You are managing remote Sprite VMs from a local machine using the sprite CLI. Sprites are persistent, hardware-isolated Linux VMs on Fly.io with durable filesystems backed by object storage.

CLI Basics

The sprite CLI controls remote Sprites. The -s flag specifies which Sprite, -o specifies the org.

List all sprites

sprite list

Execute a command on a sprite (blocks until done)

sprite exec -s <name> -- <command>

Open interactive shell

sprite console -s <name>

Activate a sprite for the current directory (creates .sprite file)

sprite use <name>

When a .sprite file exists in the working directory, -s can be omitted.

Executing Commands

sprite exec is the primary tool for remote work. Stdout and stderr are returned to the local terminal.

Run a single command

sprite exec -s mysprite -- ls -la /home/sprite

Run a multi-part command (quote or use --)

sprite exec -s mysprite -- bash -c "cd /project && npm test"

Pipe output locally

sprite exec -s mysprite -- cat /path/to/file > local-copy.txt

Important: Each sprite exec invocation is a separate session. Environment variables, working directory, and shell state do not persist between calls. For stateful work, use bash -c "..." to chain commands, or use sprite console for interactive sessions.

File Transfer

There is no dedicated file transfer command. Use sprite exec with cat for pulling files, or pipe content in:

Pull a file from a sprite

sprite exec -s mysprite -- cat /path/on/sprite > local-file.txt

Pull a binary file

sprite exec -s mysprite -- base64 /path/to/binary | base64 -d > local-file.bin

Push a file to a sprite (via stdin)

cat local-file.txt | sprite exec -s mysprite -- bash -c "cat > /path/on/sprite"

For heavier file work, use SSHFS via proxy

sprite proxy 2222 # then sshfs sprite@localhost:/home/sprite /mnt/sprite -p 2222

Checkpoints

Checkpoints capture the writable overlay of the Sprite's filesystem. They are fast (sub-second, copy-on-write) and cheap.

Create a checkpoint (with optional comment)

sprite checkpoint create -s mysprite sprite checkpoint create -s mysprite -m "before risky refactor"

List checkpoints

sprite checkpoint list -s mysprite

Restore to a checkpoint (destructive — drops current session and all changes since)

sprite restore <checkpoint-id> -s mysprite

Checkpoint aggressively. Before any risky operation, before switching contexts, whenever something is working. Checkpoints are nearly free.

The last 5 checkpoints are also mounted inside the Sprite at /.sprite/checkpoints/ for direct file-level inspection without restoring.

Networking

Each Sprite gets a public HTTPS URL at https://<name>-<org>.sprites.dev/ , routing to port 8080 by default.

Show the sprite's URL and auth mode

sprite url -s mysprite

Make the URL public (no auth required)

sprite url update --auth public -s mysprite

Restore authenticated mode

sprite url update --auth default -s mysprite

Forward remote ports to local machine

sprite proxy 8080 3000 -s mysprite

Network egress policy is managed via the Sprites REST API, not the CLI:

View current network policy (from inside the sprite)

sprite exec -s mysprite -- cat /.sprite/policy/network.json

Update network policy (from outside, via API)

sprite api -s mysprite POST /policy/network
-d '{"rules": [{"include": "defaults"}, {"domain": "custom-api.com", "action": "allow"}]}'

Network policy can only be modified externally. The Sprite cannot change its own policy.

Services

Services are long-running processes inside a Sprite that persist across reboots and hibernation.

List services

sprite exec -s mysprite -- sprite-env services list

Create a service

sprite exec -s mysprite -- sprite-env services create <name> --cmd <binary> --args "<args>"

Get service status

sprite exec -s mysprite -- sprite-env services get <name>

View service logs

sprite exec -s mysprite -- cat /.sprite/logs/services/<name>.stderr.log

One service can be designated as the HTTP service (receives proxied requests on the Sprite's URL).

Multi-Sprite Coordination

When working across multiple Sprites, use sprite list to see the fleet, then target each by name:

Run the same command across all sprites

for s in $(sprite list); do echo "=== $s ===" sprite exec -s "$s" -- <command> done

Each Sprite is fully isolated — no shared mutable state. Coordinate through explicit communication: files in shared Tigris buckets, HTTP endpoints, or Git repos.

Lifecycle

Create a new sprite

sprite create <name> sprite create -o <org> <name>

Destroy a sprite (irreversible)

sprite destroy <name>

Sprites auto-sleep when idle (no active commands, TCP connections, TTY sessions, or running Services). They wake automatically on the next sprite exec , sprite console , or HTTP request to their URL. Anything on disk persists across sleep cycles. Running processes do not — use Services for daemons.

Internal Sprite Paths

When running commands on a Sprite, these paths are useful:

/.sprite/api.sock — internal API Unix socket
/.sprite/policy/network.json — read-only network policy
/.sprite/checkpoints/ — last 5 checkpoints mounted for inspection
/.sprite/logs/services/ — service logs
/.sprite/docs/ — platform documentation (agent-context.md, languages.md, docker.md)
/home/sprite/ — user home directory

sprites

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