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Every VM is reachable over plain SSH through a managed name.boxd host alias the CLI keeps in ~/.ssh/config (auto-synced on boxd machine new / list / fork). Cursor, VS Code, Antigravity — any Remote-SSH editor — see your boxes in their pickers. Enable the client utilities (boxd config set client-utils.enable true) on your Mac for clipboard sync, local file access, and a real Chrome browser controllable from inside the VM.

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How it works

Each VM listens on a dedicated SSH port (in the 10000–30000 range) on the shared proxy IP. The CLI writes a Host name.boxd alias into ~/.ssh/config for each VM — carrying the right HostName, Port, and User boxd — so editors that read SSH config (all the popular ones do) get them automatically. You land as the boxd user with passwordless sudo, and standard SSH features all work: SCP, port forwarding, rsync, agent forwarding, and remote-development modes in editors. boxd machine new, fork, list, and remove refresh the managed block automatically, so the aliases stay in sync as VMs come and go. The client utilities (boxd config set client-utils.enable true) run a small background agent on your Mac that bridges local resources (clipboard, files, browser) into the VMs you enter.
Use the name.boxd alias, not the bare name.boxd.sh domain. The domain on its default port (22) doesn’t reach the machine — it just prints a notice to use the CLI; the alias carries the per-VM port that routes you to the machine.

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Set up

1

Install boxd

One installer brings the boxd CLI and the built-in client utilities bridge (clipboard sync, local file access, local browser control — macOS Apple Silicon for now; turn it on with boxd config set client-utils.enable true). The CLI then writes managed ~/.ssh/config entries for you — automatically on every boxd machine new / list / fork / remove:
The CLI manages this block for you — it’s refreshed on every boxd machine new / fork / list / remove / rename, so you never edit it by hand.
2

Pair your SSH key

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

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Connect your editor

One click from the console: open boxd.sh/app, find your machine, and hit Open in Terminal or Open in Editor (VS Code, Cursor, Antigravity). It launches straight into the VM. The tabs below are the manual equivalents.
Open the command palette, run Remote-SSH: Connect to Host, and pick myapp.boxd. Your VM opens as a remote workspace; extensions install into it the first time.
Any other editor that reads ~/.ssh/config works the same way — JetBrains Gateway, Zed, etc. Pick myapp.boxd from its Remote-SSH list.

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Recipes

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Paste a screenshot into Claude Code inside the VM

With the client utilities enabled (boxd config set client-utils.enable true), your Mac’s clipboard is reachable from inside the VM via an xclip shim. Paste images directly into claude running over SSH.

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Read a file off your laptop, no scp

From inside the VM, boxd local reaches back to your Mac through the client agent:
Access is scoped to your home directory and macOS temp directories.

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Drive a real Chrome from inside the VM

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

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Port-forward a service to your laptop

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

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FAQ

No. Once the CLI has written the managed block (it does this automatically), 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.
Yes. SSH from a different machine with a new key and go through the link flow again. The new key attaches to your existing account via your GitHub identity.
ssh name.boxd is direct SSH into the VM, through the host alias the CLI writes (it carries the VM’s per-VM port). boxd connect name opens a shell through the control plane — no SSH config needed. Same result, pick whichever fits your flow.
macOS (Apple Silicon) today. Linux is on the roadmap.

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Next

CLI reference

Every command, every flag.

Client utilities

Full reference for boxd local and the client utilities toggle.