feat: add BoxLite provider for local container-based ships

CLAUDE.md

@@ -2,7 +2,10 @@
 
 ## Project Overview
 
-ocaptain is a lightweight multi-coding agent control plane using sprites.dev VMs, Tailscale mesh networking, and Mutagen file sync.
+ocaptain is a lightweight multi-coding agent control plane using Tailscale mesh networking and Mutagen file sync. Ships (VMs running Claude Code) can be provisioned on multiple backends:
+- **sprites.dev** — Cloud VMs (default)
+- **exe.dev** — Alternative cloud provider
+- **boxlite** — Local micro-VMs for development
 
 ## Running Commands
 
@@ -26,15 +29,22 @@ Always use `uv run` to execute Python scripts and CLI commands (e.g., `uv run oc
 - `ocaptain telemetry-start` - Start OTLP collector
 - `ocaptain telemetry-stop` - Stop OTLP collector
 
-### sprites.dev Commands
+### Provider Commands
 
-Ships run on sprites.dev. Use `sprite` CLI for debugging:
+Ships can run on sprites.dev, exe.dev, or locally via boxlite.
 
+**sprites.dev** (use `sprite` CLI for debugging):
 ```bash
 sprite list -o <org>           # List sprites
 sprite exec -o <org> -s <name> # Run command on sprite
 ```
 
+**boxlite** (local micro-VMs):
+```bash
+# Requires: pip install ocaptain[boxlite]
+export OCAPTAIN_PROVIDER="boxlite"
+```
+
 ## Architecture
 
 - **Local Storage**: Voyages stored at `~/voyages/<voyage-id>/`

README.md

@@ -2,13 +2,17 @@
 
 [![PyPI](https://img.shields.io/pypi/v/ocaptain.svg)](https://pypi.org/project/ocaptain/)
 [![Python](https://img.shields.io/badge/Python-3.12+-blue.svg)](https://www.python.org/)
-[![sprites.dev](https://img.shields.io/badge/Powered%20by-sprites.dev-purple.svg)](https://sprites.dev)
 
 > O Captain! my Captain! our fearful Claude Code session is done, The repo has weather'd every rack, the prize we sought is won.
 
-Minimalist multi-coding agent control plane built on [sprites.dev](https://sprites.dev) VMs with [Tailscale](https://tailscale.com) mesh networking. Orchestration is managed by Claude Code's built-in [task list](https://x.com/trq212/status/2014480496013803643?s=20) feature: work is distributed by the `ocaptain` CLI to cloud VMs ("ships") that work in parallel on a plan you generate with Claude.
+Minimalist multi-coding agent control plane with [Tailscale](https://tailscale.com) mesh networking. Orchestration is managed by Claude Code's built-in [task list](https://x.com/trq212/status/2014480496013803643?s=20) feature: work is distributed by the `ocaptain` CLI to VMs ("ships") that work in parallel on a plan you generate with Claude.
 
-No Kubernetes, no local sandboxes, no containers, no asking for permissions.
+Ships can be provisioned on multiple backends:
+- **[sprites.dev](https://sprites.dev)** — Cloud VMs with instant provisioning
+- **[exe.dev](https://exe.dev)** — Alternative cloud VM provider
+- **[BoxLite](https://github.com/anthropics/boxlite)** — Local micro-VMs for development (sub-second boot)
+
+No Kubernetes, no containers, no asking for permissions.
 
 ## Table of Contents
 
@@ -23,10 +27,10 @@ No Kubernetes, no local sandboxes, no containers, no asking for permissions.
 
 ## What it does
 
-Provisions a fleet of VMs on sprites.dev, each running an autonomous Claude Code agent. Ships sync files via Mutagen and coordinate through a shared task list—no central scheduler, just agents racing to complete work.
+Provisions a fleet of VMs (cloud or local), each running an autonomous Claude Code agent. Ships sync files via Mutagen and coordinate through a shared task list—no central scheduler, just agents racing to complete work.
 
 ```
-You (local) → ocaptain sail → sprites.dev VMs → Ships claim tasks → Code syncs back
+You (local) → ocaptain sail → Ship VMs → Ships claim tasks → Code syncs back
 ```
 
 ## Why?
@@ -42,7 +46,10 @@ You (local) → ocaptain sail → sprites.dev VMs → Ships claim tasks → Code
 
 ### Prerequisites
 
-1. [sprites.dev](https://sprites.dev) account with `sprite` CLI installed or [exe.dev](https://exe.dev) account.
+1. **VM Provider** (choose one):
+   - [sprites.dev](https://sprites.dev) account with `sprite` CLI installed
+   - [exe.dev](https://exe.dev) account
+   - [BoxLite](https://github.com/anthropics/boxlite) for local micro-VMs (`pip install ocaptain[boxlite]`)
 2. [Tailscale](https://tailscale.com) installed and running
 3. [Mutagen](https://mutagen.io) installed (`brew install mutagen-io/mutagen/mutagen`)
 4. Claude Code long-lived OAuth token (subscription required, from `claude setup-token`)
@@ -67,8 +74,9 @@ export CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN="your-token-here"
 # Tailscale OAuth secret (for ephemeral ship auth keys)
 export OCAPTAIN_TAILSCALE_OAUTH_SECRET="tskey-client-xxxx"
 
-# sprites.dev org
-export OCAPTAIN_SPRITES_ORG="your-org"
+# Provider-specific (choose one):
+export OCAPTAIN_SPRITES_ORG="your-org"     # For sprites.dev
+export OCAPTAIN_PROVIDER="boxlite"          # For local BoxLite VMs
 
 # Optional: GitHub token for private repos
 export GH_TOKEN="ghp_xxxx"
@@ -139,7 +147,7 @@ flowchart TB
         TS[100.x.x.x]
     end
 
-    subgraph Sprites["sprites.dev or exe.dev"]
+    subgraph Provider["VM Provider"]
         subgraph Fleet["Ship VMs"]
             S0[Ship 0<br/>Claude Code]
             S1[Ship 1<br/>Claude Code]
@@ -153,12 +161,17 @@ flowchart TB
     S0 & S1 & S2 -->|tmux sessions| CLI
 ```
 
+**Supported Providers:**
+- `sprites` — sprites.dev cloud VMs (default)
+- `exedev` — exe.dev cloud VMs
+- `boxlite` — Local micro-VMs for development
+
 ### Components
 
 | Component | Description |
 |-----------|-------------|
 | **Local Voyages** | `~/voyages/<voyage-id>/` contains workspace, tasks, logs, and artifacts |
-| **Ship VMs** | sprites.dev VMs running Claude Code autonomously in tmux sessions |
+| **Ship VMs** | VMs (cloud or local) running Claude Code autonomously in tmux sessions |
 | **Tailscale Mesh** | Ships join tailnet with ephemeral keys for direct connectivity |
 | **Mutagen Sync** | Two-way file sync between laptop and ships (workspace + tasks) |
 | **Task List** | Shared JSON files in `~/.claude/tasks/`. Ships race to claim pending tasks |
@@ -279,11 +292,14 @@ ocaptain telemetry-stop
 |----------|----------|-------------|
 | `CLAUDE_CODE_OAUTH_TOKEN` | Yes | Claude Code authentication token |
 | `OCAPTAIN_TAILSCALE_OAUTH_SECRET` | Yes | Tailscale OAuth secret for ephemeral keys |
-| `OCAPTAIN_SPRITES_ORG` | Yes | sprites.dev organization name |
+| `OCAPTAIN_PROVIDER` | No | VM provider: `sprites`, `exedev`, or `boxlite` (default: `sprites`) |
+| `OCAPTAIN_SPRITES_ORG` | Yes* | sprites.dev organization name (*required for sprites provider) |
 | `GH_TOKEN` | No | GitHub token for private repos |
 | `OCAPTAIN_DEFAULT_SHIPS` | No | Default ship count (default: `3`) |
 
-### sprites.dev Setup
+### Provider Setup
+
+#### sprites.dev (default)
 
 Install the `sprite` CLI and authenticate:
 
@@ -295,6 +311,25 @@ sprite list -o your-org
 sprite create -o your-org test-sprite
 ```
 
+#### BoxLite (local development)
+
+BoxLite runs hardware-isolated micro-VMs locally with sub-second boot times. Ideal for testing and development without cloud costs.
+
+```bash
+# Install with BoxLite support
+pip install ocaptain[boxlite]
+
+# Or with uv
+uv pip install ocaptain[boxlite]
+
+# Set provider
+export OCAPTAIN_PROVIDER="boxlite"
+```
+
+**Requirements:**
+- macOS 12+ or Linux with KVM
+- Tailscale running locally
+
 ### Tailscale Setup
 
 1. Create an OAuth client in the Tailscale admin console with `devices:write` scope

pyproject.toml

@@ -18,6 +18,7 @@ dependencies = [
 ]
 
 [project.optional-dependencies]
+boxlite = ["boxlite>=0.3.0"]
 dev = [
     "pytest>=8.0",
     "pytest-mock>=3.0",
@@ -54,6 +55,10 @@ strict = true
 module = "fabric.*"
 ignore_missing_imports = true
 
+[[tool.mypy.overrides]]
+module = "boxlite.*"
+ignore_missing_imports = true
+
 [tool.bandit]
 exclude_dirs = ["tests", ".venv"]
 skips = ["B101"]  # Skip assert warnings (used in tests)

src/ocaptain/cli.py

@@ -478,6 +478,16 @@ def doctor() -> None:
         else:
             console.print(f"  [yellow]![/yellow] {var} — optional, not set")
 
+    # Check optional providers
+    console.print("\n[bold]Optional providers:[/bold]\n")
+
+    try:
+        import boxlite  # noqa: F401
+
+        console.print("  [green]✓[/green] boxlite (local micro-VMs)")
+    except ImportError:
+        console.print("  [dim]○[/dim] boxlite not installed (pip install ocaptain\\[boxlite])")
+
     # Summary
     console.print()
     if all_ok:

src/ocaptain/config.py

@@ -131,6 +131,11 @@ def load_config() -> OcaptainConfig:
     return OcaptainConfig(**data)
 
 
+def get_ssh_private_key_path() -> Path:
+    """Return the path to the ocaptain SSH private key."""
+    return Path.home() / ".config" / "ocaptain" / "id_ed25519"
+
+
 def get_ssh_keypair() -> tuple[str, str]:
     """Get or create the ocaptain SSH keypair for VM-to-VM communication.
 

src/ocaptain/provider.py

@@ -112,5 +112,17 @@ def get_connection(vm: VM, provider: Provider) -> "Generator[Any, None, None]":
     else:
         from fabric import Connection
 
-        with Connection(vm.ssh_dest) as c:
-            yield c
+        from .config import CONFIG, get_ssh_keypair, get_ssh_private_key_path
+
+        # BoxLite uses port 2222 and needs explicit key
+        if CONFIG.provider == "boxlite":
+            get_ssh_keypair()  # Ensure key exists
+            connect_kwargs = {
+                "key_filename": str(get_ssh_private_key_path()),
+                "look_for_keys": False,
+            }
+            with Connection(vm.ssh_dest, port=2222, connect_kwargs=connect_kwargs) as c:
+                yield c
+        else:
+            with Connection(vm.ssh_dest) as c:
+                yield c

src/ocaptain/providers/__init__.py

@@ -1,6 +1,12 @@
 """VM provider implementations."""
 
+import contextlib
+
 from . import (
     exedev,  # noqa: F401 - triggers registration
     sprites,  # noqa: F401 - triggers registration
 )
+
+# Optional provider - only register if boxlite is installed
+with contextlib.suppress(ImportError):
+    from . import boxlite  # noqa: F401 - triggers registration