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smolvm sandbox ssh opens an interactive SSH session to a sandbox. Use it when you need SSH-specific behavior, such as SSH agent forwarding, a custom key, or a user account other than root.

Synopsis

smolvm sandbox ssh <sandbox> [OPTIONS]

Arguments

sandbox
string
required
Name or ID of the sandbox to connect to.

Options

--ssh-key
string
Path to the SSH private key.
--ssh-user
string
default:"root"
SSH user inside the sandbox.
--boot-timeout
number
default:"30"
Seconds to wait if SmolVM needs to start the sandbox before connecting.

Examples

Connect to a sandbox

smolvm sandbox ssh my-sandbox

Use a custom key

smolvm sandbox ssh my-sandbox --ssh-key ~/.ssh/work_sandbox

Connect as another user

smolvm sandbox ssh ubuntu-box --ssh-user ubuntu

Shell versus SSH

Use smolvm sandbox shell for the fastest interactive shell on recent Linux images. It uses the SmolVM guest agent when available. Use smolvm sandbox ssh when you specifically need SSH.
Last modified on June 24, 2026