Run any repository command in the right box.
Crabbox keeps the edit-and-run loop on your laptop while moving execution to a local sandbox, cloud VM, existing SSH host, managed developer environment, or hosted agent sandbox. Depending on the selected provider, it syncs the checkout or hands the workload to a provider-owned execution contract, returns available output and evidence, and releases owned capacity when cleanup is supported.
crabbox run -- pnpm testEvery run follows the same basic path:
- Choose a provider directly or ask Crabbox to recommend one for the job.
- Lease or reuse a short-lived box, sandbox, VM, or host.
- Sync or hand off the workload according to the provider's execution contract.
- Run the command and stream its output.
- Collect available proof and apply cleanup according to the provider's capabilities and the run policy.
The execution substrate can change without turning the workflow into a provider-specific script. Start with Use Cases when you know the job but not the provider, or browse the Provider Reference when you already know where the work should run.
- Getting Started — install the CLI and complete a first remote run.
- Use Cases — choose a workflow such as fast feedback, agent execution, cross-platform validation, browser QA, fan-out, or GPU work.
- Pricing and Costs — understand the current open-source, bring-your-own-compute cost model and its guardrails.
- How Crabbox Works — follow a run across the CLI, coordinator, and runner.
- Crabbox Vision — understand product scope, non-goals, and lifecycle safety rules.
| Path | Best For | Ownership |
|---|---|---|
| Local runtime | Fast, credential-free development checks | Your workstation and local runtime |
| Direct cloud or SSH | Personal cloud accounts, private hosts, and self-hosted virtualization | Your provider account or infrastructure |
| Team coordinator | Shared credentials, leases, cleanup, usage, and spend caps | Your Cloudflare or Node.js/PostgreSQL deployment |
| Delegated execution | Provider-shaped agent, CI, browser, or GPU runs | The selected provider or self-hosted runtime operator |
Crabbox software is MIT-licensed. It does not currently publish a hosted control-plane plan; provider compute and any coordinator infrastructure are billed by their respective operators. See Pricing and Costs for the exact boundary.
Crabbox is a developer execution tool, not one uniform security sandbox. Isolation depends on the selected runtime. A local container with the host Docker socket, a managed microVM, a shared team VM, and a provider-owned sandbox have different boundaries.
Use Provider Selection to route a workload, then read that provider's documentation before running unfamiliar or untrusted code. The recommendation command is workflow guidance, not a security certification.
- CLI and configuration: CLI, Command Reference, Configuration, and Repository Onboarding.
- Fleet and operations: Architecture, Infrastructure, Operations, Observability, Read-Only Device Pairing, and Security.
- Runs and evidence: Jobs, Actions Hydration, Artifacts, Checkpoints, and Interactive Desktop and VNC.
- Platform boundaries: Nested Execution distinguishes WSL2, container engines, prepared KVM hosts, and local sandboxes.
- Extensibility: Integration Catalog, Provider Authoring, and Source Map.
The Markdown in docs/ is the user-facing source for
crabbox.sh. Implementation truth stays in code; the
Source Map traces documented behavior back to its owner.
Build and validate the site locally:
scripts/check-docs.sh
open dist/docs-site/index.html