skybox new

Create a new project on the remote server.

Usage

bash

skybox new

Arguments

This command takes no arguments. It runs interactively.

Options

Option	Description
`--dry-run`	Preview what would happen without executing

Description

The new command creates a new project directly on your remote server. This is useful when you want to start fresh rather than pushing an existing local project.

The command walks you through:

Remote Selection - Choose which remote server to create the project on
Project Name - Enter a valid project name
Template Selection - Choose a devcontainer template from the unified selector (built-in, git URL, or your custom templates)
Encryption - If default encryption is enabled, optionally enable encryption for the new project
Clone Option - Optionally clone the new project locally

When encryption is enabled in this flow, SkyBox requires passphrase confirmation by prompting:

Enter encryption passphrase:
Confirm passphrase:

Project Naming Rules

Project names must:

Contain only letters, numbers, hyphens, and underscores
Not start with a hyphen or underscore
Not contain path separators (/ or \) or traversal sequences (..)
Not already exist on the selected remote

Template Selection

The unified template selector offers three types of templates:

Built-in templates (Node.js, Bun, Python, Go, Generic) — creates an empty project with a devcontainer.json using that template's configuration
Your custom templates — local devcontainer.json files stored in ~/.skybox/templates/. See Custom Templates for details
Git URL — clones a git repository to the remote as the project

When selecting a built-in or custom template, SkyBox creates the project directory on the remote, writes the devcontainer.json, ensures .skybox/* is in .gitignore, and initializes a git repo. When using a git URL, SkyBox clones the repo and ensures .skybox/* is in .gitignore.

Examples

bash

# Start the interactive wizard
skybox new

Example Session

─── Create a new project ───

? Select remote: production
? Project name: my-new-api
  Checking remote... Name available
? Select a template: (use arrow keys)
  ...template options shown...
Creating project on remote... done

? Clone this project locally now? (Y/n)

The template selector shows all available options:

? Select a template:
── Built-in ──
  Node.js — Node (latest) with npm/yarn + Common Utils + Docker
  Bun — Bun (latest) + Common Utils + Docker
  Python — Python (latest) with pip/venv + Common Utils + Docker
  Go — Go (latest) + Common Utils + Docker
  Generic — Debian with Common Utils + Docker
── Other ──
  Enter git URL
── Your Templates ──
  Create new template

Using Custom Git URL

? Select a template: Enter git URL...
? Git repository URL: https://github.com/org/template-repo.git
? Git history:
  > Start fresh (recommended)
    Keep original history

Cloning template to remote... done

Templates

For details on built-in templates, custom local templates, and the template selector, see Custom Templates.

Git History Options

When using a custom git URL:

Start fresh (recommended):

Removes the original .git directory
Initializes a new git repository
Your project starts with a clean history

Keep original history:

Preserves the template's full git history
Useful for forking an existing project

After Creation

After creating a project, you're prompted to clone it locally:

? Clone this project locally now? (Y/n)

Yes - Syncs the project locally, then offers to start the dev container
No - Project exists only on remote; clone later with skybox clone

If you choose to clone, SkyBox also prompts:

? Start dev container now? (Y/n)

This lets you go from skybox new to a running container in a single flow.

Exit Codes

Code	Meaning
0	Success
1	Error (project exists, clone failed, no config)

skybox new ​

Usage ​

Arguments ​

Options ​

Description ​

Project Naming Rules ​

Template Selection ​

Examples ​

Example Session ​

Using Custom Git URL ​

Templates ​

Git History Options ​

After Creation ​

Exit Codes ​

See Also ​