PaperPod
Isolated, agent-native sandboxes for code execution, live preview URLs, browser automation, 50+ tools (ffmpeg, sqlite, pandoc, imagemagick), LLM inference, and persistent memory — all via CLI or HTTP, no SDK or API keys required. Billed per second of compute usage and topup via stripe or x402.
Quick Start
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Authentication
Step 1: Get a token
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Step 2: Use the token (pick one method)
| Method | How | Best for |
|---|
| CLI login | INLINECODE0 | Everyday, Interactive use |
| Env var |
export PAPERPOD_TOKEN=pp_sess_... | Scripts, CI/CD |
|
Per-request |
-H "Authorization: Bearer pp_sess_..." | HTTP one-shots |
Tokens expire in 15 days. On EXPIRED_TOKEN error, re-authenticate via POST /login.
CLI (Recommended)
The CLI is the easiest way to use PaperPod. It handles streaming, sessions, and reconnection automatically.
CLI Commands
| Category | Command | Description |
|---|
| Sandbox | INLINECODE5 | Run shell command |
|
ppod write <path> [file] | Write file (stdin if no file) |
| |
ppod read <path> | Read file |
| |
ppod ls <path> | List directory |
|
Processes |
ppod start <cmd> | Start background process |
| |
ppod ps | List processes |
| |
ppod kill <id> | Stop process |
|
Ports |
ppod expose <port> | Get public URL (-q for URL only) |
|
Browser |
ppod browser:screenshot <url> | Capture webpage |
| |
ppod browser:pdf <url> | Generate PDF |
| |
ppod browser:scrape <url> [sel] | Scrape elements (default: body) |
| |
ppod browser:markdown <url> | Extract markdown |
| |
ppod browser:content <url> | Get rendered HTML |
| |
ppod browser:test <url> '<json>' | Run Playwright tests |
| |
ppod browser:acquire | Acquire reusable session |
| |
ppod browser:connect <id> | Connect to existing session |
| |
ppod browser:sessions | List active sessions |
| |
ppod browser:limits | Check browser limits |
|
AI |
ppod ai <prompt> | Text generation |
| |
ppod ai:embed <text> | Generate embeddings |
| |
ppod ai:image <prompt> | Generate image |
| |
ppod ai:transcribe <audio> | Transcribe audio |
| |
ppod ai:models | List available AI models |
|
Code |
ppod interpret <code> | Rich output (charts) |
|
Memory |
ppod mem:write <path> | Persist data |
| |
ppod mem:read <path> | Read persisted data |
| |
ppod mem:ls | List memory files |
| |
ppod mem:rm <path> | Delete from memory |
| |
ppod mem:usage | Check quota |
|
Account |
ppod balance | Check credits |
| |
ppod status | Connection info |
| |
ppod help | Show all commands |
| |
ppod <cmd> --help | Help for specific command |
Update CLI: INLINECODE38
CLI Examples
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HTTP Endpoints
Use HTTP for one-shot tasks or when CLI isn't available. Run curl https://paperpod.dev/docs or visit https://paperpod.dev/docs for full API reference.
Quick Reference
| Endpoint | Purpose |
|---|
| INLINECODE40 | Run code (python, javascript, shell) |
| INLINECODE41 |
Stream output (SSE) |
|
POST /files/write | Write file |
|
POST /files/read | Read file |
|
POST /files/list | List directory |
|
POST /process/start | Start background process |
|
POST /process/list | List processes |
|
POST /expose | Get preview URL for port |
|
POST /memory/write | Persist data |
|
POST /memory/read | Read persisted data |
|
POST /browser/screenshot | Capture screenshot |
|
POST /browser/pdf | Generate PDF |
|
POST /browser/markdown | Extract markdown |
|
POST /ai/generate | Text generation |
|
POST /ai/embed | Embeddings |
|
POST /ai/image | Image generation |
|
GET /ai/models | List models |
HTTP Example
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Capabilities
| Category | What you can do |
|---|
| Code Execution | Python, JavaScript, shell commands |
| Processes |
Background servers, long-running jobs |
|
Preview URLs | Expose ports →
https://8080-{sandbox-id}-p8080_v1.paperpod.work |
|
Agent Memory | 10MB persistent storage (R2) |
|
Browser | Screenshots, PDFs, scraping (Playwright) |
|
AI Models | Text, embeddings, images, transcription |
|
Files | Read/write, git, bulk operations |
Pre-installed Tools (50+)
| Category | Tools |
|---|
| Runtimes | python, node, npm, bun, pip |
| Version Control |
git, gh (GitHub CLI) |
|
HTTP & Networking | curl, httpie, jq, dig, ss |
|
Search & Text | ripgrep (rg), find, sed, awk, tree |
|
Media & Docs | ffmpeg, imagemagick, pandoc |
|
Build & Data | make, sqlite3, tar, gzip, zip, unzip |
Key Notes
- - Sandboxes are isolated — each user gets their own container with a full Linux environment; you can only affect your own ephemeral sandbox
- Sandbox is ephemeral — use Agent Memory (
/memory/*) for persistence - Working directory is
/workspace — relative paths like file.txt resolve to INLINECODE61 - Servers must bind to
0.0.0.0 for public access - Ports 3000-3010 are reserved — use 8080, 5000, 4000, etc.
- Browser sessions — Each command creates an ephemeral session. Use
browser:acquire for multi-command session reuse, --trace to capture Playwright traces
Billing
$0.0001/sec compute + browser, $0.02/1K neurons AI. New accounts get $5 free (~14 hours), no credit card required.
Discovery
- -
ppod help — CLI command reference - INLINECODE66 — API schema (JSON)
- INLINECODE67 — Full documentation
Advanced: WebSocket (not recommended for normal workflows). For programmatic integrations or custom apps, connect via WebSocket. GET https://paperpod.dev/docs to learn more.
