Sandbox Agent SDK

title
Sandbox Agent SDK
type
toolbox
summary
TypeScript SDK for running coding agents inside Docker's microVM sandboxes under one interface
tags
microvm, docker, sandboxing, ai-agents, sdk, watchlist
language
TypeScript
license
open-source
created
2026-05-22
updated
2026-07-29

Rivet's open-source SDK for orchestrating AI coding agents inside microVMs, built on the undocumented Docker Sandbox /vm API (rivet-docker-sandbox-microvm). The pitch is the gap between the raw HTTP endpoint and a production agent runner: session lifecycle (VM create β†’ image load β†’ container start β†’ cleanup-on-failure), parsing streaming agent output, handling permission prompts and human-in-the-loop workflows, and presenting Claude, Codex, OpenCode, and others through one unified interface.

What it wraps

Three things the raw API leaves to you:

  1. Session lifecycle. Creating microVMs, loading images, starting containers, and the cleanup-on-error paths the API doesn't manage.
  2. Agent communication. Streaming output parsing, permission-prompt handling, human-in-the-loop checkpoints. The same pattern charlie-daemons hit at the long-running-agent layer.
  3. Multi-agent abstraction. One TypeScript interface over Claude Code, Codex, OpenCode, etc. β€” the substrate equivalent of what cc-mirror and claude-code-router do at the model-routing layer.

Where it fits

Sits on top of Docker Desktop 4.58+ on macOS/Windows. Adjacent to but distinct from:

  • superhq β€” broader multi-agent orchestrator (Claude Code, Codex, Pi) with its own microVM substrate; SDK-first, not orchestrator-first.
  • flue β€” withastro's harness framework; ships with just-bash sandboxing by default, not microVMs.
  • hazmat β€” macOS-native containment (user/Seatbelt/pf); not microVM-based.
  • bubblewrap-dev-env β€” Linux namespace isolation; the kind of substrate microvm-2026 argues isn't enough alone.

The SDK's main value is letting you escape the six-agent whitelist in docker sandbox run. If you want to put your own agent or your own container behind Docker's microVM isolation, this is the path.

Limitations

  • Platform: macOS/Windows only, because Docker Sandboxes is.
  • API stability: built on an undocumented Docker surface (sandboxd.sock); upstream is free to break it.
  • Watchlist candidate: production adoption signals are still early; re-check 2026-08-22 for breaking-API events and SDK maturity.

Repo

https://sandboxagent.dev. Documentation includes a "deploy with Docker Sandboxes" guide. Companion writeup: rivet-docker-sandbox-microvm.

On watchlist while it rides Docker's undocumented sandboxd.sock, which can change in any minor release.