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On this page
  • What You Can Change at Runtime
  • See Also
Manage Sandboxes

Runtime Controls and Sandbox Mutability

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Manage Sandbox Lifecycle

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Messaging Channels

This page explains which parts of a running NemoClaw sandbox can change immediately and which changes require a rebuild or re-onboard.

What You Can Change at Runtime

NemoClaw applies its security posture in three layers: what onboarding bakes into the sandbox image, what the running sandbox can hot-reload, and what requires a rebuild or re-onboard. The table below maps each commonly changed item to the layer that owns it and the command that changes it.

ItemWhen the change takes effectHow to change it
Inference provider (cloud, NVIDIA Endpoints, local Ollama / vLLM, compatible-endpoint, …)Runtime route changes apply immediately; rebuild if you need to rebake model metadata into the imagenemohermes inference set for route changes, or nemohermes <name> rebuild after changing build-time settings
Inference model on the current providerHot-reloadable through the Hermes config sync pathnemohermes inference set
Agent runtime (Hermes compared to OpenClaw)Re-onboard required (the agent and its state layout are baked at onboard)nemohermes onboard --recreate-sandbox or nemoclaw onboard --agent openclaw --recreate-sandbox
Network policy preset (slack, discord, telegram, brave, …)Runtime. Applies on the next request; rebuild only required if the preset adds bind-mounted secretsnemohermes <name> policy-add <preset> / policy-remove <preset>
Network allow-list (custom hosts)Runtime. Picks up at next requestopenshell policy set or interactive approval prompt at the gateway
Channel tokens (Slack / Discord / Telegram bot credentials)Rebuild required (tokens are baked into the sandbox image at onboard so they never leave the host clear-text)nemohermes <name> channels add <channel> then accept the rebuild prompt
Channel enable/disable (turn a configured channel off without removing the token)Rebuild required (/sandbox/.hermes/.env and Hermes config are baked at image build time)nemohermes <name> channels stop <channel> then rebuild
API/dashboard forward portRuntime. Port is re-resolved on next connectnemohermes <name> connect or openshell forward start
Filesystem layout (Landlock zones, read-only mounts, container caps)Locked at creation. No runtime changeRe-onboard with nemohermes onboard --recreate-sandbox
Sandbox nameLocked at creationRe-onboard with a different --name
GPU passthrough enable / device selectorLocked at creationRe-onboard with --gpu / --sandbox-gpu-device
Hermes config.yaml keysMixed. Inference keys can be patched by nemohermes inference set; image, policy, and channel changes still require rebuild.Prefer NemoClaw host commands so the host registry and rebuilt image stay aligned

If a row above conflicts with what you observe, the runtime source of truth for Hermes is /sandbox/.hermes/config.yaml plus /sandbox/.hermes/.env; the host registry caches metadata but the image and Hermes runtime read from the in-sandbox files.

See Also

The mutability table above is a consolidated index of information that lives in more detail on per-topic pages:

  • Manage Sandbox Lifecycle for the full rebuild, re-onboard, and upgrade workflow.
  • Switch Inference Providers for the runtime route and rebuild paths for provider and model changes.
  • Customize Network Policy and Approve Network Requests for runtime policy editing and operator approval flow.
  • Security Best Practices for the per-attack-surface posture table that this page complements.
  • CLI Commands Reference for the full flag surface for every nemohermes and nemoclaw command, including the environment variables that affect runtime behavior.