Setup Scripts

Setup scripts prepare a sandbox after sources are cloned but before you start using it — installing language runtimes, syncing dependencies, building tools. There are two equivalent forms in islo.yaml: a single setup_script string or a named-step setup_scripts array.

When Setup Runs

Setup runs server-side as part of sandbox creation:

islo use (new sandbox)
    │
    ├── Clone sources (from `sources:` in islo.yaml)
    │
    └── Run setup_script / setup_scripts

After setup completes, the sandbox is ready and your shell, command, or agent session starts.

Setup runs once during sandbox creation. Reconnecting to an existing sandbox (islo use <existing-name>) does not re-run setup — edit the script and recreate the sandbox to pick up new steps.

Execution Environment

If you need root, set user: root in islo.yaml. If you need a different working directory for your shell or agent session, set workdir: — that affects the session, not the setup script.

setup_script vs setup_scripts

Both fields produce the same result; pick whichever reads better for your project.

setup_script — one shell block:

1
setup_script: |
2
  curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
3
  export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
4
  uv sync

setup_scripts — named, ordered steps:

1
setup_scripts:
2
  - name: Install uv
3
    script: |
4
      curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
5
      export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
6
  - name: Sync Python deps
7
    script: uv sync

Named steps appear individually in setup output and exec logs, which makes failures easier to attribute. Prefer setup_scripts for anything more than a few lines.

Adding Steps with islo add

islo add writes entries into setup_scripts: using built-in recipes.

$
islo add                                       # Interactive: detect tools, pick which to add
$
islo add python 3.12                           # Add the Python recipe pinned to 3.12
$
islo add node 20                               # Add the Node recipe pinned to 20
$
islo add --script 'apt-get install -y curl'   # Add a custom one-line step

Edit islo.yaml directly when you need something the recipes don’t cover.

Common Patterns

Python + uv

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setup_script: |
2
  curl -LsSf https://astral.sh/uv/install.sh | sh
3
  export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
4
  uv sync

Node + pnpm

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setup_script: |
2
  corepack enable
3
  pnpm install --frozen-lockfile

Multi-language with named steps

1
setup_scripts:
2
  - name: Install Rust
3
    script: curl --proto '=https' --tlsv1.2 -sSf https://sh.rustup.rs | sh -s -- -y --default-toolchain stable
4
  - name: Install Node deps
5
    script: |
6
      corepack enable
7
      pnpm install
8
  - name: Build
9
    script: cargo build --release

Install an agent CLI

1
setup_scripts:
2
  - name: Install Claude Code
3
    script: curl -fsSL https://claude.ai/install.sh | DISABLE_AUTOUPDATER=1 bash

Templates

islo init --template <name> writes a starter islo.yaml with a sensible setup_script for the language. Run islo init --list to see what’s available; current options include default, python, node, rust, go, and fullstack.