There is a free tier with ~100 sandbox minutes per month — enough for exploration. Paid tiers add concurrency, longer sessions, and custom base images. All tiers bill only for active sandbox time; idle sandboxes are paused.

Which languages are supported?

Anything that runs in a Linux container: Python, JavaScript/TypeScript, Bash, Go, Rust, Ruby. Each sandbox boots with common toolchains pre-installed and `pip`/`npm` available for extras.

How is this different from running code locally?

Isolation. Code runs in an ephemeral cloud VM, so a hallucinated `rm -rf` or a malicious package only destroys a sandbox — not your machine. It also gives agents a clean environment without caring about your local Python/Node setup.

Can the sandbox reach the internet?

Yes. Sandboxes have outbound network access so agents can `pip install`, clone repos, or hit external APIs. Inbound access is behind a sandbox URL you can share for preview servers (e.g. a Vite dev server the agent starts).

How long can a session run?

Free-tier sandboxes run up to 15 minutes per session; paid tiers extend that and allow sandbox pausing/resuming. For long agent workflows, design around checkpointing state to files rather than a long-lived process.

E2B

Name: Top MCPs — curated MCP directory
Creator: Top MCPs
License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Archived

Secure cloud sandboxes for executing AI-generated code — npm MCP package archived; vendor recommends the hosted E2B platform.

Score 70(?)E2B (npm package archived; vendor recommends the hosted E2B platform)Apache-2.0 390Verified May 31, 2026Top MCPs for Developer Tools →

Install View on GitHub

Quick answer

What it does

Spins up secure cloud sandbox environments and executes AI-generated code inside them, returning output without affecting the host system.

Best for

Safe code execution
AI coding agents
Data processing scripts
Test execution

Not for

Latency-sensitive operations
Trusted local execution needs

Setup recipe

Pick your client, then follow the three steps.

Install

claude_desktop_config.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "e2b": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@e2b/mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "E2B_API_KEY": "${E2B_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Paste under mcpServers. Fully quit and reopen Claude after editing.

CLI or .mcp.jsonshell

# export E2B_API_KEY=e2b_your_api_key
claude mcp add e2b -- npx @e2b/mcp-server

Run from your repo. Commit .mcp.json to share with your team.

.cursor/mcp.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "e2b": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@e2b/mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "E2B_API_KEY": "${E2B_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Global path: ~/.cursor/mcp.json. Reload window after editing.

.vscode/mcp.jsonjsonc

{
  "servers": {
    "e2b": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@e2b/mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "E2B_API_KEY": "${E2B_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

VS Code uses the "servers" key (not "mcpServers").

~/.codeium/windsurf/mcp_config.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "e2b": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@e2b/mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "E2B_API_KEY": "${E2B_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Open via Cascade → hammer icon → Configure.

cline_mcp_settings.jsonjson

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "e2b": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": [
        "@e2b/mcp-server"
      ],
      "env": {
        "E2B_API_KEY": "${E2B_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Open via the Cline sidebar → MCP Servers → Edit.

~/.continue/config.jsonjson

{
  "experimental": {
    "modelContextProtocolServers": [
      {
        "transport": {
          "type": "stdio",
          "command": "npx",
          "args": [
            "@e2b/mcp-server"
          ],
          "env": {
            "E2B_API_KEY": "${E2B_API_KEY}"
          }
        }
      }
    ]
  }
}

Continue uses modelContextProtocolServers with a transport block.

~/.codex/config.tomlshell

# ~/.codex/config.toml
[mcp_servers.e2b]
command = "npx"
args = [
  "@e2b/mcp-server",
]
env = { E2B_API_KEY = "${E2B_API_KEY}" }

Codex uses TOML. Each server is a [mcp_servers.<name>] subtable.

~/.config/zed/settings.jsonjsonc

{
  "context_servers": {
    "e2b": {
      "command": {
        "path": "npx",
        "args": [
          "@e2b/mcp-server"
        ]
      },
      "env": {
        "E2B_API_KEY": "${E2B_API_KEY}"
      }
    }
  }
}

Zed calls them "context_servers". Settings live-reload on save.

ChatGPT → Apps directorynone

E2B doesn't ship a hosted HTTPS endpoint today. ChatGPT supports remote MCP servers only — to use this server in ChatGPT you'll need to deploy it to a public HTTPS URL first (e.g. via Cloudflare Workers or Vercel) or wait for an official remote build.

2
Set required secrets
Set E2B_API_KEY in your shell environment before launching your MCP client.
3
Try a minimum working prompt
Run Python code safely off-machine
Spin up a Python sandbox via E2B, install pandas and matplotlib, create a DataFrame of sample monthly sales (Jan–Jun), and plot a bar chart to a PNG. Return the path to the PNG so I can view it.
Tested with: Claude Desktop, Cursor.

Tools & permissions

Tools list pending verification. The server exposes tools over MCP; we haven’t yet parsed its capability manifest into this page. Check the GitHub repo for the authoritative list.

Security & scope

Access scope: Exec
Sandbox: Spins up an ephemeral cloud sandbox per session; code runs in that sandbox, not locally. Sandbox has a throwaway filesystem and outbound network, and is torn down when the session ends.
Gotchas: Sandbox state is not shared across sessions unless the agent explicitly reuses a sandbox id.
Running costs accrue per sandbox-minute — long-running loops without cleanup burn credits quickly.

Agent prompt pack

— copy into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT.

Paste into Claude, Cursor, or ChatGPT. Edit the [brackets] before sending.

Recommend the best MCP servers for [task: e.g. developer tools work] in [client: Claude].

Constraints:
- Prefer tools that are [official | open-source | read-only] — pick what matters for my use case.
- Exclude MCPs that require [e.g. a paid plan, OAuth-only flows, remote-only transport].
- Return at most 3 picks, ranked.

For each pick include:
1. One-sentence rationale.
2. The ready-to-paste install snippet for my client.
3. Any required secrets I need to create before installing.

Cross-check the top-mcps.com listing: https://top-mcps.com/top-mcps-for-developer-tools

Compare E2B against a real alternative. Swap the second MCP in [brackets] if you want a different match.

Compare E2B MCP vs [Filesystem MCP] for the following job: [describe the job, e.g. "let an agent create GitHub issues on bug triage"].

Judge them on:
- Setup time and complexity (what a new user hits first).
- Auth model (none / API key / OAuth 2.1) and credential risk.
- Transport (stdio / Streamable HTTP / SSE) and where the server runs.
- Required secrets and the blast radius if they leak.
- Operational risk in an unattended agent loop.
- Which one is "good enough" for a weekend prototype vs. production.

End with one sentence: which should I pick for my scenario, which is: [my scenario].

References:
- https://top-mcps.com/mcp/e2b
- top-mcps.com listing for Filesystem

Asks the agent to install and verify. Works inside Claude Code, Cursor Agent, Codex CLI.

Install the E2B MCP server for my [client: Claude] at the default config path for that client.

Use the exact install snippet published at https://top-mcps.com/mcp/e2b (fetch https://top-mcps.com/mcp/e2b.json for the canonical server.json if you can read URLs).

Before finishing:
1. Create the required secrets (E2B_API_KEY) and put them in the appropriate env block — do not hard-code them.
2. Restart or reload the client so it picks up the new server.
3. Verify the server is connected (green / running state) and at least one tool is listed.
4. If anything fails, read the client's MCP logs and report the exact error — do not silently retry.

Confirm when done and list the tools the server now exposes.

Frequently asked questions

What changed

— 2 updates tracked.

May 31, 2026
Refreshed install snippets and fact sheet; verified for 2026.
Jan 15, 2025
Initial directory listing.

More Developer Tools MCPs

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GitHub

Official

Full GitHub API access: repos, PRs, issues, and code search.

gitgithubreposprs

5 minLow

GitLab

Full GitLab API access: repos, MRs, issues, pipelines, and registries.

gitgitlabreposmrs

5 minLow

Git

Official

Local Git operations: commit, diff, log, branch, and more.

gitlocalcommitsdiff

2 minLow

Compared with E2B

Side-by-side breakdowns for the choices people most often weigh against this MCP.

E2BvsFilesystem E2BvsPuppeteer

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