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Sandbox vs Tool Policy vs Elevated

Clawdbot has three related (but different) controls:
  1. Sandbox (agents.defaults.sandbox.* / agents.list[].sandbox.*) decides where tools run (Docker vs host).
  2. Tool policy (tools.*, tools.sandbox.tools.*, agents.list[].tools.*) decides which tools are available/allowed.
  3. Elevated (tools.elevated.*, agents.list[].tools.elevated.*) is a bash-only escape hatch to run on the host when you’re sandboxed.

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Quick debug

Use the inspector to see what Clawdbot is actually doing: 
clawdbot sandbox explain
clawdbot sandbox explain --session agent:main:main
clawdbot sandbox explain --agent work
clawdbot sandbox explain --json
It prints:
  • effective sandbox mode/scope/workspace access
  • whether the session is currently sandboxed (main vs non-main)
  • effective sandbox tool allow/deny (and whether it came from agent/global/default)
  • elevated gates and fix-it key paths

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Sandbox: where tools run

Sandboxing is controlled by agents.defaults.sandbox.mode:
  • "off": everything runs on the host.
  • "non-main": only non-main sessions are sandboxed (common “surprise” for groups/channels).
  • "all": everything is sandboxed.
See Sandboxing for the full matrix (scope, workspace mounts, images).

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Tool policy: which tools exist/are callable

Two layers matter:
  • Global/per-agent tool policy: tools.allow/tools.deny and agents.list[].tools.allow/agents.list[].tools.deny
  • Sandbox tool policy (only applies when sandboxed): tools.sandbox.tools.allow/tools.sandbox.tools.deny and agents.list[].tools.sandbox.tools.*
Rules of thumb:
  • deny always wins.
  • If allow is non-empty, everything else is treated as blocked.

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Elevated: bash-only “run on host”

Elevated does not grant extra tools; it only affects bash.
  • If you’re sandboxed, /elevated on (or bash with elevated: true) runs on the host.
  • If you’re already running direct, elevated is effectively a no-op (still gated).
Gates:
  • Enablement: tools.elevated.enabled (and optionally agents.list[].tools.elevated.enabled)
  • Sender allowlists: tools.elevated.allowFrom.<provider> (and optionally agents.list[].tools.elevated.allowFrom.<provider>)
See Elevated Mode.

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Common “sandbox jail” fixes

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“Tool X blocked by sandbox tool policy”

Fix-it keys (pick one):
  • Disable sandbox: agents.defaults.sandbox.mode=off (or per-agent agents.list[].sandbox.mode=off)
  • Allow the tool inside sandbox:
    • remove it from tools.sandbox.tools.deny (or per-agent agents.list[].tools.sandbox.tools.deny)
    • or add it to tools.sandbox.tools.allow (or per-agent allow)

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“I thought this was main, why is it sandboxed?”

In "non-main" mode, group/channel keys are not main. Use the main session key (shown by sandbox explain) or switch mode to "off".