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Overview

When working with AI-generated code, you may need to debug the state of the project after the AI has run various commands. SSH allows you to connect your computer directly to a Devbox, enabling you to debug, run remote commands, and view or modify the remote filesystem. Runloop uses a transparent proxy to facilitate routing for all SSH access. Your SSH connection is end-to-end encrypted using standard SSH public key cryptography. The Runloop API provides a mechanism for retrieving SSH keys using a Runloop API key.

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Setup

We recommend using the Runloop CLI (rli) to interact with Devboxes. Install it via npm: 
npm install -g @runloop/rl-cli
For full CLI documentation including interactive mode and all available commands, see the Runloop CLI documentation.

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Create and SSH into a Devbox

SSH into a Devbox with rli
1

Export your API key

export RUNLOOP_API_KEY="ak_<your_key_here>"
2

Create an empty Devbox

rli devbox create
You’ll receive the devbox ID:
dbx_2xMEVq0JpPtxUxZikhOLm
For full JSON output, use:
rli devbox create --output json
3

SSH into the Devbox

SSH into a running Devbox using the returned ID:
rli devbox ssh dbx_2xMEVq0JpPtxUxZikhOLm
The CLI will wait for the devbox to be ready and then connect you to a shell:
user@devbox-019138a2-7e80-7233-8100-1add224f41ee-zst79:~$
4

Exit the SSH session

Type exit to leave the SSH session.
5

Shut down the Devbox

When you’re done, shut down the Devbox:
rli devbox shutdown dbx_2xMEVq0JpPtxUxZikhOLm
The Runloop CLI includes an interactive mode that makes it easy to search and filter through your devboxes:
Search devboxes with rli interactive mode
1

Launch interactive mode

rli
This opens the interactive TUI (Terminal User Interface).
2

Navigate to Devboxes

Select Devboxes from the main menu to view your list of devboxes.
3

Search for a devbox

Press / to open the search filter, then type to filter devboxes by name or ID. This is useful when you have many devboxes and need to quickly find a specific one.
4

Select and connect

Use arrow keys to navigate to the desired devbox and press Enter to view details or connect via SSH.

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Using VSCode with SSH

You can use SSH access to connect VSCode to the remote Devbox.
1

Install VSCode SSH extension

Install the Visual Studio Code Remote - SSH extension.
2

Create a Devbox

rli devbox create
3

Generate SSH config entry

rli devbox ssh dbx_2xMEa8BVcYOOGtXGqWNVj --config-only
4

Append to SSH config file

rli devbox ssh dbx_2xMEa8BVcYOOGtXGqWNVj --config-only >> ~/.ssh/config
5

Verify the configuration

ssh dbx_2xMEa8BVcYOOGtXGqWNVj "whoami"
This should return user.
6

Connect VSCode to your Devbox

You now have a ready-to-use SSH connection to the Devbox. Follow the remaining instructions in the VSCode SSH documentation to connect VSCode to your Devbox.

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Security Notes

  • All SSH connections are routed through Runloop’s transparent proxy.
  • Connections are end-to-end encrypted using SSH public key cryptography.
  • SSH keys are generated and managed securely through the Runloop API.
By following these steps, you can securely connect to your Runloop Devbox for debugging, code inspection, and project management tasks.