feat: fixed race condition, new version

.github/workflows/ci.yml

@@ -6,6 +6,8 @@ on:
       - "**"
     paths-ignore:
       - "README.md"
+      - "CONTRIBUTING.md"
+      - "README.zh.md"
       - "docs/**"
       - "install"
   pull_request:
@@ -54,3 +56,15 @@ jobs:
         uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@v2
       - name: cargo build
         run: cargo build --locked
+
+  test:
+    name: Test
+    runs-on: macos-latest
+    steps:
+      - uses: actions/checkout@v6
+      - name: Install Rust
+        uses: dtolnay/rust-toolchain@stable
+      - name: Cache Rust
+        uses: Swatinem/rust-cache@v2
+      - name: cargo test
+        run: cargo test --locked

CONTRIBUTING.md

@@ -0,0 +1,44 @@
+# Contributing to Vibebox
+
+Thanks for your interest in contributing! This guide keeps PRs small, reviewable, and consistent with the project’s
+development workflow.
+
+**Prerequisites**
+
+- macOS on Apple Silicon (required for the virtualization backend)
+- Rust `1.91.1` or newer (see `Cargo.toml`)
+
+**Getting Started**
+
+1. Fork the repo and create a feature branch.
+2. Build once to validate your toolchain:
+
+```bash
+cargo build --locked
+```
+
+**Development Commands**
+
+- Format: `cargo fmt --all -- --check`
+- Lint: `cargo clippy --all-targets --all-features -- -D warnings`
+- Test: `cargo test --locked`
+- Build: `cargo build --locked`
+
+**Submitting Changes**
+
+- Keep changes focused and scoped to one problem.
+- Update or add tests when behavior changes.
+- If you change user-facing behavior, update docs or help text.
+- Avoid adding heavy dependencies without a clear reason.
+
+**Reporting Issues**
+Please include:
+
+- macOS version and hardware (Apple Silicon model)
+- Vibebox version (`vibebox --version`)
+- Steps to reproduce
+- Logs from `.vibebox/cli.log`, `.vibebox/vm_root.log` and `.vibebox/vm_manager.log`
+
+**Security**
+If you believe you’ve found a security issue, please avoid public disclosure. Open a private report via GitHub Security
+Advisories instead.

Cargo.lock

@@ -1238,7 +1238,7 @@ checksum = "ba73ea9cf16a25df0c8caa16c51acb937d5712a8429db78a3ee29d5dcacd3a65"
 
 [[package]]
 name = "vibebox"
-version = "0.2.0"
+version = "0.2.2"
 dependencies = [
  "block2",
  "clap",

Cargo.toml

@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 [package]
 name = "vibebox"
-version = "0.2.0"
+version = "0.2.2"
 edition = "2024"
 authors = ["Finn Sheng"]
 description = "Ultrafast CLI on Apple Silicon macOS for fast, sandboxed development and LLM agents."

README.md

@@ -0,0 +1,158 @@
+<p align="center">
+  <a href="https://vibebox.robcholz.com">
+    <picture>
+      <img src="docs/banner.png" alt="VibeBox logo">
+    </picture>
+  </a>
+</p>
+<p align="center">Your ultrafast open source AI sandbox.</p>
+
+<p align="center">
+  <a href="https://crates.io/crates/vibebox">
+    <img alt="Crates.io" src="https://img.shields.io/crates/v/vibebox.svg">
+  </a>
+  <a href="https://github.com/robcholz/vibebox/blob/main/LICENSE">
+    <img alt="MIT licensed" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg">
+  </a>
+  <a href="https://github.com/robcholz/vibebox/actions?query=workflow%3ACI+branch%3Amain">
+    <img alt="Build Status" src="https://github.com/robcholz/vibebox/workflows/CI/badge.svg">
+  </a>
+</p>
+
+<p align="center">
+  <a href="README.md">English</a> |
+  <a href="README.zh.md">简体中文</a>
+</p>
+
+[![OpenCode Terminal UI](docs/screenshot.png)](https://vibebox.robcholz.com)
+
+---
+
+### Installation
+
+```bash
+# YOLO
+curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/robcholz/vibebox/main/install | bash
+
+# Package managers
+cargo install vibebox
+
+# Or manually (bad)
+curl -LO https://github.com/robcholz/vibebox/releases/download/latest/vibebox-macos-arm64.zip
+unzip vibebox-macos-arm64.zip
+mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
+mv vibe ~/.local/bin
+export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
+```
+
+> [!TIP]
+> We truly recommend you to use `YOLO` to install.
+
+**Requirements**
+
+- macOS on Apple Silicon (Vibebox uses Apple's virtualization APIs).
+
+**First Run**
+
+The first `vibebox` run downloads a Debian base image and provisions it. After that, per-project instances reuse the
+cached base image for much faster startups.
+
+### Documentation
+
+**Quick Start**
+
+```bash
+cd /path/to/your/project
+vibebox
+```
+
+On first run, Vibebox creates `vibebox.toml` in your project (if missing) and a `.vibebox/` directory for instance data.
+
+**Configuration (`vibebox.toml`)**
+
+`vibebox.toml` lives in your project root by default. You can override it with `vibebox -c path/to/vibebox.toml` or the
+`VIBEBOX_CONFIG_PATH` env var, but the path must stay inside the project directory.
+
+Default config (auto-created when missing):
+
+```toml
+[box]
+cpu_count = 2
+ram_mb = 2048
+disk_gb = 5
+mounts = [
+    "~/.codex:~/.codex:read-write",
+    "~/.claude:~/.claude:read-write",
+]
+
+[supervisor]
+auto_shutdown_ms = 20000
+```
+
+`disk_gb` is only applied when the instance disk is first created. If you change it later, run `vibebox reset` to
+recreate the disk.
+
+**Mounts**
+
+- Your project is mounted read-write at `~/<project-name>`, and the shell starts there.
+- If a `.git` directory exists, it is masked with a tmpfs mount inside the VM to discourage accidental edits from the
+  guest.
+- Extra mounts come from `box.mounts` with the format `host:guest[:read-only|read-write]`.
+- Host paths support `~` expansion. Relative guest paths are treated as `/root/<path>`.
+- Guest paths that use `~` are linked into `/home/<ssh-user>` for convenience. Run `vibebox explain` to see the resolved
+  host/guest mappings.
+
+**CLI Commands**
+
+```bash
+vibebox             # start or attach to the current project VM
+vibebox list        # list known project sessions
+vibebox reset       # delete .vibebox for this project and recreate on next run
+vibebox purge-cache # delete the global cache (~/.cache/vibebox)
+vibebox explain     # show mounts and network info
+```
+
+**Inside the VM**
+
+- Default SSH user: `vibecoder`
+- Hostname: `vibebox`
+- Base image provisioning installs: build tools, `git`, `curl`, `ripgrep`, `openssh-server`, and `sudo`.
+- On first login, Vibebox installs `mise` and configures tools like `uv`, `node`, `@openai/codex`, and
+  `@anthropic-ai/claude-code` (best-effort).
+- Shell aliases: `:help` and `:exit`.
+
+**State & Cache**
+
+- Project state lives in `.vibebox/` (instance disk, SSH keys, logs, manager socket/pid). `vibebox reset` removes it.
+- Global cache lives in `~/.cache/vibebox` (base image + shared guest cache). `vibebox purge-cache` clears it.
+- Session index lives in `~/.vibebox/sessions` and is shown by `vibebox list`.
+
+### Contributing
+
+If you're interested in contributing to VibeBox, please read our [contributing docs](CONTRIBUTING.md) before
+submitting a pull request.
+
+### Using VibeBox
+
+Feel free to use, but remember to promote VibeBox as well!
+
+### FAQ
+
+#### How is this different from other Sandboxes?
+
+Vibebox is built for fast, repeatable local sandboxes with minimal ceremony. What’s different here:
+
+- Warm startup is typically under **6 seconds** on my M3, so you can jump back in quickly.
+- One simple command — `vibebox` — drops you into the sandbox from your project.
+- Configuration lives in `vibebox.toml`, where you can set CPU, RAM, disk size, and mounts.
+
+### Special Thank
+
+[vibe](https://github.com/lynaghk/vibe) by lynaghk.
+
+And amazing Rust community, without your rich crates and fantastic toolchain like [crates.io](https://crates.io), this
+wouldn't be possible!
+
+---
+
+**Follow me on X** [X.com](https://x.com/robcholz)

README.zh.md

@@ -0,0 +1,156 @@
+<p align="center">
+  <a href="https://vibebox.robcholz.com">
+    <picture>
+      <img src="docs/banner.png" alt="VibeBox logo">
+    </picture>
+  </a>
+</p>
+<p align="center">超高速、开源的 AI 沙盒。</p>
+
+<p align="center">
+  <a href="https://crates.io/crates/vibebox">
+    <img alt="Crates.io" src="https://img.shields.io/crates/v/vibebox.svg">
+  </a>
+  <a href="https://github.com/robcholz/vibebox/blob/main/LICENSE">
+    <img alt="MIT licensed" src="https://img.shields.io/badge/license-MIT-blue.svg">
+  </a>
+  <a href="https://github.com/robcholz/vibebox/actions?query=workflow%3ACI+branch%3Amain">
+    <img alt="Build Status" src="https://github.com/robcholz/vibebox/workflows/CI/badge.svg">
+  </a>
+</p>
+
+<p align="center">
+  <a href="README.zh.md">简体中文</a> |
+  <a href="README.md">English</a>
+</p>
+
+[![OpenCode Terminal UI](docs/screenshot.png)](https://vibebox.robcholz.com)
+
+---
+
+### 安装
+
+```bash
+# YOLO：一键安装（推荐）
+curl -fsSL https://raw.githubusercontent.com/robcholz/vibebox/main/install | bash
+
+# Cargo
+cargo install vibebox
+
+# 或者手动安装（不推荐）
+curl -LO https://github.com/robcholz/vibebox/releases/download/latest/vibebox-macos-arm64.zip
+unzip vibebox-macos-arm64.zip
+mkdir -p ~/.local/bin
+mv vibe ~/.local/bin
+export PATH="$HOME/.local/bin:$PATH"
+```
+
+> [!TIP]
+> 强烈建议直接用 `YOLO` 方式安装，省事且更不容易踩坑。
+
+**系统要求**
+
+- Apple Silicon 的 macOS（VibeBox 使用了 Apple 的虚拟化 API）。
+
+**首次运行**
+
+第一次执行 `vibebox` 会下载 Debian 基础镜像并完成初始化。之后每个项目的实例会复用缓存的基础镜像，
+启动会快很多。
+
+### 文档
+
+**快速开始**
+
+```bash
+cd /path/to/your/project
+vibebox
+```
+
+第一次运行时，如果项目目录里缺少配置，VibeBox 会自动创建 `vibebox.toml`（放在项目根目录），并创建
+`.vibebox/` 用来保存实例数据。
+
+**配置（`vibebox.toml`）**
+
+默认情况下，`vibebox.toml` 位于项目根目录。你可以用 `vibebox -c path/to/vibebox.toml` 或设置
+`VIBEBOX_CONFIG_PATH` 环境变量来覆盖路径，但配置文件必须仍然位于项目目录内部。
+
+默认配置（缺失时会自动生成）：
+
+```toml
+[box]
+cpu_count = 2
+ram_mb = 2048
+disk_gb = 5
+mounts = [
+    "~/.codex:~/.codex:read-write",
+    "~/.claude:~/.claude:read-write",
+]
+
+[supervisor]
+auto_shutdown_ms = 20000
+```
+
+注意：`disk_gb` 只在「首次创建实例磁盘」时生效。之后如果你改了它，需要运行 `vibebox reset` 重新创建磁盘。
+
+**挂载（Mounts）**
+
+- 你的项目会以读写方式挂载到 `~/<project-name>`，并且 shell 会默认从那里启动。
+- 如果项目里存在 `.git` 目录，VM 内会用 tmpfs 把它遮住，避免你在 guest 里误操作改到 Git 元数据。
+- 额外挂载通过 `box.mounts` 配置，格式为 `host:guest[:read-only|read-write]`。
+- Host 路径支持 `~` 展开；guest 的相对路径会被视为 `/root/<path>`。
+- guest 路径如果用了 `~`，会为了方便被链接到 `/home/<ssh-user>` 下。你可以运行 `vibebox explain`
+  查看最终解析后的 host/guest 映射关系。
+
+**CLI 命令**
+
+```bash
+vibebox             # 启动或连接当前项目的 VM
+vibebox list        # 列出已知的项目会话
+vibebox reset       # 删除当前项目的 .vibebox，下一次运行会重新创建
+vibebox purge-cache # 删除全局缓存（~/.cache/vibebox）
+vibebox explain     # 显示挂载与网络信息
+```
+
+**在 VM 内部**
+
+- 默认 SSH 用户：`vibecoder`
+- 主机名：`vibebox`
+- 基础镜像初始化会安装：构建工具、`git`、`curl`、`ripgrep`、`openssh-server`、`sudo`
+- 首次登录时，VibeBox 会安装 `mise`，并尽力配置 `uv`、`node`、`@openai/codex`、
+  `@anthropic-ai/claude-code` 等工具（best-effort，视网络和环境而定）
+- Shell 里有两个别名：`:help` 和 `:exit`
+
+**状态与缓存**
+
+- 项目级状态在 `.vibebox/`（实例磁盘、SSH key、日志、manager socket/pid）。`vibebox reset` 会移除它。
+- 全局缓存在 `~/.cache/vibebox`（基础镜像 + 共享 guest 缓存）。`vibebox purge-cache` 会清空它。
+- 会话索引在 `~/.vibebox/sessions`，可以通过 `vibebox list` 查看。
+
+### 参与贡献
+
+如果你想参与贡献 VibeBox，请先阅读 [贡献指南](CONTRIBUTING.md)，再提交 Pull Request。
+
+### 使用 VibeBox
+
+欢迎使用，也别忘了顺手帮 VibeBox 做点宣传！
+
+### FAQ
+
+#### 它和其它 Sandboxes 有什么不同？
+
+Vibebox 追求的是：本地、可复现、启动快、流程简单。主要差异点：
+
+- 在我的 M3 上，热启动通常 **6 秒以内**，可以非常快地回到工作状态。
+- 一个命令——`vibebox`——直接把你带进沙盒（从你的项目目录启动）。
+- 配置集中在 `vibebox.toml`，CPU / 内存 / 磁盘大小 / 挂载都能一眼看懂、随手改。
+
+### 特别鸣谢
+
+[vibe](https://github.com/lynaghk/vibe) by lynaghk。
+
+以及 Rust 社区。没有你们丰富的 crates 生态和优秀的工具链（比如 [crates.io](https://crates.io)），
+这个项目不可能这么顺利！Rust教。
+
+---
+
+**在 X 上关注我** [X.com](https://x.com/robcholz)

src/config.rs

@@ -67,7 +67,10 @@ fn default_auto_shutdown_ms() -> u64 {
 }
 
 fn default_mounts() -> Vec<String> {
-    Vec::new()
+    vec![
+        "~/.codex:~/.codex:read-write".into(),
+        "~/.claude:~/.claude:read-write".into(),
+    ]
 }
 
 fn default_disk_gb() -> u64 {

src/explain.rs

@@ -46,7 +46,7 @@ fn default_mounts(cwd: &Path) -> Result<Vec<tui::MountListRow>, Box<dyn Error +
         .file_name()
         .and_then(|name| name.to_str())
         .unwrap_or("project");
-    let project_guest = format!("/root/{project_name}");
+    let project_guest = format!("~/{project_name}");
     let project_host = display_path(cwd);
     let mut rows = vec![tui::MountListRow {
         host: project_host,

src/instance.rs

@@ -394,6 +394,7 @@ fn ssh_port_open(ip: &str) -> bool {
 pub(crate) fn build_ssh_login_actions(
     config: &Arc<Mutex<InstanceConfig>>,
     project_name: &str,
+    project_guest_dir: &str,
     guest_dir: &str,
     key_name: &str,
     home_links_script: &str,
@@ -409,6 +410,7 @@ pub(crate) fn build_ssh_login_actions(
         .replace("__SSH_USER__", &ssh_user)
         .replace("__SUDO_PASSWORD__", &sudo_password)
         .replace("__PROJECT_NAME__", project_name)
+        .replace("__PROJECT_GUEST_DIR__", project_guest_dir)
         .replace("__KEY_PATH__", &key_path)
         .replace("__VIBEBOX_SHELL_SCRIPT__", &commands::render_shell_script())
         .replace("__VIBEBOX_HOME_LINKS__", home_links_script);

src/provision.sh

@@ -43,6 +43,11 @@ systemctl restart ssh
 # Set this env var so claude doesn't complain about running as root.'
 echo "export IS_SANDBOX=1" >> .bashrc
 
+# Ensure cloned instances generate unique machine-id on first boot.
+truncate -s 0 /etc/machine-id
+rm -f /var/lib/dbus/machine-id
+ln -sf /etc/machine-id /var/lib/dbus/machine-id
+
 # Shutdown the VM when you logout 
 cat > .bash_logout <<EOF
 systemctl poweroff

src/ssh.sh

@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ set -eu
 
 SSH_USER="__SSH_USER__"
 PROJECT_NAME="__PROJECT_NAME__"
+PROJECT_GUEST_DIR="__PROJECT_GUEST_DIR__"
 KEY_PATH="__KEY_PATH__"
 
 diag() { echo "[vibebox][diag] $*" >&2; }
@@ -49,7 +50,7 @@ dump_diag() {
 }
 
 # 1) tmpfs mount
-TARGET="/root/${PROJECT_NAME}/.vibebox"
+TARGET="${PROJECT_GUEST_DIR}/.vibebox"
 if [ -d "$TARGET" ] && ! mountpoint -q "$TARGET"; then
   mount -t tmpfs tmpfs "$TARGET"
 fi
@@ -78,6 +79,21 @@ __VIBEBOX_SHELL_SCRIPT__
 VIBEBOX_SHELL_EOF
 chmod 644 /etc/profile.d/vibebox.sh
 
+# Auto-cd into project for interactive shells
+cat > /etc/profile.d/vibebox-project.sh <<'VIBEBOX_PROJECT_EOF'
+case "$-" in
+  *i*)
+    project_home="${HOME}/__PROJECT_NAME__"
+    if [ "$USER" = "__SSH_USER__" ] && [ -d "$project_home" ]; then
+      cd "$project_home"
+    elif [ "$USER" = "__SSH_USER__" ] && [ -d "__PROJECT_GUEST_DIR__" ]; then
+      cd "__PROJECT_GUEST_DIR__"
+    fi
+    ;;
+esac
+VIBEBOX_PROJECT_EOF
+chmod 644 /etc/profile.d/vibebox-project.sh
+
 if ! grep -q "vibebox-aliases" "${USER_HOME}/.bashrc" 2>/dev/null; then
   {
     echo ""
@@ -88,16 +104,22 @@ fi
 
 # Install Mise
 MISE_BIN="${USER_HOME}/.local/bin/mise"
-if [ ! -x "$MISE_BIN" ] && ! command -v mise >/dev/null 2>&1; then
-  curl https://mise.run | HOME="$USER_HOME" sh
-fi
-echo 'eval "$(~/.local/bin/mise activate bash)"' >> "${USER_HOME}/.bashrc"
+mise_warn() { echo "[mise] $*" >&2; }
+mise_ok() { command -v mise >/dev/null 2>&1 || [ -x "$MISE_BIN" ]; }
+mise_install() {
+  if [ ! -x "$MISE_BIN" ] && ! command -v mise >/dev/null 2>&1; then
+    if ! curl https://mise.run | HOME="$USER_HOME" sh; then
+      mise_warn "mise install script failed (continuing)"
+      return 0
+    fi
+  fi
+  echo 'eval "$(~/.local/bin/mise activate bash)"' >> "${USER_HOME}/.bashrc"
 
-export PATH="${USER_HOME}/.local/bin:/usr/local/bin:$PATH"
+  export PATH="${USER_HOME}/.local/bin:/usr/local/bin:$PATH"
 
-mkdir -p "${USER_HOME}/.config/mise"
+  mkdir -p "${USER_HOME}/.config/mise"
 
-cat > "${USER_HOME}/.config/mise/config.toml" <<MISE
+  cat > "${USER_HOME}/.config/mise/config.toml" <<MISE
     [settings]
     # Always use the venv created by uv, if available in directory
     python.uv_venv_auto = true
@@ -111,12 +133,21 @@ cat > "${USER_HOME}/.config/mise/config.toml" <<MISE
     "npm:@anthropic-ai/claude-code" = "latest"
 MISE
 
-touch "${USER_HOME}/.config/mise/mise.lock"
-if [ -x "$MISE_BIN" ]; then
-  HOME="$USER_HOME" "$MISE_BIN" install
-else
-  HOME="$USER_HOME" mise install
-fi
+  touch "${USER_HOME}/.config/mise/mise.lock"
+  if [ -x "$MISE_BIN" ]; then
+    if ! HOME="$USER_HOME" "$MISE_BIN" install; then
+      mise_warn "mise install failed (continuing)"
+      return 0
+    fi
+  else
+    if ! HOME="$USER_HOME" mise install; then
+      mise_warn "mise install failed (continuing)"
+      return 0
+    fi
+  fi
+}
+
+mise_install || true
 
 # 3) start ssh (don't swallow failures)
 # If ssh is already active, don't force start/restart.
@@ -184,5 +215,11 @@ if ! listens_ok; then
   exit 1
 fi
 
+ip a
+ip link
+curl -s https://api.ipify.org ; echo
+
+cat /etc/machine-id
+
 echo VIBEBOX_SSH_READY
 echo "VIBEBOX_IPV4=$ip"

src/vm.rs

@@ -32,6 +32,7 @@ const DEBIAN_COMPRESSED_DISK_URL: &str = "https://cloud.debian.org/images/cloud/
 const DEBIAN_COMPRESSED_SHA: &str = "6ab9be9e6834adc975268367f2f0235251671184345c34ee13031749fdfbf66fe4c3aafd949a2d98550426090e9ac645e79009c51eb0eefc984c15786570bb38";
 const DEBIAN_COMPRESSED_SIZE_BYTES: u64 = 280901576;
 const SHARED_DIRECTORIES_TAG: &str = "shared";
+pub const PROJECT_GUEST_BASE: &str = "/usr/local/vibebox-mounts";
 
 const BYTES_PER_MB: u64 = 1024 * 1024;
 const DEFAULT_CPU_COUNT: usize = 2;
@@ -247,7 +248,8 @@ where
     let mut directory_shares = Vec::new();
 
     if !args.no_default_mounts {
-        login_actions.push(Send(format!("cd {project_name}")));
+        let project_guest_dir = PathBuf::from(PROJECT_GUEST_BASE).join(project_name);
+        login_actions.push(Send(format!("cd {}", project_guest_dir.display())));
 
         // discourage read/write of .git folder from within the VM. note that this isn't secure, since the VM runs as root and could unmount this.
         // I couldn't find an alternative way to do this --- the MacOS sandbox doesn't apply to the Apple Virtualization system
@@ -255,15 +257,6 @@ where
             login_actions.push(Send(r"mount -t tmpfs tmpfs .git/".into()));
         }
 
-        directory_shares.push(
-            DirectoryShare::new(
-                project_root,
-                PathBuf::from("/root/").join(project_name),
-                false,
-            )
-            .expect("Project directory must exist"),
-        );
-
         directory_shares.push(mise_directory_share);
     }
 

src/vm_manager.rs

@@ -25,11 +25,12 @@ use crate::{
     session_manager::{
         GLOBAL_DIR_NAME, INSTANCE_FILENAME, VM_MANAGER_PID_NAME, VM_MANAGER_SOCKET_NAME,
     },
-    vm::{self, DirectoryShare, LoginAction, VmInput},
+    vm::{self, DirectoryShare, LoginAction, PROJECT_GUEST_BASE, VmInput},
 };
 
 const VM_MANAGER_LOCK_NAME: &str = "vm.lock";
 const VM_MANAGER_LOG_NAME: &str = "vm_manager.log";
+const HARD_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT_MS: u64 = 12_000;
 
 pub fn ensure_manager(
     raw_args: &[std::ffi::OsString],
@@ -200,6 +201,30 @@ fn cleanup_stale_manager(instance_dir: &Path) {
     let _ = fs::remove_file(&pid_path);
 }
 
+fn inject_project_mount(
+    mounts: &mut Vec<String>,
+    project_root: &Path,
+    ssh_user: &str,
+    project_name: &str,
+) {
+    let guest_tilde = format!("~/{project_name}");
+    let guest_home = format!("/home/{ssh_user}/{project_name}");
+    let guest_base = format!("{PROJECT_GUEST_BASE}/{project_name}");
+    let already_mapped = mounts.iter().any(|spec| {
+        let parts: Vec<&str> = spec.split(':').collect();
+        if parts.len() < 2 {
+            return false;
+        }
+        let guest = parts[1];
+        guest == guest_tilde || guest == guest_home || guest == guest_base
+    });
+    if already_mapped {
+        return;
+    }
+    let host = project_root.display();
+    mounts.insert(0, format!("{host}:{guest_tilde}:read-write"));
+}
+
 fn is_socket_path(path: &Path) -> bool {
     fs::metadata(path)
         .map(|meta| meta.file_type().is_socket())
@@ -252,7 +277,7 @@ fn rewrite_mount_spec(spec: &str, ssh_user: &str) -> (String, Option<HomeLink>)
         return (spec.to_string(), None);
     }
 
-    let root_base = "/usr/local/vibebox-mounts";
+    let root_base = PROJECT_GUEST_BASE;
     let root_path = if rel.is_empty() {
         root_base.to_string()
     } else {
@@ -563,7 +588,7 @@ impl VmExecutor for RealVmExecutor {
 
 fn run_manager_with(
     project_root: &Path,
-    args: vm::VmArg,
+    mut args: vm::VmArg,
     auto_shutdown_ms: u64,
     executor: &dyn VmExecutor,
     options: ManagerOptions,
@@ -602,8 +627,12 @@ fn run_manager_with(
         .lock()
         .map(|cfg| cfg.ssh_user_display())
         .unwrap_or_else(|_| DEFAULT_SSH_USER.to_string());
+    if !args.no_default_mounts {
+        inject_project_mount(&mut args.mounts, project_root, &ssh_user, &project_name);
+    }
     let (args, home_links_script) = prepare_mounts_and_links(args, &ssh_user);
 
+    let project_guest_dir = format!("{PROJECT_GUEST_BASE}/{project_name}");
     let ssh_guest_dir = format!("/root/{}", GLOBAL_DIR_NAME);
     let extra_shares = vec![DirectoryShare::new(
         instance_dir.clone(),
@@ -613,6 +642,7 @@ fn run_manager_with(
     let extra_login_actions = build_ssh_login_actions(
         &config,
         &project_name,
+        &project_guest_dir,
         ssh_guest_dir.as_str(),
         "ssh_key",
         &home_links_script,
@@ -692,7 +722,9 @@ fn manager_event_loop(
     let mut ref_count: usize = 0;
     let mut shutdown_deadline: Option<Instant> = None;
     let mut shutdown_sent = false;
+    let mut hard_deadline: Option<Instant> = None;
     let grace = Duration::from_millis(auto_shutdown_ms.max(1));
+    let hard_timeout = Duration::from_millis(HARD_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT_MS);
 
     loop {
         let timeout = match shutdown_deadline {
@@ -711,6 +743,7 @@ fn manager_event_loop(
                 );
                 shutdown_deadline = None;
                 shutdown_sent = false;
+                hard_deadline = None;
             }
             Ok(ManagerEvent::Dec(pid)) => {
                 ref_count = ref_count.saturating_sub(1);
@@ -736,12 +769,38 @@ fn manager_event_loop(
                     && Instant::now() >= deadline
                     && !shutdown_sent
                 {
+                    let mut sent = false;
                     if let Some(tx) = vm_input_tx.lock().unwrap().clone() {
-                        let _ = tx.send(VmInput::Bytes(b"systemctl poweroff\n".to_vec()));
+                        if tx
+                            .send(VmInput::Bytes(b"systemctl poweroff\n".to_vec()))
+                            .is_ok()
+                        {
+                            sent = true;
+                        } else {
+                            tracing::warn!("shutdown command failed to send");
+                        }
+                    } else {
+                        tracing::warn!("shutdown command deferred; vm input not ready");
                     }
-                    tracing::info!("shutdown command sent");
-                    shutdown_sent = true;
-                    shutdown_deadline = None;
+                    if sent {
+                        tracing::info!("shutdown command sent");
+                        shutdown_sent = true;
+                        shutdown_deadline = None;
+                        hard_deadline = Some(Instant::now() + hard_timeout);
+                    } else {
+                        shutdown_deadline = Some(Instant::now() + Duration::from_millis(500));
+                    }
+                }
+                if ref_count == 0
+                    && shutdown_sent
+                    && let Some(deadline) = hard_deadline
+                    && Instant::now() >= deadline
+                {
+                    tracing::warn!(
+                        timeout_ms = HARD_SHUTDOWN_TIMEOUT_MS,
+                        "force exiting: VM did not stop after shutdown timeout"
+                    );
+                    std::process::exit(1);
                 }
             }
             Err(mpsc::RecvTimeoutError::Disconnected) => break,