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Run coding agents in E2B sandboxes

dx can run a Thread’s Orb, the Linux computer a coding agent works in, as a sandbox in your own E2B team. You connect an E2B API key, dx builds its Orb templates in your team, and new Threads start from them.

Connect E2B

Section titled “Connect E2B”
  1. Create an API key in the E2B dashboard under API Keys.
  2. In dx, open Personal Settings → Orb Providers and choose Connect next to E2B.
  3. Paste the key into E2B API key and choose Connect.

dx checks the key by listing your team’s templates. If E2B refuses it, the dialog says “E2B rejected this API key.” When the key works, the dialog closes and dx starts building, unless your team already has dx’s current templates.

Workspace admins can connect a team for everyone in Workspace Settings → Orb Providers.

What dx builds in your team

Section titled “What dx builds in your team”

dx builds its Orb templates in your E2B team, one at a time, which takes a few minutes. The E2B row shows each step, such as “Building the Orb template (a1.tiny) in your E2B team (1 of 4)”. When the templates are ready, the row shows Your account followed by your E2B team.

Template Used for
dx-orb-<version>-base The base the size templates build on
dx-orb-<version>-a1-tiny a1.tiny Orbs
dx-orb-<version>-a1-small a1.small Orbs
dx-orb-<version>-a1-medium a1.medium Orbs

<version> changes when a dx release changes the Orb. dx then builds new templates, and Threads that already started keep the ones they started with. Saving a new key for the same team reuses the templates it already has instead of rebuilding them.

If E2B refuses a larger size, dx skips that size and the connection is ready with the rest; the row shows how many sizes it has, and Manage offers Check again after a plan upgrade. If the base or the smallest size fails to build, the connection fails and Manage offers Retry.

Sizes

Section titled “Sizes”
Size CPU Memory Disk
a1.tiny 1 2 GB 20 GB
a1.small 2 4 GB 20 GB
a1.medium 4 8 GB 20 GB

Pick the size in the Orb picker when you start a Thread.

Pauses

Section titled “Pauses”

By default an Orb pauses after five minutes without activity. On E2B that pause keeps the sandbox’s memory, so a dev server, a test watcher, or a long build is still running when the Thread resumes. Archiving a Thread pauses its sandbox without keeping memory.

Disconnect and clean up

Section titled “Disconnect and clean up”

Choose Manage on the E2B row, then Disconnect. Threads that ran on the connection stop working from their next operation. dx does not delete its templates from your team, including those from earlier versions; delete the dx-orb- templates in the E2B dashboard when no Thread needs them.

Running dx yourself

Section titled “Running dx yourself”

A self-hosted dx deployment can offer E2B on its own account: list e2b in orbProviders and give the deploy an E2B API key. People can then start Threads without connecting a team. See Deployment configuration.

Source

Section titled “Source”