Skip to content

Virtual machines, sandboxes & browser

Agents get real Linux workspaces to run code, plus ephemeral sandboxes and an in-VM browser they can drive.

Workspaces for agent work

Virtual machines are durable Linux environments for work that needs a real filesystem, installed tools, running processes, repository checkouts, or browser access. Agents use them for coding tasks, previews, external tool setup, and other work that should survive across long-running turns.

Each VM is provisioned by the VM plane and can be created, listed, woken, hibernated, or deleted. Wake behavior is configurable: a VM can wake only when explicitly requested, wake when an agent needs it, or stay always on when the work requires low-latency availability.

Sandboxes for short jobs

Sandboxes are short-lived VM-like environments for quick commands. They auto-delete after inactivity and share the same execution, file-transfer, and VFS surfaces as full VMs, so agents can use normal shell workflows without provisioning a durable workspace.

Use a sandbox when the task is temporary and does not need a long-lived machine. Use a VM when the agent needs persistent checkouts, services, previews, browser sessions, or state that should remain available across turns.

Commands, files, and repositories

Agents run bash commands on VMs and sandboxes with streamed output, timeouts, and approval checks for dangerous operations. Long-running command work is durable, so a tool run can continue even when the surrounding agent turn waits on it.

Files can move between platform storage and VM or sandbox paths by SCP. Agents can also mount platform file trees into a workspace and sync changes back through VFS, which is the same foundation used for coding and repository work.

Public previews and webhooks

Agents can expose VM ports on org-scoped public hosts. This lets a human open a running preview in a browser, lets an agent smoke-test the same public URL a reviewer will use, and gives external systems a stable webhook target when a task needs one.

Exposures are tied to VM ports rather than code changes, so projects should be configured by environment instead of hardcoding local hostnames or ports.

Secrets

Agents can list and inject approved org or agent secrets onto a VM for later commands. Secret values are stored on the machine without being printed into chat, which lets agents authenticate to services while keeping the conversation history clean.

Browser sessions

With the browser skillset enabled, agents can drive headless Chrome inside the VM: navigate, click, type, screenshot, record video, and inspect console or network logs. Browser screenshots and recordings become artifacts, so teammates can inspect what the agent saw.

Browser sessions are useful for frontend verification, provider auth flows, visual checks, and debugging behavior that only appears in a real browser.

After closing a browser session, an agent can inspect its persisted action timeline and create short clips for relevant time ranges.

VM controls in the workspace

VMs appear inline in conversations and tasks as VM pills. Those controls show lifecycle state and provide resume or hibernate actions, so a teammate can see when an agent has active infrastructure and intervene without leaving the workspace.

Last updated 2026-08-16