Get started
Install grain, open a first sandbox, recipes, or jump to Desktop / Firecracker.
| Guide | When to use it |
|---|---|
| Quick start | Install → config → shell in a few minutes |
| Install | Platforms, install options, QEMU, Desktop (--desktop) |
| First sandbox | Interactive demo + guided create |
| Bootstrap until ready | Custom apt/scripts before create reports ready |
| Sandbox recipes | Portable YAML library + official catalog + deploy |
| Core concepts | Daemon, images, agent, hypervisors, ephemeral vs persistent |
Beyond the CLI
| Feature | Docs |
|---|---|
| Grain Desktop (optional GUI) | Desktop guide — same daemon as CLI |
| Warm pool / fast create | Lifecycle |
| Firecracker (Linux+KVM) | Firecracker · matrix |
| MCP for coding agents | MCP |
- Bootstrap until ready — Run packages or a setup script before grain says the sandbox is ready — with status you can watch.
- Contributing — How to build, test, and send changes to grain — full guide on GitHub.
- Core concepts — A short glossary of daemon, images, sandboxes, the guest agent, and how they fit together.
- First sandbox — Start the grain daemon, pull a base image, create a VM, and open a shell — with an interactive demo.
- Install — Install the grain CLI on macOS or Linux, verify dependencies, and prepare for your first VM.
- Quick start — Install grain and QEMU, optional starter config, create a microVM, open a shell, tear down.
- Sandbox recipes — Portable recipe files for create options and bootstrap steps that stamp readiness before grain says ready.