Editor & SSH workflows

Every VM is reachable over plain SSH at ssh name.boxd.sh. Run boxd ssh-config once and Cursor, VS Code, JetBrains, and Zed will see your boxes in their Remote SSH pickers. Pair it with boxd-clientd on your Mac for clipboard sync, local file access, and a real Chrome browser controllable from inside the VM.

How it works

Each VM exposes its own SSH endpoint at name.boxd.sh. You land as the boxd user with passwordless sudo. Standard SSH features all work: SCP, port forwarding, rsync, agent forwarding, and remote-development modes in editors. boxd ssh-config writes managed Host entries into ~/.ssh/config for each of your VMs, so editors that read SSH config (all the popular ones do) get them automatically. boxd-clientd is a small daemon on your Mac that bridges local resources (clipboard, files, browser) into the VM over the SSH tunnel.

Set up

Pair your SSH key

ssh boxd.sh

First run prints a GitHub sign-in URL. After linking, the key on your machine is your identity.

Inject editor-ready Host entries

boxd ssh-config

This writes managed entries like:

Host myapp.boxd.sh
    HostName myapp.boxd.sh
    User boxd

Preview without writing:

boxd ssh-config --print

Remove the managed block later:

boxd ssh-config --remove

Install boxd-clientd (optional, recommended)

curl -fsSL https://boxd.sh/downloads/install.sh | sh

Adds clipboard sync, local file access, and local browser control. macOS (Apple Silicon) only for now.

Connect your editor

Cursor / VS Code
JetBrains
Zed
Plain SSH

Open the command palette, run Remote-SSH: Connect to Host, pick myapp.boxd.sh. Your VM appears as a remote workspace. Extensions install into the VM the first time.

Cmd-Shift-P → remote: open and select the host. Zed opens a remote project against the VM.

ssh myapp.boxd.sh

Lands you in a shell as boxd. Run vim, neovim, tmux, whatever you like.

Recipes

Paste a screenshot into Claude Code inside the VM

With boxd-clientd installed, your Mac’s clipboard is reachable from inside the VM via an xclip shim. Paste images directly into claude running over SSH.

ssh myapp.boxd.sh
claude
# paste a screenshot from your Mac

Read a file off your laptop, no scp

boxd local ls ~/Documents
boxd local read ~/notes.txt --tail=50

Access is scoped to your home directory and macOS temp directories.

Drive a real Chrome from inside the VM

boxd local browser open
# inside the VM, Puppeteer/Playwright can connect over CDP:
#   ws://$BOXD_CLIENTD_ADDR/browser/ws

Sessions persist across open/close, so logged-in state survives.

Port-forward a service to your laptop

ssh -L 5432:localhost:5432 myapp.boxd.sh

Postgres in the VM, on localhost:5432 on your Mac.

FAQ

Does Remote SSH need any special setup?

No. After boxd ssh-config, the host appears in your editor’s Remote SSH list. The editor handles its own server install inside the VM the first time you connect.

Can multiple machines share the same identity?

What's the difference between `ssh name.boxd.sh` and `boxd connect name`?

ssh name.boxd.sh is direct SSH into the VM. boxd connect name opens a shell through the control plane. Same result, pick whichever fits your flow.

Is boxd-clientd available on Linux/Windows?

macOS (Apple Silicon) today. Linux is on the roadmap.

CLI reference

Every command, every flag.

Client utilities

Full reference for boxd local and boxd-clientd.

​How it works

​Set up

​Connect your editor

​Recipes

​Paste a screenshot into Claude Code inside the VM

​Read a file off your laptop, no scp

​Drive a real Chrome from inside the VM

​Port-forward a service to your laptop

​FAQ

​Next