Install the Sandbox MCP

Install the Sandbox MCP to connect Claude Desktop, Claude Code, or Cursor to a sandbox.

The Sandbox MCP connects your AI application to a sandbox. In each chat session, your agent connects to a dedicated sandbox to run analysis tasks.

A sandbox includes multiomics skills and analysis packages pre-installed. Using a sandbox is mutually exclusive with installing the multiomics skills locally. If you use a sandbox, install only the Sandbox MCP. Do not install the local multiomics plugin or local Python packages.

Install the Sandbox MCP using one of these methods:

• Install with a prompt
• Install the plugin
• Install manually

Note:

A sandbox requires an ElemBio Catalyst™ subscription.

Install with a prompt

Send this prompt to your agent:

Retrieve instructions from https://mcp.usw2.elembio.io/sandbox
and install the MCP. Explain clearly any steps that I need to take.

Your agent reads the instructions from that URL, configures the Sandbox MCP in your AI application, and directs you to sign in.

Install the plugin

For Claude Desktop, Claude Code, and Cursor, install the cloud-sandbox plugin. The plugin installs the Sandbox MCP and adds the skill that guides your agent in a sandbox.

The plugin is published in the Elembio/agent-skills repository on GitHub. Install only cloud-sandbox. Do not install the multiomics plugin, because the sandbox already includes those skills.

Claude Desktop

1. Open Customize from the sidebar, then select the Plugins tab.
2. Select + Add, then select Add marketplace.
3. Enter Elembio/agent-skills as the repository and select Sync.
4. In Customize, select the Discover tab.
5. Enter ElemBio Cloud Sandbox in the search field and select the plugin.
6. Select Add, then open the Connectors tab.
7. Select Connect for the ElemBio Cloud Sandbox connector.
8. Sign in to ElemBio Cloud in your browser.

Claude Code

1. Add the Element Biosciences plugin marketplace:

   /plugin marketplace add Elembio/agent-skills

2. Install the cloud-sandbox plugin:

   /plugin install cloud-sandbox@elembio

3. Start a new Claude Code session.

4. Ask Claude to use a sandbox, then sign in to ElemBio Cloud when your browser opens.

Cursor

1. Open Cursor Settings, then select Customize in the sidebar.
2. Select + Add, then select From GitHub Repository.
3. Enter Elembio/agent-skills and select Import.
4. In Customize, select Browse Marketplace.
5. Enter ElemBio Cloud Sandbox in the search field and select the plugin.
6. Select Add to Cursor.
7. In the MCP list, locate elembio-sandbox and select Authenticate.
8. Sign in to ElemBio Cloud in your browser.

Install manually

Configure the Sandbox MCP manually in any AI application that supports MCP servers.

Connection details

Setting	Value
Server name	elembio-sandbox
Server URL	https://mcp.usw2.elembio.io/sandbox
OAuth client ID	T9GbDH6Kw8Fhwno7GNQQPAahhOz4qcmH
Client secret	Leave blank
Transport	Streamable HTTP

The OAuth client ID is a public identifier. You do not need a client secret or API token. You complete authentication in your browser.

Claude Desktop

1. Open Customize from the sidebar, then select the Connectors tab.
2. Select + Add, then select Add custom connector.
3. Enter elembio-sandbox as the name and https://mcp.usw2.elembio.io/sandbox as the URL.
4. Under Advanced settings, select Use your own OAuth client. Enter the OAuth client ID and leave the secret field blank.
5. Select Save, then select Connect.
6. Sign in to ElemBio Cloud in your browser.

On Team and Enterprise plans, an organization Owner adds the connector. Organization members then select Connect from the list of available Connectors.

Claude Code

1. Run this command in your terminal:

   claude mcp add --scope user --transport http --client-id T9GbDH6Kw8Fhwno7GNQQPAahhOz4qcmH --callback-port 8400 elembio-sandbox https://mcp.usw2.elembio.io/sandbox

2. Start a new Claude Code session.

3. Run /mcp, select the elembio-sandbox server, then select Authenticate.

4. Sign in to ElemBio Cloud in your browser.

Cursor

1. Select Add to Cursor, or add this configuration to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

   {
     "mcpServers": {
       "elembio-sandbox": {
         "url": "https://mcp.usw2.elembio.io/sandbox",
         "auth": {
           "CLIENT_ID": "T9GbDH6Kw8Fhwno7GNQQPAahhOz4qcmH"
         }
       }
     }
   }

2. Open Customize in the sidebar, locate elembio-sandbox, and select Connect.

3. Sign in to ElemBio Cloud in your browser.

Test the connection

After sign-in completes, test the connection with these sample prompts in your chat session:

Show my multiomics runs that completed in the last week.

Give me a QC overview with plots of my multiomics run <run name>.

Load the Spatial Data Object from execution <execution name>,
and list its tables, wells, and any experimental conditions.

If sign-in fails or your agent cannot connect to the sandbox, see Troubleshooting.

See also

• Sandbox
• Troubleshooting
• Sandbox MCP tools
• ElemBio Catalyst