FoundationAgents/OpenManus · error · RuntimeError

Sandbox not initialized

Error message

Sandbox not initialized

What it means

Raised by DockerSandbox.run_command (app/sandbox/core/sandbox.py:155) when self.terminal is None — i.e. the command API was used before a successful create()/init(). The sandbox object can be constructed cheaply, but the exec terminal only exists after DockerSandbox.create() completes; calling run_command before that is a lifecycle misuse, not a Docker failure.

Source

Thrown at app/sandbox/core/sandbox.py:155

        os.makedirs(host_path, exist_ok=True)
        return host_path

    async def run_command(self, cmd: str, timeout: Optional[int] = None) -> str:
        """Runs a command in the sandbox.

        Args:
            cmd: Command to execute.
            timeout: Timeout in seconds.

        Returns:
            Command output as string.

        Raises:
            RuntimeError: If sandbox not initialized or command execution fails.
            TimeoutError: If command execution times out.
        """
        if not self.terminal:
            raise RuntimeError("Sandbox not initialized")

        try:
            return await self.terminal.run_command(
                cmd, timeout=timeout or self.config.timeout
            )
        except TimeoutError:
            raise SandboxTimeoutError(
                f"Command execution timed out after {timeout or self.config.timeout} seconds"
            )

    async def read_file(self, path: str) -> str:
        """Reads a file from the container.

        Args:
            path: File path.

        Returns:
            File contents as string.

View on GitHub (pinned to 52a13f2a57)

Solutions

1. Call `sandbox = await DockerSandbox(config).create()` (or manager.create_sandbox + get_sandbox) before any run_command.
2. After any create/cleanup failure, drop the reference — do not retry commands on the same object.
3. If using the manager, always go through get_sandbox(sandbox_id) which only returns initialized sandboxes.

Example fix

# before
sb = DockerSandbox(config)
out = await sb.run_command("ls")  # RuntimeError: Sandbox not initialized

# after
sb = await DockerSandbox(config).create()
out = await sb.run_command("ls")

assert sandbox.terminal is not None, "call await sandbox.create() before run_command"

def is_ready(sb: DockerSandbox) -> bool:
    return sb.terminal is not None

try:
    out = await sandbox.run_command(cmd)
except RuntimeError as e:
    if str(e) == "Sandbox not initialized":
        sandbox = await DockerSandbox(sandbox.config).create()
        out = await sandbox.run_command(cmd)
    else:
        raise

When it happens

Trigger: Constructing DockerSandbox(config) directly and calling run_command without `await sandbox.create()`; using a sandbox after cleanup() set terminal to None; a create() that failed (error 24) leaving the object alive and later reused.

Common situations: Skipping the manager and hand-rolling the sandbox lifecycle; forgetting to await the create coroutine (calling create() without await so it never runs); reusing a sandbox reference after an exception path already cleaned it up.

Related errors

• Failed to create sandbox: {e}
• password must be provided
• Maximum number of sandboxes ({self.max_sandboxes}) reached
• Failed to create sandbox: {e}
• Command execution timed out after {timeout or self.config.ti

AI-assisted analysis of FoundationAgents/OpenManus@52a13f2a57 (2026-08-15). Data as JSON: /api/errors/e316312e653fa20d. Report an issue: GitHub.