How to remove template build postprocessing

[kanndil]

Hi, I am trying to integrate E2B into the OpenHands framework to host the runtime "sandbox". I can successfully build a custom template image using my own Dockerfile; however, I encountered an error where E2B forces postprocessing scripts after the image is built. This breaks some environment setup earlier in my Dockerfile.

These scripts change the default user and workspace. I tried running post creation commands, entrypoint script, and Python SDK-based commands after the sandbox is created; however, the issue is persistent.

Here is a log of the specific commands that break my system:

[2025-07-20T18:58:26Z] Creating sandbox template
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Starting configuration script
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Enable swap
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Create default user 'user' (if doesn't exist yet)
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Adding user `user' ...
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Adding new group `user' (1000) ...
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Adding new user `user' (1000) with group `user (1000)' ...
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Creating home directory `/home/user' ...
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Copying files from `/etc/skel' ...
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Adding new user `user' to supplemental / extra groups `users' ...
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Adding user `user' to group `users' ...
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Add sudo to 'user' with no password
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: passwd: password changed.
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Give 'user' ownership to /home/user
[2025-07-20T18:58:28Z] [config] [stdout]: Give 777 permission to /usr/local
[2025-07-20T18:58:29Z] [config] [stdout]: Create /code directory
[2025-07-20T18:58:29Z] [config] [stdout]: Give 777 permission to /code
[2025-07-20T18:58:29Z] [config] [stdout]: Finished configuration script
[2025-07-20T18:58:29Z] [config] [exit 0]: exit status 0
[2025-07-20T18:58:29Z] Running start command
[2025-07-20T18:58:29Z] Waiting for template to be ready
[2025-07-20T18:58:29Z] [ready cmd]: sleep 20
[2025-07-20T18:58:34Z] ...

[linear]

E2B-2739 How to remove template build postprocessing

[dobrac]

Hi @kanndil, appreciate the feedback, the config script is definitely something more advanced users are fighting with and we're working on improving it.

Regarding the issues, could you please elaborate what are the specifics? What do you mean by "default user" and "workspace"?

I know it's not ideal, but we have something that we call a start command (https://e2b.dev/docs/sandbox-template/start-cmd), which you can use instead of ENTRYPOINT (entrypoint doesn't work as is ignored at the moment).

[kanndil]

Hi @dobrac, thank you for your prompt response.

In my Docker file, I create a user called "openhands" where I install all my tools and set up the environment. I can use that user's environment either by the "openhands" or "root" user. However, E2B creates another user called "user" and checks out to it.

Since the user has changed, it does not see the workspace I set.

I tried the start command; however, the change is not persistent.

Here is how I used it:

 e2b template build  --team **** -n **** --cmd "sudo bash && su - openhands"

When I open a shell into the sandbox and run ps aux to check the previously executed commands, I can see that the start commands have been executed; however, the user returns "somehow" back to the "user" user. Here is what happens:

[kandil@dev-01:~] $ e2b sandbox connect i4ytzh5dturj3nf1atiuv
Terminal connecting to sandbox i4ytzh5dturj3nf1atiuv
user@e2b:~$ ls
user@e2b:~$ ps aux
USER         PID %CPU %MEM    VSZ   RSS TTY      STAT START   TIME COMMAND
root           1  0.3  1.1 101664 11712 ?        Ss   04:09   0:00 /sbin/init
root           2  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [kthreadd]
root           3  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [rcu_gp]
root           4  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [rcu_par_gp]
root           5  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [slub_flushwq]
root           6  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [netns]
root           7  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [kworker/0:0-cgwb_release]
root           8  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [kworker/0:0H-events_highpri]
root           9  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [kworker/u4:0-ext4-rsv-conversion]
root          10  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [mm_percpu_wq]
root          11  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [rcu_tasks_kthread]
root          12  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [rcu_tasks_trace_kthread]
root          13  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [ksoftirqd/0]
root          14  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [rcu_preempt]
root          15  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [migration/0]
root          16  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [kworker/0:1-events]
root          17  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [cpuhp/0]
root          18  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [cpuhp/1]
root          19  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [migration/1]
root          20  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [ksoftirqd/1]
root          21  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [kworker/1:0-cgroup_destroy]
root          22  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [kworker/1:0H-events_highpri]
root          24  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [kworker/u4:1-events_unbound]
root          25  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [kdevtmpfs]
root          26  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [inet_frag_wq]
root          27  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [kauditd]
root          28  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [khungtaskd]
root          29  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [oom_reaper]
root          30  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [writeback]
root          31  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [kcompactd0]
root          32  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        SN   04:09   0:00 [ksmd]
root          33  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [kworker/1:1-events]
root          34  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        SN   04:09   0:00 [khugepaged]
root          35  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [kintegrityd]
root          36  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [kblockd]
root          37  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [blkcg_punt_bio]
root          38  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [watchdogd]
root          39  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [rpciod]
root          40  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [kworker/1:1H-kblockd]
root          41  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [xprtiod]
root          46  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [kworker/u4:2-ext4-rsv-conversion]
root          58  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [kswapd0]
root          65  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [nfsiod]
root          69  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [xfsalloc]
root          70  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [xfs_mru_cache]
root          73  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [kthrotld]
root          76  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [kworker/1:2-cgroup_destroy]
root          78  0.1  0.0      0     0 ?        S    04:09   0:00 [irq/24-ACPI:Ged]
root         131  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [iscsi_conn_clea]
root         149  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [mld]
root         150  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [ipv6_addrconf]
root         157  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [kworker/0:1H-kblockd]
root         158  0.0  0.0   1112     4 ?        S    04:09   0:00 bpfilter_umh
root         159  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [kstrp]
root         164  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [zswap-shrink]
root         165  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [kworker/u5:0]
root         232  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I<   04:09   0:00 [ext4-rsv-conver]
root         258  0.7  1.5  41280 15592 ?        Ss   04:09   0:00 /lib/systemd/systemd-journald
root         265  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [kworker/u4:3-events_unbound]
root         275  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [kworker/0:2-events]
root         280  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [kworker/0:3]
message+     283  0.0  0.4   9132  4152 ?        Ss   04:09   0:00 /usr/bin/dbus-daemon --system --address=systemd: --nofork --nopidfile --systemd-activation --syslog-only
root         286  0.0  0.6  16584  6864 ?        Ss   04:09   0:00 /lib/systemd/systemd-logind
root         290  0.0  0.1   2896  1012 tty1     Ss+  04:09   0:00 /sbin/agetty -o -p -- \u --noclear - linux
root         291  0.0  0.8  15436  8320 ?        Ss   04:09   0:00 sshd: /usr/sbin/sshd -D [listener] 0 of 10-100 startups
root         292  0.0  0.0      0     0 ?        I    04:09   0:00 [kworker/1:3-mm_percpu_wq]
_chrony      294  0.1  0.1  10556  1684 ?        S    04:09   0:00 /usr/sbin/chronyd
root         313  1.3  1.5 1235200 15772 ?       Ssl  04:09   0:00 /usr/bin/envd
root         388  0.0  0.3   4348  3240 ?        S    04:09   0:00 /bin/bash -l -c sudo bash && su - openhands
root         395  0.0  0.4   8068  4420 ?        S    04:09   0:00 sudo bash
root         396  0.0  0.1   4348  1368 ?        S    04:09   0:00 bash
user         672  0.1  0.3   4192  3520 pts/0    Ss   04:10   0:00 /bin/bash -i -l
user         678  5.8  0.3   8104  3992 pts/0    R+   04:10   0:00 ps aux

[kanndil]

Hi @dobrac, I am following up on this issue

[dobrac]

The user openhands still exists, we just default to the user user when you use e2b sandbox connect. If you want to switch to the user openhands, you can use standard Linux tools to do that (like su - openhands after connecting).

When using the SDK, you can specify user parameter when interacting with filesystem or processes (https://e2b.dev/docs/sdk-reference/js-sdk/v1.9.0/commands#user). This is now fixed only to two values root and user by the types, but if you temporarily force the value to your user openhands, it should work correctly.