Shell

Every box has a full Linux shell and runs on Debian by default. You can access that shell either through the SDK or directly over SSH.

SSH

Connect to a box with:

ssh <box-id>@us-east-1.box.upstash.com

When prompted for a password, use your Box API key. For example:

ssh current-wasp-05510@us-east-1.box.upstash.com

You can also copy this command from the SSH button on the box details page in the Upstash Console.

API

Run a shell command

A shell command resolves when the command finishes and gives you back the result and status.

const run = await box.exec.command("echo hello")

console.log(run.result) // "hello"
console.log(run.status) // "completed"

run = box.exec.command("echo hello")

print(run.result)  # "hello"
print(run.status)  # "completed"

If you need additional system tools, install them with Debian’s package manager inside the box.

await box.exec.command("sudo apt-get install <package>")

box.exec.command("sudo apt-get install <package>")

Run a code snippet

You can execute code inside of a box:

const run = await box.exec.code({
  code: "console.log('hello')",
  lang: "js",
  timeout: 10_000,
})

console.log(run.output) // "hello"
console.log(run.exit_code) // "0"

run = box.exec.code(code="print('hello')", lang="python", timeout=10_000)

print(run.result)     # "hello"
print(run.exit_code)  # 0

Check exit status

If the command fails, the run status will be "failed" and its result contains the stderr output.

const run = await box.exec.command("node -e 'process.exit(1)'")

console.log(run.status) // "failed"

run = box.exec.command("node -e 'process.exit(1)'")

print(run.status)  # "failed"

Chain commands

Pass a full shell expression. Pipes, redirects, and chained commands all work as expected.

const run = await box.exec.command("cd /work && npm install && npm test")

console.log(run.result)

run = box.exec.command("cd /work && npm install && npm test")

print(run.result)

Cancel a long-running command

You can cancel a run to abort it. The status becomes "cancelled".

const run = await box.exec.command("sleep 10")
await run.cancel()

console.log(run.status) // "cancelled"

run = box.exec.command("sleep 10")
run.cancel()

print(run.status)  # "cancelled"

Retrieve logs

After a command finishes, call logs() to get the full timestamped output for debugging or auditing.

const run = await box.exec.command("npm test")
const logs = await run.logs()

console.log(logs)
// [
//   { timestamp: "2026-02-23T...", level: "info", message: "PASS src/auth.test.ts" },
//   { timestamp: "2026-02-23T...", level: "info", message: "Tests: 12 passed, 12 total" },
// ]

run = box.exec.command("npm test")
logs = run.logs()

print(logs)
# [
#   RunLog(timestamp="2026-02-23T...", level="info", message="PASS src/auth.test.ts"),
#   RunLog(timestamp="2026-02-23T...", level="info", message="Tests: 12 passed, 12 total"),
# ]

Examples

Install dependencies before a run

Set up the environment with box.exec.command(), then hand off to the agent.

import { Agent, Box } from "@upstash/box"

const box = await Box.create({
  runtime: "node",
  agent: { harness: Agent.ClaudeCode, model: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6", apiKey: process.env.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY },
  git: { token: process.env.GITHUB_TOKEN },
})

await box.git.clone({ repo: "github.com/your-org/your-api" })
await box.exec.command("npm install")

await box.agent.run({
  prompt: "Run the test suite and fix any failing tests",
})

import os
from upstash_box import Box, Agent

box = Box.create(
    runtime="node",
    agent={"harness": Agent.CLAUDE_CODE, "model": "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6", "api_key": os.environ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"]},
    git={"token": os.environ["GITHUB_TOKEN"]},
)

box.git.clone(repo="github.com/your-org/your-api")
box.exec.command("npm install")

box.agent.run(prompt="Run the test suite and fix any failing tests")

Run a build and extract artifacts

Execute a build command, then download the output.

import { Agent, Box } from "@upstash/box"

const box = await Box.create({ runtime: "node" })

await box.files.upload([
  { path: "./src", destination: "/work/src" },
  { path: "./package.json", destination: "/work/package.json" },
])

await box.exec.command("cd /work && npm install && npm run build")
await box.files.download({ folder: "/work/dist" })
await box.delete()

from upstash_box import Box

box = Box.create(runtime="node")

box.files.upload([
    {"path": "./src", "destination": "/work/src"},
    {"path": "./package.json", "destination": "/work/package.json"},
])

box.exec.command("cd /work && npm install && npm run build")
box.files.download(folder="/work/dist")
box.delete()

Health-check before handing off

Verify the environment is usable before starting a longer agent task.

import { Agent, Box } from "@upstash/box"

const box = await Box.create({
  runtime: "python",
  agent: { harness: Agent.ClaudeCode, model: "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6", apiKey: process.env.ANTHROPIC_API_KEY },
})

const check = await box.exec.command("python3 --version && pip list")
console.log(check.result)

await box.agent.run({
  prompt: "Write a data pipeline that reads /work/raw.csv, cleans it, and saves /work/clean.parquet",
})

import os
from upstash_box import Box, Agent

box = Box.create(
    runtime="python",
    agent={"harness": Agent.CLAUDE_CODE, "model": "anthropic/claude-opus-4-6", "api_key": os.environ["ANTHROPIC_API_KEY"]},
)

check = box.exec.command("python3 --version && pip list")
print(check.result)

box.agent.run(prompt="Write a data pipeline that reads /work/raw.csv, cleans it, and saves /work/clean.parquet")

Introduction

Basics

Lifecycle

Security

Guides

SSH

API

Run a shell command

Run a code snippet

Check exit status

Chain commands

Cancel a long-running command

Retrieve logs

Examples

Install dependencies before a run

Run a build and extract artifacts

Health-check before handing off

​SSH

​API

​Run a shell command

​Run a code snippet

​Check exit status

​Chain commands

​Cancel a long-running command

​Retrieve logs

​Examples

​Install dependencies before a run

​Run a build and extract artifacts

​Health-check before handing off

SSH

API

Run a shell command

Run a code snippet

Check exit status

Chain commands

Cancel a long-running command

Retrieve logs

Examples

Install dependencies before a run

Run a build and extract artifacts

Health-check before handing off