Sandbox CLI

Manage Docker-based sandbox containers for isolated agent execution.

Overview

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

Commands

`bot sandbox explain`

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

bot sandbox explain
bot sandbox explain --session agent:main:main
bot sandbox explain --agent work
bot sandbox explain --json

`bot sandbox list`

List all sandbox containers with their status and configuration.

bot sandbox list
bot sandbox list --browser  # List only browser containers
bot 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

`bot sandbox recreate`

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

bot sandbox recreate --all                # Recreate all containers
bot sandbox recreate --session main       # Specific session
bot sandbox recreate --agent mybot        # Specific agent
bot sandbox recreate --browser            # Only browser containers
bot 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

After updating Docker images

# Pull new image
docker pull bot-sandbox:latest
docker tag bot-sandbox:latest bot-sandbox:bookworm-slim

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

# Recreate containers
bot sandbox recreate --all

After changing sandbox configuration

# Edit config: agents.defaults.sandbox.* (or agents.list[].sandbox.*)

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

After changing setupCommand

bot sandbox recreate --all
# or just one agent:
bot sandbox recreate --agent family

For a specific agent only

# Update only one agent's containers
bot sandbox recreate --agent alfred

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 bot sandbox recreate to force removal of old containers. They'll be recreated automatically with current settings when next needed.

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

Configuration

Sandbox settings live in ~/.bot/bot.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": "bot-sandbox:bookworm-slim",
          "containerPrefix": "bot-sbx-"
          // ... more Docker options
        },
        "prune": {
          "idleHours": 24,               // Auto-prune after 24h idle
          "maxAgeDays": 7                // Auto-prune after 7 days
        }
      }
    }
  }
}