JailBee documentation¶

jailbee (short form jb) runs isolated, per-branch development environments in Incus system containers. Every git branch gets a full container of its own — its own services, Docker daemon, IP and optionally its own IDE and browser on your desktop.

New here? Installation sets up the host, then Getting started walks the first container end to end.

Setup¶

Doc	What's inside
Installation	One-time host setup: Incus, UID delegation, installing the CLI (plus conditional firewall / kernel-keyring steps)
Storage: use btrfs	Why a copy-on-write btrfs pool beats the default `dir` pool, how to set one up, and how to point JailBee at it
Getting started	Concepts, configure a repo, build the image, and a "typical day" walkthrough
Using JailBee from a Mac	A Mac as client of a Linux host, or of a Linux VM on the Mac (experimental): SSH service plus Windows App for GUI apps
Apple container machine	Experimental: JailBee and Incus inside an Apple `container machine` with a custom kernel

Daily use¶

Doc	What's inside
FAQ	Short answers to the common questions, each linking to the page that covers it in full
Commands	Full command + flag reference table
Git bridge and branch workflows	Host↔container git bridge, stacked PRs, mount vs clone, PR review, `gh` inside containers
Setting up JailBee in your own project	Tutorial for adapting JailBee to your own repo and stack
Claude Code through LiteLLM	`claude-jb` and `jailbee litellm`: Claude Code on a ChatGPT subscription or another provider's models
Remote GUI over SSH	The shared RDP display for GUI apps launched from a remote SSH session
Troubleshooting	Common failures by symptom, and how to remove JailBee

Reference¶

Doc	What's inside
Configuration reference	Every `.jailbee/config.yaml`, `global.yaml` and host-local `repos/<prefix>.yaml` key
Generic agent support	Wiring a terminal coding agent (Claude Code or otherwise) into the container lifecycle; the shipped presets and their verification status
Security and limitations	Isolation model, git-remote handling, known limits
Architecture	How the pieces fit together
Who JailBee is for	What JailBee is good at, what it costs, and how it differs from Dev Containers, BranchBox, nono and Docker Sandboxes

Project internals¶

These live in the repository rather than on this site — they are maintainer procedure, not user documentation.

Doc	What's inside
Manual testing	End-to-end smoke-test recipes (require a real Incus daemon)
Releasing	Release process
Contributing	Development setup and repo conventions