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Local sandboxing runs tools invoked by an agent inside an operating-system sandbox, limiting their access to files, network resources, and credentials. It is off by default and configured per project for local sessions. The feature is in public preview and may change, as GitHub’s configuration guide notes.
How do I enable local sandboxing in the GitHub Copilot app?
To make sandboxing the default for new local sessions in a project:
- Open the GitHub Copilot app’s settings.
- Select the project you want to configure.
- Turn on Sandbox new sessions.
The setting applies to new sessions in that project. Restart an existing session to apply a changed project policy to it. To toggle sandboxing in an active local session, enter /sandbox on or /sandbox off. With no active session, either command changes the selected project’s default for new sessions. See GitHub’s slash-command reference for the app commands.
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What can Copilot access when local sandboxing is on?
Sandboxing limits agent-invoked tools according to the project policy. The defaults allow read/write access to the workspace and current working directory, internet and local network access, and authenticated Git and GitHub CLI operations. You can adjust each area in the project’s sandbox settings.
Filesystem
Configure additional paths as read-only or read/write, or deny paths. A more-specific denied folder stays denied even if a broader parent folder is allowed. Access to the workspace does not mean every file on the machine is accessible: the configured paths and host enforcement determine the boundary.
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Network
Internet and local network access are allowed by default. You can allow or block outbound internet and local network access. Restricting connectivity can affect package installation, API calls, preview servers, and other network-dependent tools.
Linux has a specific limitation: the sandbox cannot independently control local-network access for spawned processes such as shell commands and local MCP or LSP servers. The local-network setting still applies to in-process operations, including web requests and remote MCP connections. GitHub describes platform boundaries in its sandbox overview.
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Git and GitHub CLI credentials
Authenticated Git and GitHub CLI operations are available by default. The project can turn off either type of access. If disabled, actions such as pushing a branch or creating a pull request from inside the sandbox may not work.
Can Copilot access my files or credentials?
It can access files and credentials that the effective sandbox policy permits. By default, the workspace and current working directory are readable and writable, and authenticated Git and GitHub CLI operations are available. You can limit file access with path rules and disable Git or GitHub CLI credentials in the project policy. Enterprise-managed settings may narrow those permissions further.
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These controls apply to tools the agent invokes in a local sandbox; they are not a claim that every app operation or every file operation is independently isolated by the operating system. A working tree for a session is also not an access-control boundary by itself.
What happens if a command needs to run outside the sandbox?
If a tool needs access the policy blocks, the app may display a Run outside the sandbox? prompt. Depending on the effective policy, you may be able to cancel, run that operation once outside the sandbox, or disable sandboxing for the remainder of the current session. An enterprise owner can prohibit running tools outside the sandbox.
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Temporarily disabling sandboxing affects the current session only; it does not change the project default. The temporary setting ends when the session restarts or reattaches.
Does local sandboxing work in a cloud or remote session?
No. Local sandboxing applies to local repository and working-tree sessions, not cloud sandbox sessions or sessions running on a remote host. GitHub’s agent-session guide distinguishes local, cloud, and working-tree sessions; its cloud and local sandbox overview describes cloud sandboxing as a remote, isolated environment.
Working-tree separation is a separate feature: separate branches and files for concurrent sessions do not by themselves limit a command’s access elsewhere on the machine. Choose the session type based on where commands need to run and what local files or credentials they need; neither sandbox option is universally more secure for every task.
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