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Start with chat.agent.sandbox.enabled on the machine that actually runs the Copilot Agent Host, then narrow network, filesystem, credential, and fallback access to what the task requires. The setting is off by default. Enabling it does not make every Copilot action isolated: approval controls remain separate, built-in read/edit/write tools use VS Code permissions, and a sandbox is not a virtual machine or a separate user account.

Before changing anything, identify the execution host. A remote Agent Host applies its policy on the remote machine, even when the VS Code window is local. After changing host-level settings, start a new Agent Host session and inspect the effective policy shown for that session.

The settings to change first

For a normal Agent Host workflow, change settings in this order:

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  1. Enable chat.agent.sandbox.enabled.
  2. Decide whether the task needs outbound internet access with chat.agent.sandbox.network.allowNetwork.
  3. Keep chat.agent.sandbox.network.allowLocalNetwork disabled unless a private or local service is required.
  4. Use destination allow lists and the narrowest filesystem paths that still let the task succeed.
  5. Disable developer-tool access, Git credentials, GitHub credentials, or unsandboxed fallback when they are not needed.
  6. Leave unfamiliar repositories in Restricted Mode until you have inspected them.

These controls belong to the current Copilot Agent Host. They do not configure the legacy Local chat harness or a custom terminal override.

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What each Agent Host sandbox setting does

Setting or control Documented default Change it when Practical effect
chat.agent.sandbox.enabled false Terminal commands should run with OS-enforced restrictions. Turns on the unified Agent Host terminal sandbox. Configure it on the execution host and start a new session.
chat.agent.sandbox.network.allowNetwork true The task can run offline, or you need to reduce outbound exposure. Controls outbound network access, subject to destination restrictions.
chat.agent.sandbox.network.allowLocalNetwork false The task must reach a printer, database, service, or other private-network host. Separately controls access to hosts on the local network.
chat.agent.sandbox.network.allowedDomains Empty Only named internet destinations are needed. Provides an allow list for outbound destinations when network access is enabled.
chat.agent.sandbox.network.deniedDomains Empty A destination must be blocked even while general network access remains enabled. Blocks listed destinations. Check how the effective policy resolves overlapping rules.
chat.agent.sandbox.fileSystem.userConfiguredPaths Empty user lists The task needs files outside its normal workspace scope, or you want explicit read-only or denied paths. Holds custom read/write, read-only, and denied path rules.
chat.agent.sandbox.fileSystem.allowDevToolAccess true The task does not need common developer tools, configuration, or caches. Controls exposure to those developer resources; disabling it can affect normal build workflows.
chat.agent.sandbox.credentials.authenticategit true No Git operation needs your account. Makes Git credentials available to sandboxed processes when enabled.
chat.agent.sandbox.credentials.authenticategh true No GitHub operation needs your account. Makes GitHub credentials available to sandboxed processes when enabled.
chat.agent.sandbox.allowUnsandboxedCommands true Every command must remain inside the sandbox. Controls whether a confirmed command or session may fall back outside sandbox restrictions.

Defaults are documented defaults, not a guarantee that an organization policy or a particular session has the same effective values. Managed settings can override user settings, so verify the policy presented by the active Agent Host.

How to enable the sandbox safely

1. Identify the execution host

Determine whether Copilot is running the Agent Host on your local desktop, a Linux or Windows subsystem, a remote development machine, or another connected host. Install prerequisites and inspect settings on that host. Changing a local client setting does not necessarily change a remote Agent Host.

2. Open the settings editor

  1. Open VS Code Settings with Ctrl+, on Windows/Linux or Cmd+, on macOS.
  2. Search for chat.agent.sandbox.enabled.
  3. Turn the setting on for the scope that applies to the Agent Host. If your organization manages the setting, use the effective value supplied by the organization.
  4. Start a new Agent Host session. Host-level changes are not something to assume will retrofit an already-running session.

3. Inspect the effective policy

Before asking the agent to modify a repository, review the session’s effective sandbox policy. Confirm the execution host, network state, allowed and denied destinations, filesystem paths, credential exposure, and unsandboxed-command behavior. If the effective policy differs from your user setting, look for a remote or managed configuration rather than repeatedly changing the local setting.

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Choose the smallest network boundary

Offline work

For refactoring, local documentation, test execution, or other tasks that do not need downloads or APIs, set chat.agent.sandbox.network.allowNetwork to false. This removes outbound access instead of relying only on a list of blocked destinations.

Selected internet destinations

If a task needs package metadata, an issue tracker, or a specific API, keep outbound access enabled and populate chat.agent.sandbox.network.allowedDomains with only the required destinations. An allow list is more predictable than granting broad internet access. Confirm that the tool being used resolves through the names you permitted; redirects, package mirrors, and authentication endpoints may require additional destinations.

Blocking selected destinations

chat.agent.sandbox.network.deniedDomains is useful when general outbound access is required but a particular destination must be excluded. Because allow and deny lists can interact, check the effective policy in the session instead of assuming that a list entry has the precedence you intended.

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Private and local networks

Keep chat.agent.sandbox.network.allowLocalNetwork off by default. Turn it on only when the task has a defined need for a local or private-network service. Local-network access is a separate decision from ordinary outbound internet access. On Windows, proxy and hostname-restriction configurations have documented interactions with this control; consult the current VS Code Agent Host guide before relying on a particular proxy arrangement.

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Any destination that can receive agent actions may also receive workspace data through those actions. Network access is therefore an information-flow decision, not merely a convenience toggle.

Limit filesystem access and developer resources

Use path rules deliberately

chat.agent.sandbox.fileSystem.userConfiguredPaths supports custom read/write, read-only, and denied path lists. Start with the workspace and the specific task directories. Add a path only when a command fails because it genuinely needs it, and choose read-only access for source or reference data that the agent does not need to edit.

  • Keep credential stores, personal documents, unrelated repositories, and production data outside the allowed paths.
  • Use a denied path for especially sensitive material even when a broader parent directory is available to the task.
  • Prefer a project subdirectory over a whole home directory or drive.
  • After changing paths, start a fresh session and verify what the Agent Host reports as readable and writable.

Decide on developer-tool access

chat.agent.sandbox.fileSystem.allowDevToolAccess defaults to true and exposes common developer tools, configuration, and caches. Builds, language servers, package managers, and test runners may depend on these resources. Disable it for a task that only needs isolated file operations, but expect workflows that rely on global tool installations or caches to stop working. If you leave it enabled, compensate by keeping user-configured paths narrow and by removing credentials the task does not need.

Do not expose credentials by default

chat.agent.sandbox.credentials.authenticategit and chat.agent.sandbox.credentials.authenticategh both default to true. They make the corresponding credentials available to sandboxed processes for relevant operations. Set each to false unless the task specifically requires Git or GitHub authentication.

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A sandboxed process that receives a credential can act with that account’s permissions. Sandboxing does not turn a deliberately injected credential into a harmless token, and credentials explicitly supplied to a process are not protected by the sandbox. For read-only analysis, disable both credential controls and use local copies or unauthenticated data where possible.

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Choose a fail-closed or fallback policy

chat.agent.sandbox.allowUnsandboxedCommands defaults to true. When enabled, a blocked command may offer a confirmed one-command or session fallback outside the sandbox. That can rescue a legitimate build, but it also creates a path around the restrictions you just configured.

Set it to false when policy requires every command to remain sandboxed. The command will fail instead of offering an outside-sandbox run. This is the clearer choice for untrusted repositories, sensitive workspaces, and automated sessions where a human may not be watching each prompt.

Sandboxing and approvals are different controls

Visual Studio Code’s approvals documentation states: “Sandboxing is independent of the permission level.” A permissive approval mode does not disable an enabled terminal sandbox, and an enabled sandbox does not replace approvals for other tools, URLs, or actions.

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Use approval settings to decide when a person must confirm an operation. Use sandbox settings to limit the resources available to supported terminal processes. Terminal auto-approval is a convenience feature with detection limitations, not a security boundary. Prefer session-scoped approvals and avoid global automatic approval as a substitute for resource restrictions.

Built-in agent read, edit, and write tools use VS Code’s permission system rather than the process sandbox. Do not describe the configuration as isolating every agent action.

Keep unfamiliar workspaces in Restricted Mode

Workspace Trust addresses whether a folder is trusted, while the Agent Host sandbox addresses the resources available to supported terminal processes. They complement each other and should not be collapsed into one setting.

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Open an unfamiliar repository in Restricted Mode while you inspect its files, scripts, tasks, extensions, and configuration. Restricted Mode limits agents, terminals, tasks, debugging, workspace settings, and extensions; terminal launch is blocked by default. Trust the folder only after you understand what it contains and what execution-capable features it enables.

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Restricted Mode is not an absolute defense: VS Code cautions that a malicious extension may ignore it. Keep extensions under review and do not treat trust status as proof that a repository is safe.

Platform prerequisites and execution-host details

Prerequisites vary by the host where the Agent Host executes. The current documentation checked on October 13, 2026 lists the following requirements; verify the live guide immediately before deploying because operating-system support and security updates can change.

Host Requirement
macOS No additional package requirement is listed.
Linux bubblewrap and socat.
WSL2 bubblewrap and socat; WSL1 is unsupported.
Windows Support is experimental and requires the applicable Windows security update. The listed updates are Windows 11 24H2/25H2 KB5124008 and Windows 11 26H1 KB5124012.

Install Linux or WSL2 prerequisites

On Debian or Ubuntu, install the packages on the execution host:

sudo apt-get install bubblewrap socat

On Fedora, use:

sudo dnf install bubblewrap socat

These commands install prerequisites; they do not enable the sandbox or grant filesystem and network access. Configure the Agent Host settings separately.

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Agent Host versus Local and custom terminal behavior

The current sandbox guide applies to the Agent Host’s default Copilot SDK tool implementation. It does not automatically apply to the Local chat harness or a custom terminal override. A configuration that appears to work for one harness may have different enforcement or setting names in another.

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The settings reference marks chat.agent.sandbox.fileSystem.mac, chat.agent.sandbox.fileSystem.linux, and chat.agent.sandbox.fileSystem.windows as deprecated platform-specific legacy settings. Agent Host ignores those legacy controls. Local-only retry and auto-approval settings are likewise not a replacement for the unified Agent Host policy. Remove stale assumptions from documentation and verify which harness the current session reports.

What the sandbox cannot guarantee

  • It is not a virtual machine.
  • It is not a complete user-account boundary.
  • It is not a standalone security boundary or an endpoint-security replacement.
  • Explicitly injected credentials remain usable by the process that receives them.
  • Extra allowed paths, developer configuration and caches, unrestricted network access, local-network access, and unsandboxed fallback all weaken isolation.
  • Not every built-in agent tool is covered by terminal process sandboxing.

Use the sandbox as one layer in a defense-in-depth configuration: untrusted workspace handling, least-privilege credentials, narrow paths, restricted network access, approvals, and normal endpoint protections still matter.

Practical profiles for common tasks

Offline code review

  • Enable chat.agent.sandbox.enabled.
  • Set allowNetwork to false.
  • Keep allowLocalNetwork off.
  • Allow only the repository path, preferably without unrelated parent directories.
  • Disable both Git and GitHub authentication.
  • Set allowUnsandboxedCommands to false.
  • Use Restricted Mode until the repository is inspected.

Build and test with package downloads

  • Enable the sandbox on the build host.
  • Keep outbound access on, but allow only the package registries, source hosts, and services the build actually uses.
  • Leave local-network access off unless a test dependency is private.
  • Allow the workspace and required build caches; use read-only paths for reference data.
  • Enable developer-tool access only if the build needs shared tools or caches.
  • Expose Git credentials only when the workflow must fetch private repositories.
  • Keep unsandboxed fallback off when reproducibility and isolation are more important than completing a blocked command.

Publishing changes to a remote repository

  • Keep the filesystem scope limited to the repository and its build output.
  • Enable only the Git or GitHub credential control required by the operation.
  • Use destination restrictions for the source-control service and any required API endpoint.
  • Use manual approvals for pushes, releases, or destructive history changes; sandboxing does not approve those actions for you.

Troubleshooting when a command fails

The setting appears enabled but commands are unrestricted

Check the execution host and start a new Agent Host session. Confirm that the session is using Agent Host rather than Local or a custom terminal, then inspect the effective policy. A remote host or organization-managed setting may be supplying a different value.

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A command cannot reach a service

Check allowNetwork, then the allowed and denied destination lists. If the service is on a private address, check allowLocalNetwork. On Windows, review proxy and hostname-restriction interactions in the current Agent Host documentation.

A build cannot find a tool or cache

Review allowDevToolAccess and the configured filesystem paths. Add the smallest required path, preferably read-only, and begin a new session before testing again.

Git operations fail after enabling the sandbox

Check whether authenticategit or authenticategh is disabled, depending on the operation. If credentials are intentionally unavailable, use an unauthenticated or local workflow rather than weakening the policy.

The agent offers to run a command outside the sandbox

That behavior is controlled by allowUnsandboxedCommands. Set it to false to fail closed. If you keep the fallback enabled, approve it only after understanding the command and the resources it will access.

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A concise review checklist

  • Which machine runs the Agent Host?
  • Is chat.agent.sandbox.enabled on for that host?
  • Did you start a new session after changing host-level settings?
  • Is outbound network access necessary?
  • Is local-network access necessary?
  • Are destination lists narrower than the task requires?
  • Are filesystem paths limited to the workspace and required inputs?
  • Does the task need developer tools or caches?
  • Does it need Git or GitHub credentials?
  • Must blocked commands fail rather than run outside the sandbox?
  • Is the repository trusted, and if so, why?
  • Are you configuring Agent Host rather than deprecated Local or platform-specific settings?

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