> ## Documentation Index > Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.boat.dev/llms.txt > Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further. # Execute Boat command > Runs the command synchronously by default (timeout configurable via `timeoutSeconds`, 600s cap). With `detached: true` the command starts in the background and a process id is returned immediately; poll `/boxes/{boxId}/commands/{processId}` for status and logs. Returns 400 invalid_timeout when `timeoutSeconds` is not an integer in 1-600. Returns 409 box_starting (retryable) while the Boat is still provisioning -- wait until the Boat state is ready before running commands. Command execution is never retried automatically: a 502 box_direct_failed means the command may already be running on the Boat. ## OpenAPI ````yaml openapi/box-v1.yaml POST /boxes/{boxId}/commands openapi: 3.1.0 info: title: Boat Public API v1 version: 1.0.0 description: > Public JSON API for creating, operating, prompting, observing, and exposing Boat sandboxes from backend services, CI jobs, hosted workers, and Boat automation products. The v1 reference intentionally documents the developer integration surface only. Dashboard billing actions are not part of v1. servers: - url: https://ascii.dev/api/box/v1 security: - BoxBearerAuth: [] tags: - name: Box description: >- Unified Boat account, setup, lifecycle, prompting, event history, desktop access, and SSH operations. paths: /boxes/{boxId}/commands: post: tags: - Box summary: Execute a command in a Boat description: >- Runs the command synchronously by default (timeout configurable via `timeoutSeconds`, 600s cap). With `detached: true` the command starts in the background and a process id is returned immediately; poll `/boxes/{boxId}/commands/{processId}` for status and logs. Returns 400 invalid_timeout when `timeoutSeconds` is not an integer in 1-600. Returns 409 box_starting (retryable) while the Boat is still provisioning -- wait until the Boat state is ready before running commands. Command execution is never retried automatically: a 502 box_direct_failed means the command may already be running on the Boat. operationId: command parameters: - $ref: '#/components/parameters/BoxId' requestBody: required: true content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/CommandRequest' responses: '200': description: >- Command result (synchronous) or process start confirmation (detached). content: application/json: schema: oneOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/CommandResponse' - $ref: '#/components/schemas/CommandStartedResponse' '400': $ref: '#/components/responses/BadRequest' '401': $ref: '#/components/responses/Unauthorized' '404': $ref: '#/components/responses/NotFound' '409': $ref: '#/components/responses/Conflict' components: parameters: BoxId: name: boxId in: path required: true schema: type: string pattern: ^bx_[23456789abcdefghjkmnpqrstuvwxyz]{8}$ description: Public Box id returned by create/list/get box calls. schemas: CommandRequest: type: object required: - command properties: command: type: string cwd: type: string description: Relative working directory inside the Boat work directory. timeoutSeconds: type: integer minimum: 1 maximum: 600 default: 30 description: >- Command timeout in seconds. Values outside 1-600 are rejected with a 400 invalid_timeout error. detached: type: boolean default: false description: >- Start the command in the background and return a process id immediately instead of waiting for it to finish. Output goes to a log file on the Boat; poll the status endpoint for it. CommandResponse: allOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/SuccessBase' - type: object required: - success - exitCode - stdout - stderr - timedOut properties: type: type: string const: command.finished success: type: boolean exitCode: type: - integer - 'null' signal: type: - string - 'null' stdout: type: string stderr: type: string stdoutTruncated: type: boolean stderrTruncated: type: boolean timedOut: type: boolean cwd: type: string startedAt: type: string format: date-time finishedAt: type: string format: date-time CommandStartedResponse: allOf: - $ref: '#/components/schemas/SuccessBase' - type: object required: - success - processId - pid - command - startedAt properties: type: type: string const: command.started success: type: boolean processId: type: integer description: Process id to poll with the command status endpoint. pid: type: integer command: type: string cwd: type: string startedAt: type: string format: date-time logPath: type: string description: Stdout log file on the Boat (~/.ascii/processes/.log). errLogPath: type: string description: Stderr log file on the Boat. SuccessBase: type: object required: - ok - type properties: ok: type: boolean examples: - true type: type: string description: Stable success envelope discriminator added by v1. ErrorEnvelope: type: object required: - ok - type - status - code - message - error - requestId properties: ok: type: boolean examples: - false type: type: string examples: - box.error status: type: integer examples: - 409 code: type: string examples: - provider_not_configured message: type: string examples: - Prompting is locked until Codex is configured on the Agents page. requestId: type: string examples: - req_01HX... error: type: object required: - code - message - status properties: code: type: string message: type: string status: type: integer details: type: object additionalProperties: true responses: BadRequest: description: Invalid request body or parameters. content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorEnvelope' examples: invalid: value: ok: false type: box.error status: 400 code: invalid_json message: Request body must be valid JSON. error: code: invalid_json message: Request body must be valid JSON. status: 400 requestId: req_01HX... Unauthorized: description: Missing or invalid bearer token. content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorEnvelope' examples: unauthorized: value: ok: false type: box.error status: 401 code: unauthorized message: Unauthorized error: code: unauthorized message: Unauthorized status: 401 requestId: req_01HX... NotFound: description: Resource not found. content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorEnvelope' Conflict: description: Request conflicts with current account or box state. content: application/json: schema: $ref: '#/components/schemas/ErrorEnvelope' securitySchemes: BoxBearerAuth: type: http scheme: bearer bearerFormat: box_api_key description: >- Boat bearer token in the form `box_...`. Service API keys authenticate Boat operations. ````