Zerobox
Lightweight, cross-platform process sandboxing powered by OpenAI Codex's runtime. Sandbox any command with file, network, and credential controls.
What is Zerobox?
Zerobox is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to lightweight, cross-platform process sandboxing powered by openai codex's runtime. sandbox any command with file, network, and credential controls.
Lightweight, cross-platform process sandboxing powered by OpenAI Codex's runtime. Sandbox any command with file, network, and credential controls.
This server falls under the Security category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- Lightweight, cross-platform process sandboxing powered by Op
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx zeroboxConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use Zerobox
Zerobox is a lightweight, cross-platform process sandbox built in Rust that lets you run commands with fine-grained controls over file system access, network connectivity, environment variables, and secrets — with roughly 10 ms overhead and no Docker or VMs required. It implements the OpenAI Codex sandbox runtime model and can be integrated as an MCP server so AI agents execute tool calls inside a controlled environment. Security-conscious developers use it to safely run AI-generated code, confine build scripts to specific directories, or pass secrets to processes only when connecting to approved hosts.
Prerequisites
- macOS or Linux (Windows support is planned but not yet available)
- One of: npm/Node.js, pip/Python, Cargo/Rust toolchain, or curl for installation
- An MCP client such as Claude Desktop that supports stdio servers
- No Docker or virtual machine required
Install Zerobox
Install the zerobox binary using your preferred package manager. The npm or pip routes are the quickest for most developers.
# via npm
npm install -g zerobox
# via pip
pip install zerobox
# via cargo
cargo install zerobox
# via shell script (macOS/Linux)
curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/afshinm/zerobox/main/install.sh | shVerify the installation
Confirm the binary is on your PATH and runs correctly.
zerobox --versionRun a sandboxed command manually
Test basic sandboxing by running a command with explicit file and network permissions. This example allows reading from /tmp and writing to /tmp/output but denies all network access.
zerobox --allow-read /tmp --allow-write /tmp/output --deny-net run -- python3 script.pyPass secrets safely to a process
Use --secret to inject credentials as environment variables without exposing them in the process list or logs. Optionally restrict secrets to specific hosts with --secret-host.
zerobox --secret API_KEY=my_secret_value --secret-host API_KEY=api.example.com run -- curl https://api.example.com/dataConfigure Zerobox as an MCP server
Add Zerobox to your Claude Desktop configuration so that AI agent tool calls are executed inside the sandbox by default.
Zerobox Examples
Client configuration
Claude Desktop configuration that runs Zerobox as an MCP server, allowing read/write to the workspace directory and outbound connections only to approved domains.
{
"mcpServers": {
"zerobox": {
"command": "zerobox",
"args": [
"--allow-read", ".",
"--allow-write", "./output",
"--allow-net", "api.example.com",
"--deny-env", "AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY",
"mcp"
]
}
}
}Prompts to try
Example prompts that benefit from sandboxed execution via Zerobox.
- "Run the Python script I just wrote but make sure it can only read files in ./data"
- "Execute this build script with write access limited to ./dist and no network access"
- "Run the test suite and capture a snapshot of filesystem changes so I can review what was modified"
- "Pass my API key securely to this script but only allow it to connect to api.stripe.com"Troubleshooting Zerobox
Command blocked unexpectedly despite using --allow-read
Zerobox uses a deny-by-default model. Make sure your --allow-read path exactly matches the path the process tries to access, including symlink resolution. Use an absolute path to avoid ambiguity.
Secrets appear in child process environment when using --allow-env
--allow-env inherits all or listed parent environment variables including any secrets. Be explicit with --deny-env to block specific keys, and use --secret only for values you want to inject in a controlled way.
Installation via cargo fails with 'linker not found'
Cargo requires a C linker. On macOS install Xcode Command Line Tools with 'xcode-select --install'. On Linux install build-essential (Debian/Ubuntu) or equivalent for your distribution.
Frequently Asked Questions about Zerobox
What is Zerobox?
Zerobox is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that lightweight, cross-platform process sandboxing powered by openai codex's runtime. sandbox any command with file, network, and credential controls. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install Zerobox?
Follow the installation instructions on the Zerobox GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with Zerobox?
Zerobox works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is Zerobox free to use?
Yes, Zerobox is open source and available under the Apache-2.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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Quick Config Preview
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