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Continue.dev

Continue is an open-source VS Code coding agent. In agent mode it runs shell commands and edits files on your behalf. By default those commands run on your host. Point Continue at IronClaw's sandbox_exec tool and the agent runs untrusted, AI-generated commands inside an isolated gVisor sandbox instead.

Why sandbox Continue?

A coding agent executes code the model wrote, not code you reviewed. One bad command can read your credentials, exfiltrate a token, or delete files. IronClaw contains each command in an ephemeral gVisor container: no host filesystem, no unexpected egress, destroyed after the session.

1. Install ironctl

brew install ironsecco/ironclaw/ironclaw

Verify:

ironctl version

2. Edit the config file

Continue uses YAML config. Open (or create) ~/.continue/config.yaml and add the ironclaw entry under mcpServers:

mcpServers:
  - name: ironclaw
    type: stdio
    command: ironctl
    args:
      - mcp
      - serve

If you already have other MCP servers, add the ironclaw entry alongside them in the same mcpServers list.

MCP runs in agent mode

Continue only exposes MCP tools in agent mode. Switch the Continue chat to Agent before expecting sandbox_exec to appear.

3. Reload

Save the file. Continue reloads its config automatically. If the tool does not appear, run Developer: Reload Window from the VS Code command palette.

What sandbox_exec does

  • Runs commands in an ephemeral container managed by IronClaw
  • Uses gVisor for kernel-level isolation -- the AI cannot read your host files or make unexpected network calls
  • Container is destroyed after the session ends

Troubleshooting

ironctl: command not found -- Make sure ironctl is on your $PATH. Run which ironctl to check. If you installed via Homebrew, run brew link ironsecco/ironclaw/ironclaw.

Tool does not appear -- Confirm Continue is in Agent mode, check the config for YAML indentation errors, and reload the VS Code window.