Files
John T. Myers b7779bdefa feat(sandbox): integrate OCSF structured logging for sandbox events (#720)
* feat(sandbox): integrate OCSF structured logging for all sandbox events

WIP: Replace ad-hoc tracing calls with OCSF event builders across all
sandbox subsystems (network, SSH, process, filesystem, config, lifecycle).

- Register ocsf_logging_enabled setting (defaults false)
- Replace stdout/file fmt layers with OcsfShorthandLayer
- Add conditional OcsfJsonlLayer for /var/log/openshell-ocsf.log
- Update LogPushLayer to extract OCSF shorthand for gRPC push
- Migrate ~106 log sites to OCSF builders (NetworkActivity, HttpActivity,
  SshActivity, ProcessActivity, DetectionFinding, ConfigStateChange,
  AppLifecycle)
- Add openshell-ocsf to all Docker build contexts

* fix(scripts): attach provider to all smoke test phases to avoid rate limits

GitHub's unauthenticated API rate limit (60/hour) causes flaky 403s for
Phases 1, 2, and 4. Fix by attaching the provider to all sandboxes and
upgrading the Phase 1 policy to L7 so credential injection works.

Phase 4 (tls:skip) cannot inject credentials by design, so relax the
assertion to accept either 200 or 403 from upstream -- both prove the
proxy forwarded the request.

* fix(ocsf): remove timestamp from shorthand format to avoid double-timestamp

The display layer (gateway logs, TUI, sandbox logs CLI) already prepends
a timestamp. Having one in the shorthand output too produces redundant
double-timestamps like:

  15:49:11 sandbox INFO  15:49:11.649 I NET:OPEN ALLOWED ...

Now the shorthand is just the severity + structured content:

  15:49:11 sandbox INFO  I NET:OPEN ALLOWED ...

* refactor(ocsf): replace single-char severity with bracketed labels

Replace cryptic single-character severity codes (I/L/M/H/C/F) with
readable bracketed labels: [LOW], [MED], [HIGH], [CRIT], [FATAL].

Informational severity (the happy-path default) is omitted entirely to
keep normal log output clean and avoid redundancy with the tracing-level
INFO that the display layer already provides.

Before: sandbox INFO  I NET:OPEN ALLOWED ...
After:  sandbox INFO  NET:OPEN ALLOWED ...

Before: sandbox INFO  M NET:OPEN DENIED ...
After:  sandbox INFO  [MED] NET:OPEN DENIED ...

* feat(sandbox): use OCSF level label for structured events in log push

Set the level field to 'OCSF' instead of 'INFO' for OCSF events in the
gRPC log push. This visually distinguishes structured OCSF events from
plain tracing output in the TUI and CLI sandbox logs:

  sandbox OCSF  NET:OPEN [INFO] ALLOWED python3(42) -> api.example.com:443
  sandbox OCSF  NET:OPEN [MED] DENIED python3(42) -> blocked.com:443
  sandbox INFO  Fetching sandbox policy via gRPC

* fix(sandbox): convert new Landlock path-skip warning to OCSF

PR #677 added a warn!() for inaccessible Landlock paths in best-effort
mode. Convert to ConfigStateChangeBuilder with degraded state so it
flows through the OCSF shorthand format consistently.

* fix(sandbox): use rolling appender for OCSF JSONL file

Match the main openshell.log rotation mechanics (daily, 3 files max)
instead of a single unbounded append-only file. Prevents disk exhaustion
when ocsf_logging_enabled is left on in long-running sandboxes.

* fix(sandbox): address reviewer warnings for OCSF integration

W1: Remove redundant 'OCSF' prefix from shorthand file layer — the
    class name (NET:OPEN, HTTP:GET) already identifies structured events
    and the LogPushLayer separately sets the level field.

W2: Log a debug message when OCSF_CTX.set() is called a second time
    instead of silently discarding via let _.

W3: Document the boundary between OCSF-migrated events and intentionally
    plain tracing calls (DEBUG/TRACE, transient, internal plumbing).

W4: Migrate remaining iptables LOG rule failure warnings in netns.rs
    (IPv4 TCP/UDP, IPv6 TCP/UDP) to ConfigStateChangeBuilder for
    consistency with the IPv4 bypass rule failure already migrated.

W5: Migrate malformed inference request warn to NetworkActivity with
    ActivityId::Refuse and SeverityId::Medium.

W6: Use Medium severity for L7 deny decisions (both CONNECT tunnel and
    FORWARD proxy paths) to match the CONNECT deny severity pattern.
    Allows and audits remain Informational.

* refactor(sandbox): rename ocsf_logging_enabled to ocsf_json_enabled

The shorthand logs are already OCSF-structured events. The setting
specifically controls the JSONL file export, so the name should reflect
that: ocsf_json_enabled.

* fix(ocsf): add timestamps to shorthand file layer output

The OcsfShorthandLayer writes directly to the log file with no outer
display layer to supply timestamps. Add a UTC timestamp prefix to every
line so the file output matches what tracing::fmt used to provide.

Before: CONFIG:VALIDATED [INFO] Validated 'sandbox' user exists in image
After:  2026-04-01T15:49:11.649Z CONFIG:VALIDATED [INFO] Validated ...

* fix(docker): touch openshell-ocsf source to invalidate cargo cache

The supervisor-workspace stage touches sandbox and core sources to force
recompilation over the rust-deps dummy stubs, but openshell-ocsf was
missing. This caused the Docker cargo cache to use stale ocsf objects
from the deps stage, preventing changes to the ocsf crate (like the
timestamp fix) from appearing in the final binary.

Also adds a shorthand layer test verifying timestamp output, and drafts
the observability docs section.

* fix(ocsf): add OCSF level prefix to file layer shorthand output

Without a level prefix, OCSF events in the log file have no visual
anchor at the position where standard tracing lines show INFO/WARN.
This makes scanning the file harder since the eye has nothing consistent
to lock onto after the timestamp.

Before: 2026-04-01T04:04:13.065Z CONFIG:DISCOVERY [INFO] ...
After:  2026-04-01T04:04:13.065Z OCSF CONFIG:DISCOVERY [INFO] ...

* fix(ocsf): clean up shorthand formatting for listen and SSH events

- Fix double space in NET:LISTEN, SSH:LISTEN, and other events where
  action is empty (e.g., 'NET:LISTEN [INFO]  10.200.0.1' -> 'NET:LISTEN [INFO] 10.200.0.1')
- Add listen address to SSH:LISTEN event (was empty)
- Downgrade SSH handshake intermediate steps (reading preface, verifying)
  from OCSF events to debug!() traces. Only the final verdict
  (accepted/denied) is an OCSF event now, reducing noise from 3 events
  to 1 per SSH connection.
- Apply same spacing fix to HTTP shorthand for consistency.

* docs(observability): update examples with OCSF prefix and formatting fixes

Align doc examples with the deployed output:
- Add OCSF level prefix to all shorthand examples in the log file
- Show mixed OCSF + standard tracing in the file format section
- Update listen events (no double space, SSH includes address)
- Show one SSH:OPEN per connection instead of three
- Update grep patterns to use 'OCSF NET:' etc.

* docs(agents): add OCSF logging guidance to AGENTS.md

Add a Sandbox Logging (OCSF) section to AGENTS.md so agents have
in-context guidance for deciding whether new log emissions should use
OCSF structured logging or plain tracing. Covers event class selection,
severity guidelines, builder API usage, dual-emit pattern for security
findings, and the no-secrets rule.

Also adds openshell-ocsf to the Architecture Overview table.

* fix: remove workflow files accidentally included during rebase

These files were already merged to main in separate PRs. They got
pulled into our branch during rebase conflict resolution for the
deleted docs-preview-pr.yml file.

* docs(observability): use sandbox connect instead of raw SSH

Users access sandboxes via 'openshell sandbox connect', not direct SSH.

* fix(docs): correct settings CLI syntax in OCSF JSON export page

The settings CLI requires --key and --value named flags, not positional
arguments. Also fix the per-sandbox form: the sandbox name is a
positional argument, not a --sandbox flag.

* fix(e2e): update log assertions for OCSF shorthand format

The E2E tests asserted on the old tracing::fmt key=value format
(action=allow, l7_decision=audit, FORWARD, L7_REQUEST, always-blocked).
Update to match the new OCSF shorthand (ALLOWED/DENIED, HTTP:, NET:,
engine:ssrf, policy:).

* feat(sandbox): convert WebSocket upgrade log calls to OCSF

PR #718 added two log calls for WebSocket upgrade handling:

- 101 Switching Protocols info → NetworkActivity with Upgrade activity.
  This is a significant state change (L7 enforcement drops to raw relay).

- Unsolicited 101 without client Upgrade header → DetectionFinding with
  High severity. A non-compliant upstream sending 101 without a client
  Upgrade request could be attempting to bypass L7 inspection.
2026-04-07 13:01:13 -07:00

7.0 KiB

title, description, topics, tags, content
title description topics tags content
page nav card
NVIDIA OpenShell Developer Guide Get Started NVIDIA OpenShell
OpenShell is the safe, private runtime for autonomous AI agents. Run agents in sandboxed environments that protect your data, credentials, and infrastructure.
Generative AI
Cybersecurity
AI Agents
Sandboxing
Security
Privacy
Inference Routing
type
index

NVIDIA OpenShell

GitHub License PyPI

NVIDIA OpenShell is the safe, private runtime for autonomous AI agents. It provides sandboxed execution environments that protect your data, credentials, and infrastructure. Agents run with exactly the permissions they need and nothing more, governed by declarative policies that prevent unauthorized file access, data exfiltration, and uncontrolled network activity.

Get Started

Install the CLI and create your first sandbox in two commands.

<style>
.nc-term {
  background: #1a1a2e;
  border-radius: 8px;
  overflow: hidden;
  margin: 1.5em 0;
  box-shadow: 0 4px 16px rgba(0,0,0,0.25);
  font-family: 'SFMono-Regular', Menlo, Monaco, Consolas, 'Liberation Mono', monospace;
  font-size: 0.875em;
  line-height: 1.8;
}
.nc-term-bar {
  background: #252545;
  padding: 10px 14px;
  display: flex;
  gap: 7px;
  align-items: center;
}
.nc-term-dot { width: 12px; height: 12px; border-radius: 50%; }
.nc-term-dot-r { background: #ff5f56; }
.nc-term-dot-y { background: #ffbd2e; }
.nc-term-dot-g { background: #27c93f; }
.nc-term-body { padding: 16px 20px; color: #d4d4d8; }
.nc-term-body .nc-ps { color: #76b900; user-select: none; }
.nc-swap {
  display: inline-grid;
  vertical-align: baseline;
}
.nc-swap > span {
  grid-area: 1 / 1;
  white-space: nowrap;
  opacity: 0;
  animation: nc-cycle 12s ease-in-out infinite;
}
.nc-swap > span:nth-child(2) { animation-delay: 3s; }
.nc-swap > span:nth-child(3) { animation-delay: 6s; }
.nc-swap > span:nth-child(4) { animation-delay: 9s; }
@keyframes nc-cycle {
  0%, 3%     { opacity: 0; }
  5%, 20%    { opacity: 1; }
  25%, 100%  { opacity: 0; }
}
.nc-hl { color: #76b900; font-weight: 600; }
.nc-cursor {
  display: inline-block;
  width: 2px;
  height: 1.1em;
  background: #d4d4d8;
  vertical-align: text-bottom;
  margin-left: 1px;
  animation: nc-blink 1s step-end infinite;
}
@keyframes nc-blink { 50% { opacity: 0; } }
</style>
<div class="nc-term">
  <div class="nc-term-bar">
    <span class="nc-term-dot nc-term-dot-r"></span>
    <span class="nc-term-dot nc-term-dot-y"></span>
    <span class="nc-term-dot nc-term-dot-g"></span>
  </div>
  <div class="nc-term-body">
    <div><span class="nc-ps">$ </span>uv tool install -U openshell</div>
    <div><span class="nc-ps">$ </span>openshell sandbox create <span class="nc-swap"><span>-- <span class="nc-hl">claude</span></span><span>--from <span class="nc-hl">openclaw</span></span><span>-- <span class="nc-hl">opencode</span></span><span>-- <span class="nc-hl">codex</span></span></span><span class="nc-cursor"></span></div>
  </div>
</div>

Refer to the Quickstart for more details.


Explore

::::{grid} 2 2 3 3 :gutter: 3

:::{grid-item-card} About OpenShell 🔗 about/overview :link-type: doc

Learn about OpenShell and its capabilities.

+++ {bdg-secondary}Concept :::

:::{grid-item-card} Quickstart 🔗 get-started/quickstart :link-type: doc

Install the CLI and create your first sandbox in two commands.

+++ {bdg-secondary}Tutorial :::

:::{grid-item-card} Tutorials 🔗 tutorials/index :link-type: doc

Hands-on walkthroughs from first sandbox to custom policies.

+++ {bdg-secondary}Tutorial :::

:::{grid-item-card} Gateways and Sandboxes 🔗 sandboxes/manage-gateways :link-type: doc

Deploy gateways, create sandboxes, configure policies, providers, and community images for your AI agents.

+++ {bdg-secondary}Concept :::

:::{grid-item-card} Inference Routing 🔗 inference/index :link-type: doc

Keep inference traffic private by routing API calls to local or self-hosted backends.

+++ {bdg-secondary}Concept :::

:::{grid-item-card} Observability 🔗 observability/index :link-type: doc

Understand sandbox logs, access them via CLI and TUI, and export OCSF JSON records.

+++ {bdg-secondary}How-To :::

:::{grid-item-card} Reference 🔗 reference/default-policy :link-type: doc

Policy schema, environment variables, and system architecture.

+++ {bdg-secondary}Reference :::

:::{grid-item-card} Security Best Practices 🔗 security/best-practices :link-type: doc

Every configurable security control, its default, and the risk of changing it.

+++ {bdg-secondary}Concept :::

::::


:class: warning

This software automatically retrieves, accesses or interacts with external materials. Those retrieved materials are not distributed with this software and are governed solely by separate terms, conditions and licenses. You are solely responsible for finding, reviewing and complying with all applicable terms, conditions, and licenses, and for verifying the security, integrity and suitability of any retrieved materials for your specific use case. This software is provided "AS IS", without warranty of any kind. The author makes no representations or warranties regarding any retrieved materials, and assumes no liability for any losses, damages, liabilities or legal consequences from your use or inability to use this software or any retrieved materials. Use this software and the retrieved materials at your own risk.
:hidden:

Home <self>
:caption: About NVIDIA OpenShell
:hidden:

Overview <about/overview>
How It Works <about/architecture>
Supported Agents <about/supported-agents>
Release Notes <about/release-notes>
:caption: Get Started
:hidden:

Quickstart <get-started/quickstart>
tutorials/index
:caption: Gateways and Sandboxes
:hidden:

sandboxes/index
Sandboxes <sandboxes/manage-sandboxes>
Gateways <sandboxes/manage-gateways>
Providers <sandboxes/manage-providers>
Policies <sandboxes/policies>
Community Sandboxes <sandboxes/community-sandboxes>
:caption: Inference Routing
:hidden:

inference/index
inference/configure
:caption: Reference
:hidden:

reference/gateway-auth
reference/default-policy
reference/policy-schema
reference/support-matrix
:caption: Observability
:hidden:

observability/index
observability/logging
observability/accessing-logs
observability/ocsf-json-export
:caption: Security
:hidden:

security/best-practices
:caption: Resources
:hidden:

resources/license