Airlock: coding agents, kept contained

Airlock: coding agents, kept contained is a virtual machine manager that runs coding agents in an isolated copy of a project.

Airlock runs Claude Code or Codex inside a virtual machine on an Apple silicon Mac. It operates on a copy of a project folder, preventing agents from accessing the host file system, local network, or SSH keys. Users review every modified file as a diff and choose which changes to apply to the real project. The system monitors all processes inside the virtual machine, including background scripts and network requests, and flags suspicious activity. It supports Xcode projects by borrowing the existing host installation for macOS virtual machines.

Airlock: coding agents, kept contained at a glance

Best for: Software engineer
Runs on: macOS, CLI
Pricing: Free
Released: October 2026
Category: AI coding tool
Website: airlock.sorrel.systems

Key features

Runs coding agents in a virtual machine
Works on a project copy instead of the real folder
Provides per-file diff review before applying changes
Monitors all processes and network requests
Flags build scripts and git hooks
Supports Xcode projects using host installation

Use it for

Running Claude Code in an isolated environment
Running Codex in a virtual machine
Reviewing agent file changes via diffs
Developing Xcode projects inside virtual machines

Companions

Tools that articles about Airlock: coding agents, kept contained recommend using with it, each with its job.

Context7 — Provides up-to-date documentation for AI agents and code editors.
Playwright MCP — Enables LLMs to interact with web pages using structured accessibility snapshots.
GitHub MCP Server — Reads pull requests, issues and code search on GitHub.
Superpowers — Brainstorm, plan and execute skills for bigger tasks.
gstack — Skill bundle for planning, review and shipping.

Alternatives to Airlock: coding agents, kept contained

Juiced — Runs Claude Code in a persistent cloud workspace while the laptop is closed.
Claude Squad — Manages multiple AI agents in isolated git worktrees.
Vne — Blocks agent access to secrets while letting it manage env files safely.
Hlock — Pins entire AI agent setups into a portable file to share and run anywhere.
Agent Archive — Hand off coding sessions between Claude Code, Codex, and Cursor across machines.
Runway — Control Claude Code and Codex sessions on local or cloud machines from any phone.
Claude Code — Terminal-first agent that handles multi-hour refactors and migrations
Reviewer Agent — It uses a separate AI model to review code and prevent premature agent stopping.
Flash Agents — Offloads reading and typing to cheap workers while keeping Claude for review
Agent Usage Guard — Stops runaway usage windows and excessive subagent fan-out.
Oh My ClaudeCode — Orchestrates parallel Claude, Gemini, and Codex CLI workers.
claude-mem — It shares persistent, searchable agent memory across sessions and devices.

All Airlock: coding agents, kept contained alternatives