# Computer Tunnel

Connect your machine through the permissioned Kortix Agent Tunnel.

Canonical page: https://kortix.com/docs/connect/computers

A computer is your own machine — laptop, desktop, or server — connected to
Kortix through a permissioned reverse tunnel. A computer is not a sandbox. A
sandbox is a disposable cloud machine that Kortix creates for a
[session](/docs/work/sessions). A computer is a machine you already own, and
it stays connected across sessions.

## Connect a machine

1. Add **Computer Tunnel** from the project's connector catalog.
2. Run the pairing command shown in the profile, for example
   `npx --yes @kortix/agent-tunnel@latest connect --api-url <url>`.
3. Approve the connection in your browser.
4. Select the paired machine for the profile.

## Grant access

You grant access per capability: filesystem, shell, or desktop. You can scope
each capability to allowed paths, commands, or desktop features. The agent
gets only what you grant. A call to an ungranted capability creates a
permission request. Open the machine inside its Computer Tunnel profile to
approve or deny the request.

An unrestricted shell grant can run any executable available to your user.
An unrestricted filesystem grant can access any path allowed by the local
Agent Tunnel config. Grant the smallest path, command, feature, and expiry that
the task needs.

## How the agent reaches a computer

Pairing adds a machine to your account fleet. It does not grant a project access.
Add **Computer Tunnel** from the project's [connector](/docs/connect/connectors)
catalog, then select one or more paired machines for that profile.

One profile can contain one machine or a group. You can create multiple profiles
with different or overlapping groups. Each profile has independent agent grants
and tool policies.

The `list_computers` tool returns only machines assigned to the active profile.
Other tools accept an optional `computer` name or id from that result. The
selector is optional when exactly one assigned machine is online.

```bash
kortix connectors call studio-computers.list_computers '{}'

kortix connectors call studio-computers.fs.read \
  '{"computer":"MacBook-Pro-9.local","path":"/etc/hosts"}'
```

A computer authenticates with a machine-specific setup token stored locally.
The API stores only its hash. Remote connections require HTTPS/WSS. Project
credentials cannot call the raw tunnel API; they must pass the selected
Computer Tunnel profile, connector grant, and tool policy.

Per-machine filesystem, shell, and desktop access also lives in the tunnel
permission layer. The connector policy and tunnel permission must both allow a
call. The local agent enforces each tunnel permission again. Its configured
allowed paths and commands are maximum access boundaries that a server grant
cannot widen.

Computer Use requires a separately installed local `cua-driver`. Agent Tunnel
does not download, install, or update that executable.

You configure Computer Tunnel profiles from the dashboard, not from
`kortix.yaml`. Use the profile's Accounts tab to pair, select, inspect, rename,
and remove machines. Use its Tools tab to configure connector policy.