Safe Execution¶

Drift provides multiple layers of safety so you can test without risk.

Safety Layers¶

flowchart TD
    A[User Query] --> B{Hard Blocklist}
    B -->|Blocked| C[❌ Command rejected]
    B -->|Passed| D{Risk Assessment}
    D --> E[🟢 LOW]
    D --> F[🟡 MEDIUM]
    D --> G[🔴 HIGH]
    E --> H[Confirm y/N]
    F --> H
    G --> I[Confirm: type YES]
    H --> J[Create Snapshot]
    I --> J
    J --> K[Execute]
    K --> L[drift undo available]

1. Dry-Run Mode¶

See what would happen without executing anything:

drift suggest "delete all .pyc files" --dry-run

Force dry-run globally:

export DRIFT_DRY_RUN=1
drift suggest "anything"  # Will never execute

2. Mock Executor¶

Commands are logged but never run — even if you confirm:

DRIFT_EXECUTOR=mock drift suggest "reorganize my project"

Output:

[MOCK] Would execute: mv old_dir/ new_dir/
[MOCK] Would execute: mkdir -p src/

3. Sandbox Mode¶

Real execution, but confined to a temporary directory:

mkdir /tmp/drift-sandbox
DRIFT_SANDBOX_ROOT=/tmp/drift-sandbox drift suggest "create project structure"

Commands that try to write outside the sandbox are blocked.

4. Docker Isolation¶

Full container-based isolation (requires Docker):

DRIFT_EXECUTOR=docker drift suggest "install and test a package"

Programmatic Testing¶

from drift_cli.core.executor_base import get_executor

# Mock — nothing executes
executor = get_executor("mock")
result = executor.execute("rm -rf /")
print(result.stdout)  # "[MOCK] Would execute: rm -rf /"

# Sandbox — real execution in isolated directory
import tempfile
from pathlib import Path
sandbox = Path(tempfile.mkdtemp())
executor = get_executor("local", sandbox)
executor.execute("touch test.txt")  # Only inside sandbox

Safety Checklist¶

Scenario	Recommended Mode
First time trying Drift	`--dry-run`
Testing on a production machine	`DRIFT_EXECUTOR=mock`
Want to see real output safely	`DRIFT_SANDBOX_ROOT=/tmp/sandbox`
Maximum isolation	`DRIFT_EXECUTOR=docker`
Normal daily use	Default (confirm before execute)

Always review

No matter which mode you use, always read the generated command before confirming. The safety engine catches most dangers, but you are the final gate.