Daytona Dev

Skill: Daytona Dev Environment

Launch the full OpenWork stack (Electron app + Den) in a Daytona cloud sandbox. The real desktop app runs on a virtual display and is accessible through your browser via noVNC.

Prerequisites

• Daytona CLI installed: brew install daytonaio/cli/daytona or download from GitHub releases
• Logged in: daytona login
• Using the "Different AI" org: daytona organization use "Different AI"

Quick Start

1. Create the sandbox

daytona create \
  --name openwork-dev \
  --dockerfile .devcontainer/Dockerfile \
  --context .devcontainer/Dockerfile \
  --context .devcontainer/start-display.sh \
  --context .devcontainer/start-services.sh \
  --class large \
  --auto-stop 60 \
  --public \
  --target us

Note: Use --context to send only the Dockerfile and scripts, NOT the whole repo. The Dockerfile clones from GitHub inside the sandbox.

2. Start services

daytona exec openwork-dev 'bash .devcontainer/start-services.sh'

Or SSH in and run interactively:

daytona ssh openwork-dev
cd /workspace
bash .devcontainer/start-services.sh

3. Get the noVNC URL

daytona preview-url openwork-dev -p 6080

Open that URL in your browser. You'll see the real Electron OpenWork app.

4. Get other URLs

# Den Web dashboard (if Den stack is running)
daytona preview-url openwork-dev -p 3005

# CDP debugging endpoint
daytona preview-url openwork-dev -p 9825

What's Running

Running with Den (full stack)

The devcontainer's docker-compose.yml includes MySQL. If you're using Daytona's raw sandbox mode (no Docker Compose), the Den stack won't start because there's no MySQL. Two options:

Option A: Daytona sandbox + production Den

Just point the app to the production Den:

1. Open the app via noVNC
2. Sign in normally (uses production app.openworklabs.com)
3. All cloud features work

Option B: Daytona sandbox + local Den

If you need a local Den (for testing customization, restrictions, etc.):

1. Use the docker-compose.yml approach (requires Docker-in-Docker)
2. Or run Den on your local machine and tunnel to the sandbox

Common Commands

# List running sandboxes
daytona list

# SSH into sandbox
daytona ssh openwork-dev

# Check logs
daytona exec openwork-dev 'tail -50 /tmp/electron.log'
daytona exec openwork-dev 'tail -50 /tmp/vite.log'

# Take a screenshot via CDP
daytona exec openwork-dev 'curl -s http://127.0.0.1:9825/json/list'

# Restart just the Electron app
daytona exec openwork-dev 'pkill -f electron; sleep 2; cd /workspace && DISPLAY=:99 ELECTRON_DISABLE_SANDBOX=1 OPENWORK_ELECTRON_REMOTE_DEBUG_PORT=9825 OPENWORK_DEV_MODE=1 nohup pnpm --filter @openwork/desktop dev:electron > /tmp/electron.log 2>&1 &'

# Stop the sandbox (preserves state)
daytona stop openwork-dev

# Start it again
daytona start openwork-dev

# Delete (destroys everything)
daytona delete openwork-dev

Updating the Code

Inside the sandbox, the repo is at /workspace. To pull latest:

daytona ssh openwork-dev
cd /workspace
git pull origin dev
pnpm install
# Then restart services

Troubleshooting

Electron shows blank window: Vite might not be running. Check tail /tmp/vite.log. Restart with:

cd /workspace/apps/app && OPENWORK_DEV_MODE=1 nohup npx vite --host 0.0.0.0 --port 5173 > /tmp/vite.log 2>&1 &

noVNC shows black screen: Xvfb may have crashed. Restart the display:

bash .devcontainer/start-display.sh

"no space left on device" when creating sandbox: Don't use --context . — it uploads the entire repo (with worktrees, node_modules). Use individual --context flags for just the files needed.

Electron can't connect to localhost:5173: Vite must listen on 0.0.0.0, not just localhost. The start script handles this, but if running manually use npx vite --host 0.0.0.0.