What it uses the shell for
- Running code. Python, Node, whatever the job needs, on real data rather than in a description of the work.
- Installing tools. It adds packages when a task calls for them.
- Processing files. Converting, extracting, transforming, and compressing what is in files.
- Driving CLIs. Any tool that ships a command-line interface, including
gitandgh. - Long jobs. Builds and batch work run in the background while the conversation continues.
Opening it yourself
The Computer panel has a Terminal tab: a live shell into the agent’s sandbox. It is useful for inspecting what the agent built, running a quick command, or debugging without asking the agent to do it for you. The terminal is only shown when you have edit access on that agent.What persists
The sandbox is ephemeral. It sleeps when idle and is rebuilt when it wakes, so anything installed at runtime is gone on the next boot. Work that has to survive goes in one of three places:
For a package the agent needs on every boot, it adds the install line to its own Dockerfile in the repo, so the next sandbox is built with it.
Apps & webserver
Host what it builds at a URL you can open.
Sizes
When a job needs a bigger machine.