---
summary: "Use OpenShell as a managed sandbox backend for OpenClaw agents"
title: OpenShell
read_when:
  - You want cloud-managed sandboxes instead of local Docker
  - You are setting up the OpenShell plugin
  - You need to choose between mirror and remote workspace modes
---

OpenShell is a managed sandbox backend: instead of running Docker containers
locally, OpenClaw delegates sandbox lifecycle to the `openshell` CLI, which
provisions remote environments and executes commands over SSH.

The plugin reuses the same SSH transport and remote filesystem bridge as the
generic [SSH backend](/gateway/sandboxing#ssh-backend), and adds OpenShell
lifecycle (`sandbox create/get/delete/ssh-config`) plus an optional `mirror`
workspace sync mode.

## Prerequisites

- OpenShell plugin installed (`openclaw plugins install @openclaw/openshell-sandbox`)
- `openshell` CLI on `PATH` (or a custom path via
  `plugins.entries.openshell.config.command`)
- OpenSSH client available on the Gateway host
- OpenShell `v0.0.88` or newer when configuring an OpenShell workspace
- An OpenShell account with sandbox access
- OpenClaw Gateway running on the host

## Quick start

```bash
openclaw plugins install @openclaw/openshell-sandbox
```

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      sandbox: {
        mode: "all",
        backend: "openshell",
        scope: "session",
        workspaceAccess: "rw",
      },
    },
  },
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      openshell: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          from: "openclaw",
          mode: "remote",
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

Restart the Gateway. On the next agent turn OpenClaw creates an OpenShell
sandbox and routes tool execution through it. Verify with:

```bash
openclaw sandbox list
openclaw sandbox explain
```

## Workspace modes

This is the most important OpenShell decision.

OpenShell also has a control-plane resource named a **workspace**. That is
separate from the filesystem workspace described below: it scopes sandboxes,
providers, policies, inference routes, and membership. Set
`plugins.entries.openshell.config.workspace` to use an existing non-default
OpenShell workspace. The plugin does not create OpenShell workspaces or manage
their membership. When this setting is unset, the plugin preserves the
OpenShell CLI's ambient `OPENSHELL_WORKSPACE` selection, or the CLI's `default`
fallback when no ambient selection exists.

### mirror (default)

`plugins.entries.openshell.config.mode: "mirror"` keeps the **local workspace
canonical**:

- Before `exec`, OpenClaw syncs the local workspace into the sandbox.
- After `exec`, OpenClaw syncs the remote workspace back to local.
- File tools go through the sandbox bridge, but local stays source of truth
  between turns.

Best for development workflows: local edits outside OpenClaw show up on the
next exec, and the sandbox behaves close to the Docker backend.

Tradeoff: upload + download cost on every exec turn.

### remote

`mode: "remote"` makes the **OpenShell workspace canonical**:

- On first sandbox creation, OpenClaw seeds the remote workspace from local
  once.
- After that, `exec`, `read`, `write`, `edit`, and `apply_patch` operate
  directly on the remote workspace. OpenClaw does **not** sync remote changes
  back to local.
- Prompt-time media reads still work (file/media tools read through the
  sandbox bridge).

Best for long-running agents and CI: lower per-turn overhead, and host-local
edits cannot silently clobber remote state.

<Warning>
Editing files on the host outside OpenClaw after the initial seed is invisible to the remote sandbox. Run `openclaw sandbox recreate` to re-seed.
</Warning>

### Choosing a mode

|                          | `mirror`                   | `remote`                  |
| ------------------------ | -------------------------- | ------------------------- |
| **Canonical workspace**  | Local host                 | Remote OpenShell          |
| **Sync direction**       | Bidirectional (every exec) | One-time seed             |
| **Per-turn overhead**    | Higher (upload + download) | Lower (direct remote ops) |
| **Local edits visible?** | Yes, on next exec          | No, until recreate        |
| **Best for**             | Development workflows      | Long-running agents, CI   |

## Configuration reference

All OpenShell config lives under `plugins.entries.openshell.config`:

| Key                       | Type                     | Default       | Description                                                                            |
| ------------------------- | ------------------------ | ------------- | -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- |
| `mode`                    | `"mirror"` or `"remote"` | `"mirror"`    | Workspace sync mode                                                                    |
| `command`                 | `string`                 | `"openshell"` | Path or name of the `openshell` CLI                                                    |
| `from`                    | `string`                 | `"openclaw"`  | Sandbox source for first-time create                                                   |
| `gateway`                 | `string`                 | unset         | OpenShell gateway name (top-level `--gateway`)                                         |
| `gatewayEndpoint`         | `string`                 | unset         | OpenShell gateway endpoint (top-level `--gateway-endpoint`)                            |
| `workspace`               | `string`                 | unset         | Existing OpenShell control-plane workspace used for every CLI operation                |
| `policy`                  | `string`                 | unset         | OpenShell policy ID for sandbox creation                                               |
| `providers`               | `string[]`               | `[]`          | Provider names attached at sandbox creation (deduped, one `--provider` flag per entry) |
| `gpu`                     | `boolean`                | `false`       | Request GPU resources (`--gpu`)                                                        |
| `autoProviders`           | `boolean`                | `true`        | Pass `--auto-providers` (or `--no-auto-providers` when false) during create            |
| `remoteWorkspaceDir`      | `string`                 | `"/sandbox"`  | Primary writable workspace inside the sandbox                                          |
| `remoteAgentWorkspaceDir` | `string`                 | `"/agent"`    | Agent workspace mount path (read-only when workspace access is not `rw`)               |
| `timeoutSeconds`          | `number`                 | `120`         | Timeout for `openshell` CLI operations                                                 |

`remoteWorkspaceDir` and `remoteAgentWorkspaceDir` must be absolute paths and
stay under the managed roots `/sandbox` or `/agent`; other absolute paths are
rejected.

`workspace` must match OpenShell's current workspace-name contract: 1-19
lowercase alphanumeric characters or single hyphens, with no leading,
trailing, or consecutive hyphen. Create it first with
`openshell workspace create --name <name>`. OpenShell rejects sandbox
operations when the selected workspace does not exist or is being deleted.
Set it to `"default"` to override an ambient non-default Workspace explicitly.

The setting applies to every OpenShell sandbox managed by this plugin instance;
it cannot select different OpenShell workspaces per OpenClaw agent or session.
Changing it does not migrate existing sandboxes. Delete OpenClaw's OpenShell
sandboxes while the old workspace is still configured, then change the setting
and restart the Gateway.

Sandbox-level settings (`mode`, `scope`, `workspaceAccess`) live under
`agents.defaults.sandbox` like any backend. See
[Sandboxing](/gateway/sandboxing) for the full matrix.

## Examples

### Minimal remote setup

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      sandbox: {
        mode: "all",
        backend: "openshell",
      },
    },
  },
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      openshell: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          from: "openclaw",
          mode: "remote",
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

### Mirror mode with GPU

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      sandbox: {
        mode: "all",
        backend: "openshell",
        scope: "agent",
        workspaceAccess: "rw",
      },
    },
  },
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      openshell: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          from: "openclaw",
          mode: "mirror",
          gpu: true,
          providers: ["openai"],
          timeoutSeconds: 180,
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

### Per-agent OpenShell with custom gateway

```json5
{
  agents: {
    defaults: {
      sandbox: { mode: "off" },
    },
    entries: {
      researcher: {
        default: true,
        sandbox: {
          mode: "all",
          backend: "openshell",
          scope: "agent",
          workspaceAccess: "rw",
        },
      },
    },
  },
  plugins: {
    entries: {
      openshell: {
        enabled: true,
        config: {
          from: "openclaw",
          mode: "remote",
          gateway: "lab",
          gatewayEndpoint: "https://lab.example",
          workspace: "research",
          policy: "strict",
        },
      },
    },
  },
}
```

## Lifecycle management

```bash
# List all sandbox runtimes (Docker + OpenShell)
openclaw sandbox list

# Inspect effective policy
openclaw sandbox explain

# Recreate (deletes remote workspace, re-seeds on next use)
openclaw sandbox recreate --all
```

For `remote` mode, recreate is especially important: it deletes the canonical
remote workspace for that scope, and the next use seeds a fresh one from
local. For `mirror` mode, recreate mainly resets the remote execution
environment since local stays canonical.

OpenClaw keeps a registered sandbox's shipped legacy runtime name after an
upgrade so its remote workspace remains addressable. Recreating that scope
deletes the legacy runtime; the next use creates the current 19-character
runtime name.

OpenShell v0.0.92 can still locate a sandbox record created by v0.0.68, but a
Docker-backed sandbox may remain in a non-Ready phase after the gateway
upgrade. OpenClaw preserves the registered runtime identity, refuses to create
a replacement implicitly, and reports the scoped `openclaw sandbox recreate`
command. Treat that recreation as destructive in `remote` mode because the
remote workspace is canonical.

Recreate after changing any of:

- `agents.defaults.sandbox.backend`
- `plugins.entries.openshell.config.from`
- `plugins.entries.openshell.config.mode`
- `plugins.entries.openshell.config.policy`

## Security hardening

The mirror-mode filesystem bridge pins the local workspace root and rechecks
canonical paths (via realpath) before every read, write, mkdir, remove, and
rename, rejecting mid-path symlinks. A symlink swap or remounted workspace
cannot redirect file access outside the mirrored tree.

## Custom image contract

The OpenShell source image owns the remote operating system and package set.
OpenClaw does not apply Docker image, root-filesystem, network, user, or package
settings to this backend.

Custom images used with the OpenClaw filesystem bridge must provide:

- `/bin/sh`
- `python3` or `python` for pinned write, edit, rename, and remove operations
- GNU-compatible `stat` and `find`
- standard `mkdir`, `mv`, `rm`, and `rmdir` utilities

Package installation and private certificate roots must be included in the
source image or installed from inside the sandbox. The selected OpenShell
policy must permit the required network destinations, and the sandbox user and
filesystem must permit the writes. `sandbox.docker.network`,
`sandbox.docker.readOnlyRoot`, `sandbox.docker.user`, and
`sandbox.docker.setupCommand` do not configure OpenShell.

## Current limitations

- Sandbox browser is not supported on the OpenShell backend.
- One plugin instance uses one OpenShell workspace; per-agent or per-session
  OpenShell workspace selection is not supported.
- `sandbox.docker.binds` does not apply to OpenShell; sandbox creation fails
  if binds are configured.
- Docker-specific runtime knobs under `sandbox.docker.*` (other than `env`)
  apply only to the Docker backend.
- Native plugin code and Gateway RPC stay on the Gateway host. Plugin-owned and
  MCP tools are available to sandboxed sessions only when sandbox tool policy
  allows them.

## How it works

1. OpenClaw runs `sandbox get` for the sandbox name (with the selected
   OpenShell workspace and any configured `--gateway`/`--gateway-endpoint`); if
   that fails it creates one in the same OpenShell workspace with
   `sandbox create`, passing `--name`, `--from`, `--policy` when set, `--gpu`
   when enabled, `--auto-providers`/`--no-auto-providers`, and one
   `--provider` flag per configured provider.
2. OpenClaw runs `sandbox ssh-config` for the sandbox name to fetch SSH
   connection details.
3. Core writes the SSH config to a temp file and opens an SSH session through
   the same remote filesystem bridge as the generic SSH backend.
4. In `mirror` mode: sync local to remote before exec, run, sync back after.
5. In `remote` mode: seed once on create, then operate directly on the remote
   workspace.

## Related

- [Sandboxing](/gateway/sandboxing) - modes, scopes, and backend comparison
- [Sandbox vs Tool Policy vs Elevated](/gateway/sandbox-vs-tool-policy-vs-elevated) - debugging blocked tools
- [Multi-Agent Sandbox and Tools](/tools/multi-agent-sandbox-tools) - per-agent overrides
- [Sandbox CLI](/cli/sandbox) - `openclaw sandbox` commands
