spawn

Sandboxed AI coding agents on macOS. Run Claude Code or Codex in filesystem-isolated Linux containers with a single command.

spawn build       # build container images (once)
spawn .           # run Claude Code in current directory
spawn doctor      # check local images, config, and workspace detection

spawn detects your project’s language, picks the right container image, mounts your code, and launches the agent. Your files are read/write inside the container – everything else on your system is isolated.

Install

Homebrew (recommended)

brew install vmunix/tap/spawn

From source

git clone https://github.com/vmunix/spawn.git
cd spawn
make install    # builds release and installs to ~/.local/bin

Ensure ~/.local/bin is in your PATH:

export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"

Quick start

# Build all container images (required once)
spawn build

# Or build just what you need
spawn build rust    # also: base, cpp, go, js

# Run Claude Code in your project
spawn .

# Run Codex instead
spawn . codex

# Full auto mode (no permission prompts)
spawn . --yolo

# Drop into a shell for debugging
spawn . --shell

# Check your local setup and current workspace
spawn doctor

What it does

spawn wraps Apple’s container CLI to launch AI coding agents in lightweight Linux VMs.

Auto-detects your project’s toolchain (C++, Rust, Go, JS/TS) and picks the right container image
Safe mode by default – prompts before git push, PR creation, and other remote-write operations
Mounts git config and SSH keys so the agent can commit and push
Persists OAuth credentials across runs – authenticate once, not every session
No API keys required – Pro/Max plan users authenticate via OAuth