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Enable the chat sandbox

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Aperture chat sandbox is currently in alpha.
The chat sandbox requires activation by Tailscale before you can use it. To request access, sign up using this form.

The chat sandbox gives the Aperture assistant access to an isolated Linux environment where it can execute commands, read and edit files, and share downloadable output with users during a conversation.

Prerequisites

Before you begin, confirm the following:

  • You have admin access to edit the Aperture configuration. Refer to set up admin access.
  • Users who need sandbox access can reach the chat interface, which is available by default. Refer to control model access.

Tailscale provisions and manages the infrastructure that runs the sandbox for your Aperture gateway. No infrastructure setup is required on your side. For more about what the sandbox does and how it works, refer to Aperture chat sandbox.

Request the chat sandbox for your Aperture gateway

Tailscale enables the chat sandbox for your gateway. There is nothing to add to your Aperture configuration.

To request the sandbox, complete the request form. You can also contact your Tailscale account manager or email aperture@tailscale.com.

The chat sandbox gives the chat assistant its sandbox tools. It is unrelated to the sandboxes configuration block, which controls the separate workstation provisioning feature.

Restrict chat access (optional)

The chat UI is available by default, so users can reach the sandbox without any extra grant. To restrict chat access, set enable_chat_ui to false in a grant for the users or groups you want to exclude:

{
  "grants": [
    {
      "src": ["group:contractors"],
      "app": {
        "tailscale.com/cap/aperture": [
          { "enable_chat_ui": false }
        ]
      }
    }
  ]
}

Replace the src value with the users or groups you want to exclude. Refer to control model access for details on grant configuration.

Verify the sandbox is working

After Tailscale enables the sandbox for your gateway, confirm that sandbox tools are available:

  1. Open the Aperture chat interface.
  2. Start a new conversation.
  3. Ask the assistant to run a command. For example: "What operating system is the sandbox running?".
  4. The assistant uses a tool to execute the command in the sandbox and returns the result.

If the tools do not appear, contact your Tailscale account manager or email aperture@tailscale.com to confirm that the sandbox is enabled for your gateway.

What changes when sandbox is enabled

When the chat sandbox is active, the following capabilities become available:

  • The assistant gains five tools: command execution, file viewing, file creation, file editing, and file sharing.
  • The assistant's system instructions include guidance on using the sandbox for code execution and file generation.
  • A file download endpoint becomes active so users can download files the assistant creates during a conversation.

Next steps