updated 2026-10-14 00:09 UTC

OpenShell

Repository Website by NVIDIA

OpenShell is the safe, private runtime for autonomous AI agents.

Sandboxes & Runtimes Rust Listed Apache-2.0

Is OpenShell safe? Promising trust profile, but some evidence still deserves review.

OSSF Scorecard 6.5 / 10
Provenance None
Signed commits 100%
Last push today
Advisories None known
Compare OpenShell

How does it stack up against its Sandboxes & Runtimes neighbours?

Pick any agent to compare →
Suggest a correction

In detail: OpenShell scores 74.1/100 (Grade B), ranked #271 of 1371 tracked open-source AI agent projects, on evidence coverage B (3 of 5 independent signal types). The public evidence: no package-provenance attestation found; OSSF Scorecard rates its supply-chain practices 6.5/10; 100% of recent commits are signed; no published advisory affects its latest release (openshell); last pushed 2026-10-14. Every point is earned from checkable signals — never paid placement. How scoring works →

What OpenShell can reach, and who runs it

Checked 2026-10-09, each with its source. PUBLISHER is the company's or project's own statement, which we haven't verified; CHECKED is something we observed ourselves. These facts describe the product. They don't change its score.

Who runs it

  • CHECKED Made by NVIDIA; open source under Apache-2.0. github.com

What it can reach

  • PUBLISHER Each agent runs in an isolated sandbox: kernel controls confine which files and system calls it can use, and every network connection passes through a policy. github.com

Where your data goes

  • PUBLISHER Sends anonymous telemetry limited to operational categories and counts, not sandbox names, hostnames, file paths, prompts, credentials or user content. OPENSHELL_TELEMETRY_ENABLED=false turns it off. github.com

Security practice

  • CHECKED The repository has a SECURITY.md and GitHub private vulnerability reporting is enabled. github.com
Something wrong or out of date? Suggest a correction

How OpenShell could raise its score

Each line changes one public signal and recomputes with the live scoring function. The gains don't add up exactly, because the score is capped near the top.

Already done? Suggest a correctionAdd the trust badge

Chain of custody

Scanners check what the code says. This traces who ships OpenShell and whether that has changed: from the source repository, through how changes are reviewed and released, to the package you install. These are the checks for OWASP ASI04 Agentic Supply Chain Vulnerabilities.

  1. Source Signed

    github.com/NVIDIA/OpenShell, Apache-2.0, last pushed 2026-10-14. 100% of the last 100 commits carry a verified signature, so changes trace to a verified account.

  2. Review and release Mixed

    OpenSSF Scorecard rates the repository's practices 6.5/10 (scanned Sep 29, 2026, refresh pending). The checks that decide who can get a change released:

    • Code Review9
    • Branch Protection4
    • Signed Releases0
    • Dangerous Workflow10
    • Token Permissions0
    • Pinned Dependencies6
    All 18 Scorecard checks
    Binary-Artifacts 10
    Branch-Protection 4
    CI-Tests 10
    CII-Best-Practices 0
    Code-Review 9
    Contributors 10
    Dangerous-Workflow 10
    Dependency-Update-Tool 10
    Fuzzing 0
    License 10
    Maintained 10
    Packaging 10
    Pinned-Dependencies 6
    SAST 10
    Security-Policy 10
    Signed-Releases 0
    Token-Permissions 0
    Vulnerabilities 0

  3. Published packages Not linked

    • PyPI openshell Source link isn't a GitHub repo No build attestation

    Without a build attestation, nothing proves the published files were built from this repository.

  4. What you install today No known advisories

    Latest release checked: openshell 0.1.3. No published advisory affects it (OSV, checked 2026-10-13).

Changes to this chain

No change to package provenance, package source links, Scorecard coverage or license in HVTracker's daily snapshots of OpenShell.

Evidence behind this score

Coverage B: 3 of 5 independent evidence types found.

  • GitHub repository data
  • Package downloads
  • Supply-chain checks
  • Public actions (missing)
  • Community mentions (missing)

Verify this score yourself

Every build re-issues OpenShell’s score as an Ed25519-signed credential, valid for 7 days. You can check it offline against HVTracker’s published key; if anyone changes a number after signing, verification fails.

Signed credential (JSON) How to verify

What this score doesn’t check

It covers who ships the code, not what the code does. It doesn’t read tool descriptions or prompts for injected instructions, watch runtime behaviour, or find bugs nobody has disclosed yet. For that, run a content scanner before you connect it, such as Cisco MCP Scanner or Snyk Agent Scan.

How OpenShell compares in Sandboxes & Runtimes

  1. #1 BoxLite 85.0 +10.9
  2. #2 E2B 77.7 +3.6
  3. #3 OpenShell 74.1 this agent
  4. #4 Cube Sandbox 71.7 −2.4
  5. #5 OpenSandbox 70.7 −3.4

Bars show each HVTrust score; the tick marks OpenShell’s 74.1.

Where the 74.1 comes from

HVTrust dimensions vs the Sandboxes & Runtimes average

74.1 / 100 · 100.0% confidence

OpenShell Sandboxes & Runtimes average (11 agents)

Safety / Integrity50% OSSF Scorecard · 30% provenance · 20% signed commits
13.1 / 25
2.7 above avg 10.4
Identity / Provenance60% listing status · 40% build provenance
10.8 / 18
0.7 below avg 11.5
Transparency50% declared license · 50% OSSF Scorecard
14.0 / 17
2.0 above avg 12.0
Maintenance60% last-push freshness · 40% commit activity
20.0 / 20
5.7 above avg 14.3
AdoptionLog-scaled stars · package downloads
16.8 / 20
4.1 above avg 12.7

Quick Trust Read

What Would Improve It
Publish package provenance or release attestations for stronger supply-chain evidence.
Recent Changes
2026-09-23
Provider Removed
Runtime surface shrank — no longer detected: Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter
2026-09-23
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 151 spots (#122 → #273)
2026-09-21
Rank Moved
Rank rose 200 spots (#321 → #121)
Maintainer Checklist
Raise Scorecard signals Current OSSF Scorecard is 6.5/10. Tighten the weakest checks to improve public safety evidence.
Publish provenance Add package provenance or release attestations so users can verify where shipped artifacts came from.
Compare with BoxLite Get email alerts for OpenShell View Sandboxes & Runtimes Report missing data
90.3
Activity sub-score · out of 100
#3
In Sandboxes & Runtimes

How to read this: HVTrust (0–100) weighs supply-chain signals (provenance, OSSF Scorecard, signed commits, open license) alongside real-world adoption. Grade B reflects the trust score band: A ≥ 80, B ≥ 65, C ≥ 50, D < 50. Evidence coverage B is separate — it grades how many independent signal types back the score (3 of 5), so a high score on thin evidence stays visible. Full methodology →

Signals refreshed 2026-10-14 00:09 UTC · Repo last pushed today

Rank Trend

2026-09-29 2026-10-13

Activity & Reach

Stars
16.1k
Forks
1.8k
Last Push
2026-10-14
today
Commits (4 wk)
369
Downloads (7d)
115,850
pypi
HN mentions (30d)
—
Open Issues
355
Rank Change
▼1
was #270

Analysis

Activity Inputs

90.3 / 100
StarsRepository reach
25.2 / 30
FreshnessLast push recency
25.0 / 25
ActivityRecent commits
25 / 25
CommunityFork signal
15.1 / 20

Common questions about OpenShell

OpenShell has a mixed signal profile. Some trust indicators are present, others are missing. Whether it is safe for your use case depends on which gaps matter to you — review the breakdown below before adopting in production.
Does OpenShell publish package provenance?
No published build provenance is currently detected for OpenShell. This is common for open-source projects but means consumers cannot independently verify that the package on the registry matches the GitHub source.
Does OpenShell have an OpenSSF Scorecard?
OpenShell has an OpenSSF Scorecard score of 6.5/10. The Scorecard checks for branch protection, signed releases, dependency updates, fuzzing, code review, and other supply-chain hygiene items. See the full check breakdown on this page.
Is OpenShell actively maintained?
Actively maintained. The repository was pushed to within the last 1 day(s).
What license does OpenShell use?
OpenShell ships under Apache-2.0. A declared, OSI-approved license is one of the transparency signals HVTrust scores.
Are OpenShell's commits signed?
100% of the last 100 commits to OpenShell are verified-signed (GPG, SSH, S/MIME, or GitHub's signing flow). Signed commits help confirm that code was authored by who the commit claims.

Not a safety endorsement. HVTracker describes what public signals show, not whether a project is safe for your use case. Run your own security review before adopting in production.

Compare OpenShell head-to-head

OpenShell vs BoxLite → OpenShell vs E2B → OpenShell vs Cube Sandbox →

AI agent surface

MCP, providers, tool surface
Scored in HVTrust

These runtime-trust fields — detected from public repo docs and manifests — contribute a bounded adjustment to this project's HVTrust score alongside supply-chain evidence. The exact values each field can add or subtract are documented in the methodology → Compare this surface across every listed agent in the capability matrix →

MCP Server Support
None detected
No MCP server signal detected.
Detailed evidence is not shown in the public view.
External Service Dependencies
None detected
No clear third-party provider dependency detected.
Credential signal: No explicit API-key/config marker detected.
Tool / Plugin Surface
high confidence
Extensions
Extension based plugin/integration surface detected.
Detailed evidence is not shown in the public view.
Package Provenance Drift
low confidence
Unknown
Package source metadata is missing or inconclusive
Detailed evidence is not shown in the public view.
  • MCP signal live
  • External deps live
  • Tool / plugin surface live
  • Package provenance drift live
How this surface has changed

Detected changes to OpenShell's runtime surface and supply-chain posture, from daily public-signal snapshots. A change here means our detectors see something different — a genuinely changed capability, or better evidence of an existing one.

2026-09-23
Provider Removed
Runtime surface shrank — no longer detected: Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter

Maintain OpenShell?

For maintainers

HVTrust scores OpenShell from public signals only — we never contact maintainers first. If a signal is wrong, stale, or missing (provenance you publish, a Scorecard you run, signed releases), tell us and we'll review it. Corrections are public and tracked on GitHub.

Submit a correction → Add the trust badge

Reputation Timeline

Signal history
Rank 19HVTrust 1Grade 1Surface 1
2026-09-23
Provider Removed
Runtime surface shrank — no longer detected: Anthropic, OpenAI, OpenRouter
2026-09-23
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 151 spots (#122 → #273)
2026-09-21
Rank Moved
Rank rose 200 spots (#321 → #121)
2026-09-11
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 11 spots (#307 → #318)
2026-09-07
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 12 spots (#289 → #301)
2026-09-05
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 61 spots (#228 → #289)
2026-09-03
Grade Changed
Trust grade D → B
2026-09-03
Rank Moved
Rank rose 705 spots (#927 → #222)
2026-09-03
HVTrust Changed
HVTrust up 27.8pts (42.1 → 69.9)
2026-09-02
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 51 spots (#876 → #927)
2026-09-01
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 31 spots (#845 → #876)
2026-08-31
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 26 spots (#819 → #845)
2026-08-30
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 32 spots (#787 → #819)
2026-08-29
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 48 spots (#739 → #787)
2026-08-28
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 17 spots (#722 → #739)
2026-08-27
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 23 spots (#699 → #722)
2026-08-26
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 94 spots (#605 → #699)
2026-08-19
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 17 spots (#590 → #607)
2026-08-17
Rank Moved
Rank rose 13 spots (#603 → #590)
2026-08-16
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 11 spots (#592 → #603)
2026-08-10
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 20 spots (#571 → #591)
2026-08-08
Rank Moved
Rank dropped 188 spots (#384 → #572)
GitHub → Website → PyPI: openshell

Embed Badge Badge guide for maintainers →

For maintainers
HVTrust 74.1 Grade B
Markdown:
[![HVTrust](https://hvtracker.net/badge/openshell.svg)](https://hvtracker.net/agents/openshell)
HTML:
<a href="https://hvtracker.net/agents/openshell"><img src="https://hvtracker.net/badge/openshell.svg" alt="HVTrust"></a>

Other agents in Sandboxes & Runtimes

Data sources
GitHub REST API (repo, commits, stars, forks, license) · PyPI / pypistats (downloads, provenance) · OpenSSF Scorecard CLI
Each agent's signals refresh once daily across 6 staggered batches. Methodology v4.4 · Raw JSON