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Shell — A Real Linux Environment ​

The agent runs real shell commands in a Linux environment (Alpine-based, via proot) right on your phone. This isn't a simulation — it's a working shell with a filesystem, package manager, and scripting.

What it can do ​

  • Run commands and scripts — one-liners, pipelines, shell scripts, cron-style automation.
  • Manage the workspace — create, edit, move, organize, and search files.
  • Install packages — apk packages, Python packages, npm tools, CLIs.
  • Build and test — compile code, run test suites, process data, convert files.
  • Network — curl APIs, download files, probe endpoints.

Environment rules (Alpine) ​

The shell is Alpine Linux, which is minimal by design:

  1. First command in a fresh environment: run apk update before installing anything.
  2. Python packages: prefer pure-Python or wheels-only packages — there's no compiler toolchain, so anything needing gcc won't build.
  3. Long-running commands: start them detached (background) and poll the output file instead of blocking the chat.

Secrets are redacted automatically ​

API keys and tokens in the environment are never shown to the model — tool results replace them with [REDACTED_SECRET]. The agent can use secrets (e.g. call an API) without ever seeing their values. This is enforced centrally, not per-tool.

Practical examples ​

  • "Download this CSV and tell me the top 10 rows by revenue" — the agent fetches, parses, and summarizes.
  • "Clone this repo and run its tests" — full dev workflow on your phone.
  • "Every morning, check this site and summarize changes" — combine with scheduled tasks.

What's next ​

  • MCP — plug in external tool servers
  • Skills — save reusable shell workflows as skills

AgentX documentation — community maintained.