comparison
Overview
A comprehensive comparison of tools for running Claude Code (and other AI coding agents) in isolated environments on macOS.
Quick Comparison Table
| Tool | Isolation Type | Host OS | Guest OS | macOS Version | Arch | Setup Complexity | Cost |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent-Box | Full VM (Lima/UTM) | macOS | Ubuntu 24.04 | Any | Apple Silicon | Medium | Free |
| ClodPod | Full VM (Tart) | macOS | macOS | Any | Apple Silicon | Medium | Free |
| macSandbox | Micro-VM (Apple Container) | macOS | Linux | macOS 26+ | Apple Silicon | Easy | Free |
| Agentastic.dev | Git Worktrees | macOS | N/A (native) | macOS 14+ | Any | Easy | Free |
| claude-code-sandbox | Docker | Any | Linux | Any | Any | Easy | Free |
| Docker Sandboxes | Docker | Any | Linux | Any | Any | Easy | Free |
| Apple Container | Micro-VM | macOS | Linux | macOS 26+ | Apple Silicon | Easy | Free |
Detailed Feature Comparison
Isolation & Security
| Tool | Isolation Level | Kernel Isolation | Network Isolation | Filesystem Isolation |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent-Box | Full VM | Yes (separate kernel) | Yes | Yes (ext4 native) |
| ClodPod | Full VM | Yes (separate kernel) | Yes | Yes |
| macSandbox | Micro-VM | Yes (dedicated kernel) | Yes | Yes |
| Agentastic.dev | Worktree only | No | No | Partial (worktree) |
| claude-code-sandbox | Container | No (shared kernel) | Configurable | Yes |
| Docker Sandboxes | Container | No (shared kernel) | Configurable | Yes |
| Apple Container | Micro-VM | Yes (dedicated kernel) | Yes (own IP) | Yes (per-container) |
Root/Sudo Access & Persistence
A key requirement for AI agents is full system control - ability to install packages, modify configs, and persist changes.
| Tool | Root/Sudo Access | Install Packages | Environment Persistence | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent-Box | Yes | Yes | Fully persistent | Full Ubuntu VM with sudo |
| ClodPod | Yes | Yes | Fully persistent | Full macOS VM |
| macSandbox | Yes | Yes | Ephemeral (volumes for data) | Uses Apple Container |
| Agentastic.dev | Host user | Host only | N/A (host system) | No isolation |
| claude-code-sandbox | Yes (container root) | Yes | Ephemeral (rebuild from image) | Changes lost on container restart |
| Docker Sandboxes | Yes (non-root + sudo) | Yes | Ephemeral (credentials persist) | agent user with sudo |
| Apple Container | Yes (uid=0 root) | Yes | Ephemeral by default | Use volumes or custom images |
Persistence Models:
- Fully persistent: VM state survives restarts, installed packages remain
- Ephemeral: Container/environment resets on restart; use volumes for data persistence
- Ephemeral (credentials persist): Environment resets but auth tokens saved
Docker Support (Docker-in-Docker)
Critical for AI agents that need to build/run Docker containers.
| Tool | Run Docker Inside? | Method | Limitations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent-Box | Yes | Docker pre-installed in VM | None - full VM |
| ClodPod | Yes | Can install Docker in macOS VM | None - full VM |
| macSandbox | Unknown/Unlikely | Would require nested virt | Apple Silicon nested virt limited (M3+ only) |
| Agentastic.dev | Yes | Uses host Docker | No isolation |
| claude-code-sandbox | Yes | Docker CLI included | Uses host Docker daemon |
| Docker Sandboxes | Yes | Docker CLI + can access daemon | Full Docker support |
| Apple Container | Unknown/Unlikely | Would require nested virt | Micro-VM architecture problematic |
Why Nested Virtualization Matters:
- Apple Container runs each container in a micro-VM
- Running Docker inside = VM inside VM (nested virtualization)
- Apple Silicon M1/M2: No nested virt support
- Apple Silicon M3+: Limited support (macOS 15+)
Filesystem Sharing
| Tool | Method | Performance | Bidirectional | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent-Box | SSHFS reverse-mount | Native ext4 | Yes | Host mounts guest via SSHFS |
| ClodPod | Tart shared folders | Good | Yes | Multiple project dirs supported |
| macSandbox | Container mount | Native | Yes | /workspace in container |
| Agentastic.dev | Native filesystem | Native | N/A | Uses git worktrees |
| claude-code-sandbox | Docker mount or copy | Varies | Configurable | Can copy-in for true isolation |
| Docker Sandboxes | Docker volume | Good | Yes | Workspace mount |
| Apple Container | Per-container sharing | Native | Yes | Only requesting container sees files |
Pre-installed Tools
| Tool | Docker | Node.js | Python | Git | Claude CLI | Other |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent-Box | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | npm |
| ClodPod | - | - | - | - | - | Xcode, Homebrew |
| macSandbox | - | - | - | - | Yes | Minimal |
| Agentastic.dev | - | - | - | Yes | - | Ghostty terminal |
| claude-code-sandbox | Yes | Yes | - | Yes | Yes | GitHub CLI |
| Docker Sandboxes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Go, ripgrep, jq, GitHub CLI |
| Apple Container | - | - | - | - | - | Minimal base |
Multi-Agent Support
| Tool | Parallel Agents | Resource Per Instance | Max Tested |
|---|---|---|---|
| Agent-Box | Manual (multiple VMs) | Full VM | - |
| ClodPod | Yes | Configurable | - |
| macSandbox | Yes (-n 4) | 4GB RAM, 2 CPU default | 8+ on 64GB |
| Agentastic.dev | Yes (native) | Worktree + terminal | Many |
| claude-code-sandbox | Yes | Container | - |
| Docker Sandboxes | Yes | Container | - |
| Apple Container | Yes | Per-container | - |
Supported AI Agents
| Tool | Claude Code | OpenAI Codex | Google Gemini | Others |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agent-Box | Yes | Possible | Possible | Any CLI agent |
| ClodPod | Yes | Yes | Yes | Any CLI agent |
| macSandbox | Yes | - | - | - |
| Agentastic.dev | Yes | Yes | Yes | Droid, Amp, OpenCode |
| claude-code-sandbox | Yes (only) | - | - | - |
| Docker Sandboxes | Yes (only) | - | - | - |
| Apple Container | Any | Any | Any | Any containerized app |
Detailed Tool Profiles
Agent-Box
Repository: https://github.com/Zabaca/agent-box
Approach: Full Ubuntu VM with SSHFS reverse-mount for native filesystem performance.
Unique Features:
- Two setup options (Lima recommended, Vagrant+UTM alternative)
- Native ext4 performance (avoids VirtFS/9P issues)
- Host observes workspace via SSHFS mount at
~/vm-workspace
Best For: Developers wanting full Linux environment with native performance and host observability.
ClodPod
Repository: https://github.com/webcoyote/clodpod
Approach: macOS VM using Tart, mapping multiple project directories.
Unique Features:
- Runs macOS guest (not Linux)
- Xcode included for iOS/macOS development
- Multi-project directory mapping
- CI/CD compatible (
--no-graphics) - Two-layer caching for fast rebuilds
Best For: macOS/iOS developers needing Xcode in isolated environment.
macSandbox
Repository: https://github.com/richardwhiteii/macSandbox
Approach: Apple Container micro-VMs with dedicated kernels.
Unique Features:
- Uses Apple’s native containerization (macOS 26+)
- Each container gets own kernel (stronger than Docker)
- Built by Claude itself in ~15 minutes
- Simple
cldyocommand wrapper
Best For: Users on macOS 26+ wanting lightweight, secure isolation.
Agentastic.dev
Website: https://www.agentastic.dev/
Approach: Native macOS app with git worktree isolation (not VM-based).
Unique Features:
- Native Swift IDE
- Git worktree per agent (lightweight isolation)
- Built-in diff viewer and code review
- Supports 7+ different AI agents
- Fuzzy file finder (Cmd+P)
Limitations:
- No VM isolation (worktrees only)
- Agents run on host system
Best For: Developers wanting lightweight multi-agent orchestration without full VM overhead.
claude-code-sandbox (TextCortex)
Repository: https://github.com/textcortex/claude-code-sandbox
Approach: Docker containers with automatic GitHub integration.
Unique Features:
- Auto branch creation (timestamped)
- Real-time commit monitoring with syntax highlighting
- Interactive PR review menus
- Credential auto-discovery (API keys, GitHub, AWS, GCP)
- Web-based terminal UI (localhost:3456)
- Cross-platform (Linux, macOS, Windows)
Limitations:
- Alpha stage
- Docker’s shared-kernel isolation (less secure than VMs)
Best For: Teams wanting GitHub-integrated workflow with cross-platform support.
Docker Sandboxes (Official Docker)
Documentation: https://docs.docker.com/ai/sandboxes/claude-code/
Approach: Official Docker sandbox template for Claude Code.
Unique Features:
- Official Docker support
- Persistent credential storage across sandboxes
- Pre-configured dev tools (Docker CLI, GitHub CLI, Node, Go, Python, Git)
- Simple
docker sandbox run claudecommand
Best For: Existing Docker users wanting official, well-supported solution.
Apple Container (Reference)
Repository: https://github.com/apple/container
Approach: Apple’s native containerization with micro-VMs.
Unique Features:
- Each container gets own lightweight VM + kernel
- Sub-second startup times
- Each container gets own IP (no port forwarding)
- Zero resource consumption when not running
- Rosetta 2 for amd64 containers
Limitations:
- Requires macOS 26 (not yet released widely)
- Not specifically for AI agents (general container runtime)
Best For: Future replacement for Docker on macOS.
Decision Matrix
| If you need… | Recommended Tool |
|---|---|
| Strongest isolation | macSandbox, Agent-Box, ClodPod |
| Cross-platform | claude-code-sandbox, Docker Sandboxes |
| Multiple AI agents | Agentastic.dev, ClodPod, macSandbox |
| Official support | Docker Sandboxes |
| macOS/iOS development | ClodPod |
| Simplest setup | Docker Sandboxes, macSandbox |
| Best filesystem performance | Agent-Box (SSHFS), Apple Container |
| Current macOS (not 26) | Agent-Box, ClodPod, claude-code-sandbox |
| Full root/sudo + persistence | Agent-Box, ClodPod |
| Docker-in-Docker support | Agent-Box, ClodPod, Docker Sandboxes |
| Ephemeral/disposable environments | Apple Container, claude-code-sandbox, macSandbox |
Sources
- Agent-Box GitHub
- ClodPod GitHub
- macSandbox GitHub
- Agentastic.dev
- claude-code-sandbox GitHub
- Docker Sandboxes Documentation
- Apple Container GitHub
- Running Claude Code dangerously (safely)
- Kali Linux & Apple Containerization
- Docker nested virtualization issue #6965
- Under the hood with Apple’s Containerization