This is different from the CLI, which is interactive, and better for active development.

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With Python

To run OpenHands in headless mode with Python:
  1. Ensure you have followed the Development setup instructions.
  2. Run the following command:
poetry run python -m openhands.core.main -t "write a bash script that prints hi"
You’ll need to be sure to set your model, API key, and other settings via environment variables or the config.toml file.

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Working with Repositories

You can specify a repository for OpenHands to work with using --selected-repo or the SANDBOX_SELECTED_REPO environment variable:
Note: Currently, authentication tokens (GITHUB_TOKEN, GITLAB_TOKEN, or BITBUCKET_TOKEN) are required for all repository operations, including public repositories. This is a known limitation that may be addressed in future versions to allow tokenless access to public repositories. 
# Using command-line argument
poetry run python -m openhands.core.main \
  --selected-repo "owner/repo-name" \
  -t "analyze the codebase and suggest improvements"

# Using environment variable
export SANDBOX_SELECTED_REPO="owner/repo-name"
poetry run python -m openhands.core.main -t "fix any linting issues"

# Authentication tokens are currently required for ALL repository operations (public and private)
# This includes GitHub, GitLab, and Bitbucket repositories
export GITHUB_TOKEN="your-token"  # or GITLAB_TOKEN, BITBUCKET_TOKEN
poetry run python -m openhands.core.main \
  --selected-repo "owner/repo-name" \
  -t "review the security implementation"

# Using task files instead of inline task
echo "Review the README and suggest improvements" > task.txt
poetry run python -m openhands.core.main -f task.txt --selected-repo "owner/repo"

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With Docker

Set environment variables and run the Docker command: 
# Set required environment variables
export SANDBOX_VOLUMES="/path/to/workspace"  # See SANDBOX_VOLUMES docs for details
export LLM_MODEL="anthropic/claude-sonnet-4-20250514"
export LLM_API_KEY="your-api-key"
export SANDBOX_SELECTED_REPO="owner/repo-name"  # Optional: requires GITHUB_TOKEN
export GITHUB_TOKEN="your-token"  # Required for repository operations

# Run OpenHands
docker run -it \
    --pull=always \
    -e SANDBOX_RUNTIME_CONTAINER_IMAGE=docker.all-hands.dev/all-hands-ai/runtime:0.51-nikolaik \
    -e SANDBOX_USER_ID=$(id -u) \
    -e SANDBOX_VOLUMES=$SANDBOX_VOLUMES \
    -e LLM_API_KEY=$LLM_API_KEY \
    -e LLM_MODEL=$LLM_MODEL \
    -e SANDBOX_SELECTED_REPO=$SANDBOX_SELECTED_REPO \
    -e GITHUB_TOKEN=$GITHUB_TOKEN \
    -e LOG_ALL_EVENTS=true \
    -v /var/run/docker.sock:/var/run/docker.sock \
    -v ~/.openhands:/.openhands \
    --add-host host.docker.internal:host-gateway \
    --name openhands-app-$(date +%Y%m%d%H%M%S) \
    docker.all-hands.dev/all-hands-ai/openhands:0.51 \
    python -m openhands.core.main -t "write a bash script that prints hi"
Note: If you used OpenHands before version 0.44, run mv ~/.openhands-state ~/.openhands to migrate your conversation history.
The -e SANDBOX_USER_ID=$(id -u) is passed to the Docker command to ensure the sandbox user matches the host user’s permissions. This prevents the agent from creating root-owned files in the mounted workspace.

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Additional Options

Common command-line options:
  • -d "/path/to/workspace" - Set working directory
  • -f task.txt - Load task from file
  • -i 50 - Set max iterations
  • -b 10.0 - Set budget limit (USD)
  • --no-auto-continue - Interactive mode
Run poetry run python -m openhands.core.main --help for all options. Set export LOG_ALL_EVENTS=true to log all agent actions.