hotcell
Local sandboxes for AI agents on your Mac, Linux, bare metal
A self-hostable sandbox SDK that creates and manages isolated environments for AI agents on hardware you already own. Isolation runs through Docker, Apple VZ, or Firecracker, with per-sandbox capacity and token limits; API keys never enter the sandbox, which instead receives a temporary per-sandbox token.
What is hotcell?
hotcell is an open-source sandbox SDK that creates and manages isolated environments for AI coding agents on hardware the developer already owns — Mac, Linux, or bare metal.
Key features
- Self-hostable, no per-minute cloud sandbox billing
- Isolation via Docker, Apple VZ, or Firecracker
- Per-sandbox capacity and token limits
- API keys never enter the sandbox — a temporary per-sandbox token is issued instead
- npm install: `npm i -g hotcell`
- Apache-2.0 licensed
Who it's for
- Indie developers running coding agents who want to avoid per-minute cloud sandbox fees
- Teams that need to limit an agent's blast radius if a provider key leaks
- Local-first dev workflows where agent isolation should run on existing hardware
When not to use it
Not built for multi-tenant cloud isolation with an SLA — it's a self-hosted, single-operator tool by design.
FAQ
Does hotcell send my API keys into the sandbox?
No — the sandbox receives a temporary per-sandbox token instead of the real provider key.
What isolation backends does hotcell support?
Docker, Apple VZ (macOS), or Firecracker microVMs.
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