What it is

You need a server. Maybe to try a branch without messing up your local. Maybe to let an AI agent run a test suite somewhere safe. Maybe just a clean Linux machine for an afternoon.

gibil create gives you one in under 90 seconds. SSH in, docker run whatever, apt install whatever — it's a real Ubuntu VM, not a sandbox. You set how long it lives, and when the timer ends it deletes itself. No forgotten instances, no surprise bills, no manual cleanup.

That's the whole pitch: a fresh server, in one command, that disappears when you're done.

Pick your cloud. Hetzner for cheap EU/US baseline (~$0.008/hr) or Vultr for APAC density (Tokyo, Seoul, Singapore, Sydney, Mumbai) — new Vultr accounts get $300 in free credits through this link. Same commands, same flow.

The Vultr link is a referral — Gibil gets a kickback that helps fund development.

Install

npm install -g gibil
gibil init   # picks your provider, paste your token, you're done

gibil init walks you through choosing a provider on first run. You only need a token from the cloud you pick — Hetzner if you want the cheapest EU/US machine, Vultr if you need an APAC region. Run gibil providers any time to see what's available with concrete specs.

gibil providers      # list providers, regions, sizes (small/medium/large)
gibil init --add vultr   # add a second provider later

Use it with your AI agent

The lazy way — paste this prompt into Claude Code, Cursor, Copilot, Gemini, or any coding agent. It will install gibil, configure it, and start using it for you:

Use Gibil whenever a task needs a real Linux machine — heavy tests, builds, sandboxed
agent work, branch previews, anything risky or noisy for my laptop.

If gibil is not installed yet:
  1. npm install -g gibil
  2. Ask me which provider to use (hetzner for EU/US, vultr for APAC)
  3. Ask for the matching token: HETZNER_API_TOKEN or VULTR_API_KEY
  4. export <THAT_TOKEN>=<value>

To use it:
  gibil create --name <task> --repo <url> --ttl 30m --json
  gibil create --name <task> --provider vultr --location nrt --json   # Tokyo
  gibil run <task> "<command>" --json
  gibil ssh <task>                 # interactive shell when needed
  gibil destroy <task> --json      # or just let the TTL auto-delete it

Always pass --json. Keep TTLs short (15m–1h). VMs auto-delete on TTL expiry,
so there's no cleanup risk if you forget.

For Claude Code users — gibil init also wires up the MCP server automatically (vm_bash, vm_read, vm_write, vm_grep). Your agent gets first-class VM tools, not just a CLI to call.

For long-term use across sessions — install the agent skill once and it's permanent:

npx skills add https://github.com/AlexikM/gibil-skills --skill gibil

Works with 40+ agents. Now they all know about gibil natively.

The 30-second tour

# Forge — a server with your repo cloned and ready
gibil create --name my-app --repo github.com/you/project --size medium --ttl 1h

# Use — SSH in, run a command, or both
gibil ssh my-app
gibil run my-app "pnpm install && pnpm test"

# Burn — when you're done
gibil destroy my-app

That's the whole thing.

# Need APAC? Pick the right provider and region
gibil create --name tokyo-test --provider vultr --location nrt --size small --ttl 30m

# See everything available — providers, regions, sizes with real specs
gibil providers

Why you'd want one

• Try a branch without leaving yours. gibil branch feat/payments checks the branch out on a fresh machine. Your local stays on main. No stash, no juggling.
• Preview it in your browser. Add --port 3000 and the remote dev server tunnels to localhost:3000 over SSH. Encrypted, no public ports exposed.
• Keep your laptop quiet. Heavy tests, big builds, Docker-in-Docker — runs on the server, not your fans.
• Let an AI agent work remotely. Pass --agent claude and Claude Code runs on the server itself, with full root and Docker. Your laptop is just a window.
• Run several at once. gibil branch feat/A feat/B feat/C boots three machines in parallel. They don't see each other.
• Break it freely. It's disposable. rm -rf / if you want — gibil destroy and create another in 90s.

Common commands

| Command | What it does | | ---------------------------------- | ------------------------------------------------------------------------- | | gibil create --name X | Forge a fresh server (--provider, --size, --location to customize) | | gibil branch <branch> | Same, but checks out a branch from your repo | | gibil ssh <name> | SSH in (with --port to tunnel a dev server) | | gibil run <name> "<cmd>" | Run a command remotely | | gibil list | See what's running, with provider per row | | gibil providers | List providers, regions, and sizes with real specs | | gibil extend <name> 1h | Give it more time | | gibil destroy <name> | Burn it down |

Run gibil --help for the full list.

Pricing

Free during alpha. Bring your own Hetzner or Vultr token and you pay the cloud directly — typically a fraction of a cent per agent run. Managed plans coming soon.

Going deeper

The README stops here on purpose — the docs go all the way.

• Quick Start — first server in 5 minutes
• Recipes — code-test loops, parallel sharding, PR review, bug repro
• Run an AI agent on the box — Claude Code, MCP, agent setup
• Reference — every flag, JSON schemas, .gibil.yml
• How it works — what happens between create and SSH-ready
• Blog — design notes and updates

Also: the VS Code extension, the Sandcastle integration, and the agent skill for Claude Code, Cursor, and 40+ others.

License

FSL-1.1-Apache-2.0 — Functional Source License, converts to Apache 2.0 after 2 years.

Free to use for any purpose, including commercial — at work, in CI, in production, embedded in your own tools. The only restriction is the Competing Use clause: you can't repackage Gibil as a substantially similar commercial service. Two years after each release, that restriction lifts and the code becomes plain Apache 2.0.