Perplexity Open-Sources SPACE: AI Agent Sandbox Passes 108 Escape Tests in Self-Assessment
Perplexity has open-sourced its AI agent sandbox platform SPACE, utilizing Firecracker technology for strong isolation, with self-tests showing no successful escapes but fixed network bypass vulnerabilities.
AI search company Perplexity announced on October 22, 2026, that it is open-sourcing its AI agent sandbox platform, SPACE (Sandboxed Platform for Agentic Code Execution). The platform aims to provide an isolated code execution environment for AI agents, reducing the impact of running untrusted code on host systems. Previously, SPACE was used for Perplexity's own AI agent service, Computer, replacing commercial sandbox services in July of this year.
Technically, SPACE employs Firecracker microVM technology to ensure each AI agent runs in an independent virtual machine with its own operating system and writable file system, fully isolated from the host. A control layer outside the sandbox manages VM creation, network access, and platform credentials. This design allows AI agents to access authorized services while preventing sensitive credentials from being exposed inside the sandbox.
The Perplexity research team disclosed security test results for SPACE: 108 virtual machine escape tests were conducted with no successful escapes found. However, during testing, they discovered that AI models could bypass certain network access restrictions. The team stated these issues have been fixed, and subsequent tests confirmed models failed to bypass them again. The source code is now public on GitHub under the Apache 2.0 license. Akamai has tested and launched SPACE on its cloud platform, CoreWeave provides deployment guides, and Crusoe is collaborating to integrate it into its AI service portfolio.