Codegen lets you configure custom setup commands that run once when initializing a repository’s sandbox environment. The resulting file system snapshot serves as the starting point for all future agent runs, ensuring consistency.

The most common use cases for setup commands is installing dependencies, e.g. npm install

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Accessing Setup Commands

To configure setup commands for a repository:

  1. Navigate to codegen.com/repos.
  2. Click on the desired repository from the list.
  3. You will be taken to the repository’s settings page. The setup commands can be found at a URL similar to https://codegen.com/{your_org}/{repo_name}/settings/setup-commands (the exact URL structure might vary slightly, look for a “Setup Commands” or “Sandbox Configuration” section).

Set setup commands at codegen.com/repos

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How it Works

Enter your desired setup commands in the provided text area, with one command per line. These commands will be executed in sequence within the sandbox environment.

For example, you might want to:

  • Switch to a specific Node.js version.
  • Install project dependencies.
  • Run any necessary build steps or pre-compilation tasks.

After the commands are executed successfully, Codegen takes a snapshot of the sandbox’s file system. This snapshot then serves as the base environment for future agent interactions with this repository, meaning your setup commands don’t need to be re-run every time, saving time and ensuring consistency.

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Common Examples

Here are a few common use cases for setup commands:

# Switch to Node.js version 20
nvm use 20

# Install npm dependencies
npm install

# Install Python dependencies
pip install -r requirements.txt

# Or a combination of commands
nvm use 18
npm ci
npm run build

Ensure your setup commands are non-interactive and can run to completion without user input.

The environment variables listed in the “Env Variables” section are available during the execution of these setup commands.