> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.amika.dev/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.

# SSH and connect

> Open a shell on a sandbox over SSH, or open it in your editor.

Once a sandbox is running, you have a few ways to get inside it:

* **SSH** (works on hosted sandboxes) — for interactive shells, one-off
  commands, or for handing the destination to your own SSH client.
* **`sandbox connect`** (CLI-only, local sandboxes) — drops you into the
  Docker container's shell directly.
* **`sandbox code`** (CLI-only) — opens the sandbox in Cursor over SSH.

## Prerequisites

<Note>
  A sandbox in the `active` / `running` / `started` state. See
  [Create a sandbox](/guides/create-a-sandbox).
</Note>

## Open an interactive SSH session

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash CLI theme={null}
  amika sandbox ssh dev-box
  ```

  ```ts TypeScript theme={null}
  // The SDK doesn't shell out — it returns SSH connection info you
  // hand to your own SSH client.
  const ssh = await amika.getSSH("dev-box");
  console.log(ssh.sshDestination); // e.g. "user@host:2222"
  console.log(ssh.token);          // bearer for the proxy
  console.log(ssh.expiresAt);      // ISO timestamp
  console.log(ssh.repoName);       // repo subdir inside the sandbox
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Run a one-off command

The CLI passes anything after `--` straight to the remote shell. Use `-t`
to allocate a TTY when the remote command needs one.

```bash theme={null}
# Non-interactive command
amika sandbox ssh dev-box -- ls -la

# Interactive program (force TTY)
amika sandbox ssh -t dev-box -- top
```

## Local-Docker shell (CLI only)

`amika sandbox connect` opens the Docker container's shell directly. It only
applies to local sandboxes (`--local`).

```bash theme={null}
amika sandbox connect dev-box                # default zsh
amika sandbox connect dev-box --shell bash
```

## Open in Cursor (CLI only)

`amika sandbox code` opens the sandbox in Cursor over SSH.

```bash theme={null}
amika sandbox code dev-box
amika sandbox code dev-box --editor cursor   # currently the only supported editor
```

## Revoke an SSH token

The SSH credential issued by `ssh`/`getSSH` is time-bounded. You can revoke
it on demand.

<CodeGroup>
  ```bash CLI theme={null}
  amika sandbox ssh dev-box --revoke
  ```

  ```ts TypeScript theme={null}
  await amika.revokeSSH("dev-box", ssh.token);
  ```
</CodeGroup>

## Next steps

<CardGroup>
  <Card title="Programmatic walkthrough" href="/guides/programmatic-usage" icon="code-branch" />

  <Card title="Sandbox lifecycle" href="/guides/sandbox-lifecycle" icon="rotate" />

  <Card title="CLI reference" href="/reference/cli" icon="square-terminal" />
</CardGroup>