An approved terminal lets an Interactive Agent run commands in a connected macOS or Linux environment. The environment can be your computer, a virtual machine, or a sandbox you manage that can run the CLI. The same pairing and owner approval apply in each case. RevoEngine’s managed Sandbox remains a separate execution environment for Components and debugging.
How access is granted
- Install the RevoEngine CLI in the environment you want to connect and sign in with your personal API key.
- Choose an existing workspace directory and run
revo terminal connect --workspace "$HOME/projects/my-project" --name "Work VM". The terminal appears as a pending request in AI Agents → Terminals.
- In a signed-in browser session, inspect the terminal name and workspace. The owner must select Approve with review or Full access. Pairing from the CLI alone does not authorize commands.
- Keep the CLI connection running. Open an Assistant conversation and ask it to connect the approved terminal to that conversation. Terminals in the Composer menu opens the access settings.
- Ask the Assistant to work on a specific task. Review proposed commands when prompted, then inspect their output and the resulting files or state.
The connection is personal by default. The owner can grant access to named users, groups, or the instance in terminal settings. A shared terminal still runs under the operating-system identity of its runner.
The workspace is the starting directory, not a filesystem sandbox. Commands have the permissions of the account running the CLI. Use a dedicated, least-privilege account or a disposable virtual machine when the task needs stronger isolation.
Review and full access
Approve with review keeps command starts under the Assistant’s normal approval policy, even if a conversation uses a more permissive setting. Full access permits the conversation’s configured approval policy to apply. Neither choice expands the runner’s operating-system permissions or grants access to a terminal that the owner has not approved.
The Assistant can connect more than one approved terminal to a conversation. It starts a command, then reads output and completion status as they arrive. A disconnected or uncertain execution should be inspected before repeating a command with side effects.
Keep a terminal available
The foreground revo terminal connect command remains active while the CLI is running. After browser approval, you can install the CLI’s per-user background service on macOS or Linux:
Use the same saved CLI profile and workspace when managing that service. A connected virtual machine follows the same steps: install the CLI inside the VM, sign in, pair, approve in the browser, then keep its runner online.
Disconnect and revoke
Disconnecting a terminal from one conversation removes that conversation’s connection; it does not revoke the owner’s terminal grant or stop an already running process. The owner can remove the terminal in AI Agents → Terminals to revoke its grant. To remove a locally registered runner, stop its background service first if installed, then run:
Terminal settings show connection and command activity for authorized viewers. Use that history and the task’s actual output to confirm what ran. A pending request, an offline runner, and a conversation without a terminal connection cannot execute commands.
