SmolVM – open-source sandbox for coding and computer-use agents
SmolVM is an open-source local sandbox for AI agents on macOS and Linux. I started building it because agent workflows need more than isolated code execution. They need a reusable environment: write files in one step, come back later, snapshot state, pause/resume, and increasingly interact with browsers or full desktop environments. Right now SmolVM is a Python SDK and CLI focused on local developer experience. Current features include: - local sandbox environments - macOS and Linux support - snapshotting - pause/resume - persistent environments across turns Install: ``` curl -sSL…
What it does
In the maker’s words, at launch
SmolVM is an open-source local sandbox for AI agents on macOS and Linux. I started building it because agent workflows need more than isolated code execution. They need a reusable environment: write files in one step, come back later, snapshot state, pause/resume, and increasingly interact with browsers or full desktop environments. Right now SmolVM is a Python SDK and CLI focused on local developer experience. Current features include: - local sandbox environments - macOS and Linux support - snapshotting - pause/resume - persistent environments across turns Install: ``` curl -sSL https://celesto.ai/install.sh | bash smolvm ``` I’d love feedback from people building coding agents or computer-use agents. Interested in what feels missing, what feels clunky, and what you’d expect from a sandbox like this.
Does the same job
all alternatives →- IMI'm running parallel Pi agents on a local sandboxMay 2026 · github.com · ▲8
I've been running Pi using SmolVM to build SmolVM! SmolVM provides an abstraction over microVMs to easily create sandboxes for coding agents, OpenClaw, or just to build a custom harness. To use it, install using: curl -sSL https://celesto.ai/install.sh | bash and then run: smolvm pi start
npm i -g hotcellAug 2026 · github.com · ▲97Local sandboxes for AI agents on your Mac, Linux, bare metal
More ai this month
the category →
I trained a 125M-parameter transformer to autocomplete piano performances in real time (~108 notes/sec on an iPhone 15). The idea is basically GitHub Copilot or Tabnine, except instead of prompting it with code, you prompt it by playing a few notes on a MIDI piano. The model then continues what you played, entirely on-device. The app is free if anyone wants to try it. Happy to answer questions about the model, training, Core ML, or the many things that didn't work.
AI · 17d ago · simedw.com
Astute▲585Automate your B2B brand going viral, with new media creators
AI · 18d ago · company-app.joinastute.com
Hey HN, Henry from Cactus here! We previously released Cactus Needle, a 14MB agentic LLM for tool call, device use, and structured extraction for phones, wearables, smart homes, small robots and microcontrollers. We got really great feedback here, and have now incorporated the suggestions to release Needle 2. The whole model is a single 14MB binary that runs a full session in 28MB of RAM; 45m parameters at 2bit compression. Needle hits 500 tokens/sec decode speed on a Raspberry Pi 5, sits between 400-1,500 tokens/sec on VR devices like Meta Quest 3S and Apple Vision Pro, and ranges…
AI · 26d ago · cactuscompute.com
Launched alongside, April 2026
the whole month →
- AG
Thought the resources for GPU arch were lacking, so here we are
Life & fun · Apr 2026 · jaso1024.com
- IB
Built a ~9M param LLM from scratch to understand how they actually work. Vanilla transformer, 60K synthetic conversations, ~130 lines of PyTorch. Trains in 5 min on a free Colab T4. The fish thinks the meaning of life is food. Fork it and swap the personality for your own character.
AI · Apr 2026 · github.com
- BC
Life & fun · Apr 2026 · sam-burns.com
- IB
With social media and now AI, its important to keep the indie web alive. There are many people who write frequently. Blogosphere tries to highlight them by fetching the recent posts from personal blogs across many categories. There are two versions: Minimal (HN-inspired, fast, static): https://text.blogosphere.app/ Non-minimal: https://blogosphere.app/ If you don't find your blog (or your favorite ones), please add them. I will review and approve it.
AI · Apr 2026 · text.blogosphere.app