto-prune after 24h idle
          "maxAgeDays": 7, // Auto-prune after 7 days
        },
      },
    },
  },
}

See Also

Section titled “See Also”