Shell-Cell

Lightweight CLI tool that turns simple YAML blueprints into instant, isolated, and reproducible containerized development shell sessions.

⚠️ Prototype, under heavy development

💡 How It Works

Shell-Cell reads a scell.yml blueprint file, compiles it into a Docker image, and launches a persistent container that acts as a "shell server". You can then attach interactive shell sessions to this warm, ready-to-use environment.

Unlike standard containers that run a task and exit, Shell-Cell containers stay alive in the background, so you can jump in and out instantly.

🚀 Quick Start

Prerequisites

A running Docker (or Podman) daemon is required.

Install

cargo install shell-cell --locked

For socket configuration and other setup details, see the Install and Configure guide.

Create a Blueprint

Place a scell.yml file in your project directory (see the full Blueprint File Reference for all available instructions):

main:
  from: debian:bookworm
  workspace: /app
  shell: /bin/bash
  hang: while true; do sleep 3600; done

Launch a Session

scell

That's it! Shell-Cell will find the scell.yml in your current directory, build the environment, and drop you into an interactive shell. For more CLI options and usage patterns, see the CLI Reference.

➡️ Whats next?

Want to see what we’re working on or suggest a new idea? Check out our journey here:

👉 Roadmap

❤️ Contributing & Feedback

If you run into a bug or have a "what if" idea, don't be a stranger — open an issue, start a discussion or make a pull-request!