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How to run AWS CLI commands with whzbox exec

Use whzbox exec aws when you want to run a process with the cached sandbox environment injected.

Prerequisites​

  • An unexpired cached AWS sandbox
  • The whzbox binary on your PATH
  • The AWS CLI installed if you are running AWS CLI examples

Steps​

1. Run a direct argv command​

whzbox exec aws -- aws sts get-caller-identity

This runs the child process without going through a shell.

2. Run a shell string​

whzbox exec aws -s "aws s3 ls | head"

With -s, whzbox runs /bin/sh -c <command>.

3. Open an interactive subshell​

whzbox exec aws

With no command arguments, whzbox launches $SHELL or /bin/sh if $SHELL is unset.

Verification​

To inspect the injected environment directly, run:

whzbox exec aws -- /usr/bin/env | grep '^AWS_'

You should see:

  • AWS_ACCESS_KEY_ID
  • AWS_SECRET_ACCESS_KEY
  • AWS_REGION
  • AWS_DEFAULT_REGION

Troubleshooting​

Problem: whzbox exec says there is no active sandbox​

exec only reads the local sandbox cache. Create a sandbox first:

whzbox create aws

Problem: -s rejects the command line​

--shell takes exactly one command argument. Wrap the whole shell command in one quoted string.