Real AI agent use cases, with sources and setup prompts

Run AI agents in low-cost sandboxes under a dollar a month

YC F26 team built Agent37 sandboxes for running agents at a reported average of $0.37 per sandbox per month.

See pricing page1 hourIntermediateSource linked

Source

vishnukool on Hacker News · 2026-10-12

Written in our own words. Credit to the original author. Link checked 2026-10-15.

What they did

YC F26 team built Agent37 sandboxes for running agents at a reported average of $0.37 per sandbox per month.

Result (as claimed)

Launch HN with customers already on low-cost agent sandboxes.

Tools they used

The source does not name specific tools.

Cost: Pricing depends on the tools you pick; check each official pricing page.

Set it up

  1. Pick a contained repo or task

    Start on a branch or side project where mistakes are cheap.

  2. Install and configure

    Set up the tools you choose. Read what it can run on your machine and limit permissions where possible.

  3. Run it on a real task

    Give it a well-scoped issue and let it work. Review the diff like any pull request.

  4. Add guardrails

    Keep tests and CI in the loop, and never let an agent push to main or touch production secrets unattended.

Copy the full setup prompt

Paste into your agent and it will walk you through the setup, asking before anything that sends, posts or spends.

You are helping me set up this AI use case end to end in Claude Code.

Goal: Run AI agents in low-cost sandboxes under a dollar a month
What the original author did: YC F26 team built Agent37 sandboxes for running agents at a reported average of $0.37 per sandbox per month.
Reported result (as claimed by the author): Launch HN with customers already on low-cost agent sandboxes.
Source: https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=50059096
Tools they used: not named in the source
Category: Dev & ops

Please:
1. Ask me 3 short questions about my situation (accounts I have, budget, what I want the output to look like).
2. Propose a step-by-step plan using these tools or cheaper alternatives, with the time and cost of each step. Use official pricing pages; say "check pricing" if unsure.
3. Then do the setup with me one step at a time, waiting for my OK before anything that sends messages, posts publicly, spends money or deletes data.
4. Finish with a checklist to run it again next time.

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