# Connect Claude Desktop to a sandbox




Claude Desktop can run Claude Code on a remote machine over SSH. Point it at a
sandbox so the agent works inside the isolated environment instead of on your
host.

> [!NOTE]
> This page covers Claude Desktop connecting to a sandbox over SSH. To run the
> Claude Code CLI inside a sandbox directly, see
> [Claude Code](/ai/sandboxes/agents/claude-code/).

## Prerequisites

- SSH access set up. See [Editor and app integrations](/ai/sandboxes/integrations/#enable-ssh-access).
- An existing named sandbox. See
  [Create or identify a sandbox](/ai/sandboxes/integrations/#create-or-identify-a-sandbox).
- Claude Desktop installed.

## Connect

Confirm that you can connect to the sandbox from a terminal:

```console
$ ssh demo.sbx
```

In Claude Desktop, open the environment drop-down before starting a session and
select **+ Add SSH connection**. Enter a name for the connection and enter the
sandbox hostname, such as `demo.sbx`, in **SSH Host**. Leave **SSH Port** and
**Identity File** empty because the managed SSH config supplies them.

Select the connection from the environment drop-down, then use the remote
folder picker to
[select the mounted workspace](/ai/sandboxes/integrations/#select-the-workspace-folder). The
picker might initially open at `/home/agent`.

For more connection options, see the Claude Desktop instructions for
[SSH sessions](https://code.claude.com/docs/en/desktop#ssh-sessions).

## Troubleshoot SSH connection timeouts on Windows

Claude Desktop requires Git on Windows. If an SSH connection times out and the
Claude Desktop logs include `ProxyCommand error: spawn sh ENOENT`, install
[Git for Windows](https://git-scm.com/download/win).

If Git is already installed, verify that `sh.exe` is available on your `PATH`:

```powershell
PS> where.exe sh
```

If the command doesn't find `sh.exe`, add the Git `bin` directory to your user
`Path`. The default directory is `C:\Program Files\Git\bin`. Quit and restart
Claude Desktop after updating `Path`.

## Related

- [Editor and app integrations](/ai/sandboxes/integrations/) — how SSH access works and how to
  set it up
- [Claude Code](/ai/sandboxes/agents/claude-code/) — run the Claude Code CLI inside a
  sandbox