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title Quickstart
description Install the OpenShell CLI, connect to a gateway, and create your first sandboxed AI agent.
keywords Generative AI, Cybersecurity, AI Agents, Sandboxing, Installation, Quickstart, Gateway, Docker, Kubernetes, Podman
position 1

This page gets you from a reachable OpenShell gateway to a running, policy-enforced sandbox.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, make sure you have:

  • A reachable OpenShell gateway.
  • At least one compute driver configured for the gateway: Kubernetes, Docker, Podman, or MicroVM.
  • The OpenShell CLI installed on your workstation.

For a complete list of requirements, refer to Support Matrix. If you have not chosen a compute driver yet, refer to Installation.

Install the OpenShell CLI

Run the install script:

curl -LsSf https://raw.githubusercontent.com/NVIDIA/OpenShell/main/install.sh | sh

The install script uses Homebrew, RPM, or a Debian package based on your machine. On RPM-based ostree hosts, it uses a user-local install path instead of system package layering. It starts the local gateway server after installation.

If you prefer uv:

uv tool install -U openshell

After installing the CLI, run openshell --help in your terminal to see the full CLI reference.

You can also clone the [NVIDIA OpenShell GitHub repository](https://github.com/NVIDIA/OpenShell) and use the `/openshell-cli` skill to load the CLI reference into your agent.

Create Your First OpenShell Sandbox

Create a sandbox and launch an agent inside it. Choose the tab that matches your agent:

Run the following command to create a sandbox with Claude Code:

openshell sandbox create -- claude

The CLI prompts you to create a provider from local credentials. Type yes to continue. If ANTHROPIC_API_KEY is set in your environment, the CLI picks it up automatically. If not, you can configure it from inside the sandbox after it launches.

Run the following command to create a sandbox with OpenCode:

openshell sandbox create -- opencode

The CLI prompts you to create a provider from local credentials. Type yes to continue. If OPENAI_API_KEY or OPENROUTER_API_KEY is set in your environment, the CLI picks it up automatically. If not, you can configure it from inside the sandbox after it launches.

Run the following command to create a sandbox with Codex:

openshell sandbox create -- codex

The CLI prompts you to create a provider from local credentials. Type yes to continue. If OPENAI_API_KEY is set in your environment, the CLI picks it up automatically. If not, you can configure it from inside the sandbox after it launches.

Run the following command to create a sandbox with OpenClaw:

openshell sandbox create --from openclaw

The --from flag pulls a pre-built sandbox container with its bundled policy and optional skills.

Use the --from flag to create a sandbox from the base container:

openshell sandbox create --from base