Migrating from Box to Boat

Box was renamed Boat on September 15, 2026. Same product, same account, same machines, same data. Two words replaced one:

Boat is the product: the site, the CLI, the API, your account and plan.
a sandbox is what you create in it: what a “box” used to be. Paths, keys, events and error codes say sandbox.

Existing Box endpoints, CLI integrations, SDK packages, environment variables and hosted URLs remain compatible. The retirement policy is not yet settled. The advertised Sunset header is a migration warning, not an implemented shutdown or a promise of permanent support.

Timeline

Date	What happens
2026-09-15	Boat ships. Box surfaces keep working and start answering with `Deprecation` and `Sunset` headers; the `box` CLI prints a reminder on every run.
2026-10-31	Currently advertised Sunset date. Whether and when legacy endpoints, binaries, packages or hosted URLs retire remains a policy decision. No date-based shutdown is implemented by this rename.

The rename in one table

	Box (legacy compatibility)	Boat
Dashboard	`box.ascii.dev/box/dashboard`	`boat.dev/dashboard`
Docs	`docs.ascii.dev/box/<page>`	`docs.boat.dev/<page>` (every old URL redirects)
API base	`https://ascii.dev/api/box/v1`	`https://boat.dev/api/v1`
Resource paths	`/boxes/{boxId}`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}`
JSON keys	13 keys, every one listed in the appendix	the same 13 with `sandbox` in place of `box`
Envelope `type`	12 values, all listed below	`sandbox.` in place of `box.`
Error codes	17 codes, all listed below	`sandbox_` in place of `box_`
Webhook events	`box.ready`, `box.error`, `box.archived`, `box.hydrated`	`sandbox.ready`, `sandbox.error`, `sandbox.archived`, `sandbox.hydrated`
API keys	`box_...`	`boat_...` (keys you already have stay valid)
Org header	`X-Box-Org`	`X-Boat-Org`
CLI	`box`, `box-dev`	`boat`, `boat-dev`
CLI env vars	20 variables, all listed below	`BOAT_` in place of `BOX_`
CLI config	`~/.config/ascii/box/config.json`	`~/.config/ascii/boat/config.json`
Snapshot ignore file	`.boxignore`	`.boatignore`
Hosted URLs	`https://<label>.on.ascii.dev`	`https://<label>.on.boat.dev` (same route, same token, both answer)
Inside a sandbox	`box` CLI, `BOX_ID`, `BOX_CURRENT_ID`	`boat` CLI, `BOAT_ID`, `BOAT_CURRENT_ID` (both spellings exported)
Python SDK	`ascii-box-sdk` / `ascii_box_sdk`	`boat-sdk` / `boat_sdk`
TypeScript SDK	`@asciidev/box-sdk`	`@boatdev/sdk`
Rust / Elixir SDK	`ascii_box_sdk`	`boat_sdk`
Go SDK	`github.com/ascii-dev/box-go-sdk`	`github.com/boat-dev/go-sdk`

Not changed: ids (bx_...), snapshot ids, the X-Ascii-* headers, Idempotency-Key, sandboxId on API keys (it already said sandbox), and every piece of your data.

1. CLI

curl -fsSL https://boat.dev/install | sh      # macOS, Linux
irm https://boat.dev/install.ps1 | iex        # Windows

Your login carries over: boat reads the config box wrote. Then:

Replace box with boat in scripts and CI. Subcommands are unchanged: boat new, boat list, boat ssh.
Rename BOX_* variables to BOAT_*. An unset BOAT_* currently falls back to its BOX_* twin with a one-line notice on stderr.
Rename .boxignore files to .boatignore (both are currently read; .boatignore wins when a directory has both).
boat api-key create --box bx_1 is now --sandbox bx_1.

The final compatibility release of box prints a migration reminder. Move to boat for subsequent updates; legacy binaries are not disabled by a date check.

2. SDKs

pip uninstall ascii-box-sdk
pip install boat-sdk

npm uninstall @asciidev/box-sdk
npm install @boatdev/sdk

Then in your code:

the import: ascii_box_sdk → boat_sdk, @asciidev/box-sdk → @boatdev/sdk
the base URL: https://ascii.dev/api/box/v1 → https://boat.dev/api/v1
the client class keeps its product name: BoxApi → BoatApi (ascii_box_sdk.api.box_api → boat_sdk.api.boat_api)
request and response types say sandbox: CreateBoxRequest → CreateSandboxRequest, Box → Sandbox, boxId → sandboxId, .box → .sandbox, .boxes → .sandboxes, deleteBox → deleteSandbox
the helpers keep their names: Python wait_until_ready, wait_until_idle, wait_for_desktop, wait_for_prompt, wait_for_prompt_done, stream_events, stream_prompt, stop_and_remove, read_text, write_text, exec_command; TypeScript waitUntilReady, waitUntilIdle, waitForDesktop, waitForPrompt, waitForPromptDone, streamEvents, streamPrompt, stopAndRemove, readText, writeText, execCommand

A whole-word search-and-replace of box/Box/boxes/Boxes → sandbox/Sandbox/sandboxes/Sandboxes covers the types and keys; the package import and BoxApi → BoatApi are the two by hand.

3. Raw HTTP

- POST https://ascii.dev/api/box/v1/boxes
+ POST https://boat.dev/api/v1/sandboxes
- Authorization: Bearer box_...      (still accepted)
+ Authorization: Bearer boat_...     (what new keys look like)

Responses come back in the new vocabulary: sandbox / sandboxes / sandboxId, type: "sandbox.created", code: "sandbox_not_found". Request bodies use the new keys too (passSandboxCredentials, sourceSandboxId). A request to /api/box/* currently answers in box vocabulary and carries:

Deprecation: @1789430400
Sunset: Sat, 31 Oct 2026 00:00:00 GMT
Link: <https://docs.boat.dev/migrating-from-box>; rel="deprecation"

If your client logs response headers, grep for Sunset to find the calls you have not moved yet.

4. Webhooks

Webhooks you created before the rename keep delivering box.* events with box-spelled payloads. To move one, create it again through the Boat API (or boat webhook create) and delete the old one; the new one delivers sandbox.* events and X-Ascii-Event: sandbox.ready. Signatures, headers and retries are unchanged.

5. Hosted URLs

Every hosted route answers under both https://<label>.on.ascii.dev and https://<label>.on.boat.dev, with the same _token. Update the links you have published or embedded to the on.boat.dev form; the retirement policy for the on.ascii.dev form remains unresolved.

6. Inside a sandbox

The boat CLI is on the PATH of every sandbox, and box still resolves to it. BOAT_ID, BOAT_CURRENT_ID and BOAT_CLI_* are exported next to their BOX_* twins. Agent skills reference the boat skill; a box skill directory is removed on the next start.

Am I done?

No Sunset header in your API client’s logs.
No box binary invoked by your scripts (the reminder line has stopped).
pip show ascii-box-sdk / npm ls @asciidev/box-sdk are empty.
Webhooks listed by GET /api/v1/webhooks show sandbox.* events.
Published links say on.boat.dev.

Appendix: every renamed name

Generated from the API specifications and the CLI source (backend/src/api/boat/inventory.ts), so this is the whole list, not a sample. Anything not in these tables did not change. API paths

Box	Boat
`/boxes`	`/sandboxes`
`/boxes/{boxId}`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}`
`/boxes/{boxId}/stop`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/stop`
`/boxes/{boxId}/resume`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/resume`
`/boxes/{boxId}/fork`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/fork`
`/boxes/{boxId}/prompt`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/prompt`
`/boxes/{boxId}/events`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/events`
`/boxes/{boxId}/conversations`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/conversations`
`/boxes/{boxId}/prompts/{promptId}`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/prompts/{promptId}`
`/boxes/{boxId}/files`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/files`
`/boxes/{boxId}/commands`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/commands`
`/boxes/{boxId}/commands/{processId}`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/commands/{processId}`
`/boxes/{boxId}/artifacts`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/artifacts`
`/boxes/{boxId}/steer`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/steer`
`/boxes/{boxId}/interrupt`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/interrupt`
`/boxes/{boxId}/desktop`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/desktop`
`/boxes/{boxId}/host`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/host`
`/boxes/{boxId}/sshkey`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/sshkey`
`/boxes/{boxId}/snapshots`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/snapshots`
`/boxes/{boxId}/snapshots/latest`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/snapshots/latest`
`/boxes/{boxId}/usage`	`/sandboxes/{sandboxId}/usage`

JSON keys (requests and responses)

Box	Boat
`activeBoxes`	`activeSandboxes`
`box`	`sandbox`
`boxCount`	`sandboxCount`
`boxId`	`sandboxId`
`boxIds`	`sandboxIds`
`boxLifecycle`	`sandboxLifecycle`
`boxPlanDollars`	`sandboxPlanDollars`
`boxPlanKey`	`sandboxPlanKey`
`boxType`	`sandboxType`
`boxes`	`sandboxes`
`maxActiveBoxes`	`maxActiveSandboxes`
`passBoxCredentials`	`passSandboxCredentials`
`queuedBoxes`	`queuedSandboxes`
`sourceBoxId`	`sourceSandboxId`

OpenAPI schema / SDK type names

Box	Boat
`Box`	`Sandbox`
`BoxActionResponse`	`SandboxActionResponse`
`BoxBearerAuth`	`BoatBearerAuth`
`BoxEnvironment`	`SandboxEnvironment`
`BoxEnvironmentListResponse`	`SandboxEnvironmentListResponse`
`BoxEnvironmentResponse`	`SandboxEnvironmentResponse`
`BoxEnvironmentVersionSummary`	`SandboxEnvironmentVersionSummary`
`BoxEvent`	`SandboxEvent`
`BoxId`	`SandboxId`
`BoxInfoResponse`	`SandboxInfoResponse`
`BoxListResponse`	`SandboxListResponse`
`BoxUsageResponse`	`SandboxUsageResponse`
`CreateBoxEnvironmentRequest`	`CreateSandboxEnvironmentRequest`
`CreateBoxRequest`	`CreateSandboxRequest`
`CreateBoxResponse`	`CreateSandboxResponse`
`UpdateBoxEnvironmentRequest`	`UpdateSandboxEnvironmentRequest`
`UpdateBoxRequest`	`UpdateSandboxRequest`
`UpgradeBoxEnvironmentRequest`	`UpgradeSandboxEnvironmentRequest`
`UpgradeBoxEnvironmentResponse`	`UpgradeSandboxEnvironmentResponse`

OpenAPI operation ids / SDK method names

Box	Boat
`boxes`	`sandboxes`
`deleteBox`	`deleteSandbox`
`deliverBoxLifecycleEvent`	`deliverSandboxLifecycleEvent`
`getLatestBoxSnapshot`	`getLatestSandboxSnapshot`
`listBoxSnapshots`	`listSandboxSnapshots`

Envelope type values

Box	Boat
`box.create`	`sandbox.create`
`box.created`	`sandbox.created`
`box.deleting`	`sandbox.deleting`
`box.error`	`sandbox.error`
`box.fork`	`sandbox.fork`
`box.forking`	`sandbox.forking`
`box.info`	`sandbox.info`
`box.list`	`sandbox.list`
`box.resume`	`sandbox.resume`
`box.resuming`	`sandbox.resuming`
`box.stopping`	`sandbox.stopping`
`box.updated`	`sandbox.updated`
`box.usage`	`sandbox.usage`

Error code values

Box	Boat
`box_billing_not_configured`	`sandbox_billing_not_configured`
`box_busy`	`sandbox_busy`
`box_deletion_conflict`	`sandbox_deletion_conflict`
`box_direct_failed`	`sandbox_direct_failed`
`box_email_auth_not_configured`	`sandbox_email_auth_not_configured`
`box_not_archivable`	`sandbox_not_archivable`
`box_not_found`	`sandbox_not_found`
`box_not_promptable`	`sandbox_not_promptable`
`box_not_snapshotable`	`sandbox_not_snapshotable`
`box_purge_pending`	`sandbox_purge_pending`
`box_recent_snapshot_required`	`sandbox_recent_snapshot_required`
`box_required`	`sandbox_required`
`box_restoring`	`sandbox_restoring`
`box_resuming`	`sandbox_resuming`
`box_securing`	`sandbox_securing`
`box_starting`	`sandbox_starting`
`box_stopping`	`sandbox_stopping`

Webhook events

Box	Boat
`box.archived`	`sandbox.archived`
`box.error`	`sandbox.error`
`box.hydrated`	`sandbox.hydrated`
`box.ready`	`sandbox.ready`

CLI environment variables

Box	Boat
`BOX_AMSTERDAM_API_URL`	`BOAT_AMSTERDAM_API_URL`
`BOX_AMSTERDAM_CURRENT_ID`	`BOAT_AMSTERDAM_CURRENT_ID`
`BOX_API_URL`	`BOAT_API_URL`
`BOX_CURRENT_CONVO`	`BOAT_CURRENT_CONVO`
`BOX_CURRENT_CONVO_FILE`	`BOAT_CURRENT_CONVO_FILE`
`BOX_CURRENT_ID`	`BOAT_CURRENT_ID`
`BOX_CURRENT_ID_FILE`	`BOAT_CURRENT_ID_FILE`
`BOX_DASHBOARD_URL`	`BOAT_DASHBOARD_URL`
`BOX_DEV_API_URL`	`BOAT_DEV_API_URL`
`BOX_DEV_CURRENT_CONVO`	`BOAT_DEV_CURRENT_CONVO`
`BOX_DEV_CURRENT_ID`	`BOAT_DEV_CURRENT_ID`
`BOX_ID`	`BOAT_ID`
`BOX_ORG`	`BOAT_ORG`
`BOX_SCP_ARCHIVE`	`BOAT_SCP_ARCHIVE`
`BOX_SCP_LEGACY`	`BOAT_SCP_LEGACY`
`BOX_SCP_RSYNC`	`BOAT_SCP_RSYNC`
`BOX_SSH_TRACE`	`BOAT_SSH_TRACE`
`BOX_STAGING_API_URL`	`BOAT_STAGING_API_URL`
`BOX_STAGING_CURRENT_CONVO`	`BOAT_STAGING_CURRENT_CONVO`
`BOX_STAGING_CURRENT_ID`	`BOAT_STAGING_CURRENT_ID`

In-sandbox environment variables (both spellings are exported inside every sandbox)

Box	Boat
`BOX_ID`	`BOAT_ID`
`BOX_CURRENT_ID`	`BOAT_CURRENT_ID`
`BOX_DEV_CURRENT_ID`	`BOAT_DEV_CURRENT_ID`
`BOX_CLI_API_URL`	`BOAT_CLI_API_URL`
`BOX_CLI_CHANNEL`	`BOAT_CLI_CHANNEL`
`BOX_CLI_MODE`	`BOAT_CLI_MODE`

HTTP headers and query parameters

Box	Boat
`X-Box-Org`	`X-Boat-Org`
`?box_api_url=` (dashboard links)	`?boat_api_url=`
`?box_bootstrap=` (post-login links)	`?boat_bootstrap=`
`?box_token=` (deprecated before the rename)	`?boat_token=`
`?tab=boxes` (dashboard)	`?tab=sandboxes`

CLI flags

Box	Boat
`boat api-key create --box <id>`	`boat api-key create --sandbox <id>`

Files and directories

Box	Boat
`.boxignore`	`.boatignore`
`~/.config/ascii/box/config.json`	`~/.config/ascii/boat/config.json`
`~/.config/ascii/box-dev/config.json`	`~/.config/ascii/boat-dev/config.json`
`~/.ascii/bin/box`	`~/.ascii/bin/boat`
agent skill `skills/box/SKILL.md`	`skills/boat/SKILL.md`

Retirement policy

The current implementation preserves legacy API routes, binary and environment aliases, and hosted addresses. The October 31 header does not implement a 410 Gone, disable installed clients, or remove DNS. The scope and timing of any future retirement still need an explicit policy decision; this guide does not promise either a shutdown on that date or permanent support. Questions: support@ascii.dev.

​Timeline

​The rename in one table

​1. CLI

​2. SDKs

​3. Raw HTTP

​4. Webhooks

​5. Hosted URLs

​6. Inside a sandbox

​Am I done?

​Appendix: every renamed name

​Retirement policy