Files
openclaw/docs/cli/sandbox.md
Peter Steinberger edecdbd05e refactor(config): config-surface reduction tranche 3 — product consolidations (review request) (#111527)
* refactor(config): consolidate media model lists

* refactor(config): unify memory configuration

* refactor(config): consolidate TTS ownership

* refactor(config): move typing policy to agents

* refactor(config): retire product-level config surfaces

* refactor(config): share scoped tool policy type

* chore(config): refresh generated baselines

* fix(config): honor agent typing overrides

* fix(config): migrate sibling config consumers

* refactor(infra): keep base64url decoder private

* fix(config): strip invalid legacy TTS values

* chore(config): refresh rebased baseline hash

* fix(doctor): route legacy messages.tts.realtime voice to talk during tts move

* refactor(config): polish final layout names

* refactor(config): freeze retired tuning defaults

* feat(config): add fast mode default symmetry

* refactor(config): key agent entries by id

* docs(config): update final layout reference

* test(config): cover final layout migrations

* chore(config): refresh final layout baselines

* fix(config): align final layout runtime readers

* fix(config): align remaining readers

* fix(config): stabilize final layout migrations

* fix(config): finalize config projection proof

* fix(config): address final layout review

* docs(release): preserve historical config names

* fix(config): complete keyed agent migration

* fix(config): close final migration gaps

* fix(config): finish full-branch review

* fix(config): complete runtime secret detection

* fix(config): close final review findings

* fix(config): finish canonical docs and heartbeat migration

* fix(config): integrate latest main after rebase

* refactor(env): isolate test-only controls

* refactor(env): isolate build and development controls

* refactor(env): collapse process identity indirection

* refactor(env): remove duplicate config and temp aliases

* docs(env): define the operator-facing allowlist

* ci(env): ratchet production variable count

* fix(env): remove stale provider helper import

* fix(env): make ratchet sorting explicit

* test(env): keep test seam in dead-code audit

* test(env): cover ratchet growth and boundary; document surface budgets

* docs(config): document tier-eval consolidations

* docs(config): clarify speech preference ownership

* test(memory): align retired tuning fixtures

* refactor(memory): freeze engine heuristics

* refactor(config): apply tier-eval tranche

* refactor(tts): move persona shaping to providers

* refactor(compaction): move prompt policy to providers

* test(config): align hookified prompt fixtures

* chore(deadcode): classify test-only exports

* chore(github): remove unused spawn helper

* chore(deadcode): classify queue diagnostics

* chore(deadcode): remove unused lane snapshot export

* chore(plugin-sdk): ratchet consolidated surface

* fix(config): integrate latest main after rebase
2026-07-21 20:28:43 -07:00

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Markdown

---
summary: "Manage sandbox runtimes and inspect effective sandbox policy"
title: Sandbox CLI
read_when: "You are managing sandbox runtimes or debugging sandbox/tool-policy behavior."
status: active
---
Manage sandbox runtimes for isolated agent execution: Docker containers, SSH targets, or OpenShell backends.
## Commands
### `openclaw sandbox list`
List sandbox runtimes with status, backend, config match, age, idle time, and associated session/agent.
```bash
openclaw sandbox list
openclaw sandbox list --browser # browser containers only
openclaw sandbox list --json
```
### `openclaw sandbox recreate`
Remove sandbox runtimes to force recreation with current config. Runtimes are recreated automatically the next time the agent is used.
```bash
openclaw sandbox recreate --all
openclaw sandbox recreate --agent mybot # includes agent:mybot:* sub-sessions
openclaw sandbox recreate --session "agent:main:main"
openclaw sandbox recreate --browser --all # only browser containers
openclaw sandbox recreate --all --force # skip confirmation
```
Options:
- `--all`: recreate all sandbox containers
- `--session <key>`: recreate the runtime with this exact scope key (as shown by `sandbox list`); no short-name expansion
- `--agent <id>`: recreate runtimes for one agent (matches `agent:<id>` and `agent:<id>:*`)
- `--browser`: only affect browser containers
- `--force`: skip the confirmation prompt
Pass exactly one of `--all`, `--session`, or `--agent`.
For `ssh` and OpenShell `remote`, recreate matters more than with Docker: the remote workspace is canonical after the initial seed, `recreate` deletes that canonical remote workspace for the selected scope, and the next run reseeds it from the current local workspace.
### `openclaw sandbox explain`
Inspect the effective sandbox mode/scope/workspace access, sandbox tool policy, and elevated-tool gates (with fix-it config key paths).
The report keeps `workspaceRoot` as the configured sandbox root and separately shows the effective host workspace, backend runtime workdir, and Docker mount table. For `workspaceAccess: "rw"`, the effective host workspace is the agent workspace rather than a directory below `workspaceRoot`.
```bash
openclaw sandbox explain
openclaw sandbox explain --session agent:main:main
openclaw sandbox explain --agent work
openclaw sandbox explain --json
```
Unlike `recreate --session`, this accepts short session names (for example `main`) and expands them against the resolved agent.
## Why recreate is needed
Updating sandbox config does not affect running containers: existing runtimes keep their old settings, and idle runtimes are only pruned after `prune.idleHours` (default 24h). Regularly used agents can keep stale runtimes alive indefinitely. `openclaw sandbox recreate` removes the old runtime so the next use rebuilds it from current config.
<Tip>
Prefer `openclaw sandbox recreate` over manual backend-specific cleanup. It uses the Gateway's runtime registry and avoids mismatches when scope or session keys change.
</Tip>
## Common triggers
| Change | Command |
| -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| Docker image update (`agents.defaults.sandbox.docker.image`) | `openclaw sandbox recreate --all` |
| Sandbox config (`agents.defaults.sandbox.*`) | `openclaw sandbox recreate --all` |
| SSH target/auth (`agents.defaults.sandbox.ssh.{target,workspaceRoot,identityFile,certificateFile,knownHostsFile,identityData,certificateData,knownHostsData}`) | `openclaw sandbox recreate --all` |
| OpenShell source/policy/mode (`plugins.entries.openshell.config.{from,mode,policy}`) | `openclaw sandbox recreate --all` |
| `setupCommand` | `openclaw sandbox recreate --all` (or `--agent <id>` for one agent) |
<Note>
Runtimes are automatically recreated when the agent is next used.
</Note>
## Registry migration
Sandbox runtime metadata lives in the shared SQLite state database. Older installs may have legacy registry files that regular reads no longer rewrite:
- `~/.openclaw/sandbox/containers.json`
- `~/.openclaw/sandbox/browsers.json`
- one JSON shard per container/browser under `~/.openclaw/sandbox/containers/` or `~/.openclaw/sandbox/browsers/`
Run `openclaw doctor --fix` to migrate valid legacy entries into SQLite. Invalid legacy files are quarantined so a corrupt old registry cannot hide current runtime entries.
## Configuration
Sandbox settings live in `~/.openclaw/openclaw.json` under `agents.defaults.sandbox` (per-agent overrides go in `agents.entries.*.sandbox`):
```jsonc
{
"agents": {
"defaults": {
"sandbox": {
"mode": "all", // off, non-main, all
"backend": "docker", // docker, ssh, openshell (plugin-provided)
"scope": "agent", // session, agent, shared
"docker": {
"image": "openclaw-sandbox:bookworm-slim",
"containerPrefix": "openclaw-sbx-",
// ... more Docker options
},
"prune": {
"idleHours": 24, // auto-prune after 24h idle
"maxAgeDays": 7, // auto-prune after 7 days
},
},
},
},
}
```
## Related
- [CLI reference](/cli)
- [Sandboxing](/gateway/sandboxing)
- [Agent workspace](/concepts/agent-workspace)
- [Doctor](/gateway/doctor): checks sandbox setup.