SurrealFS -- Virtual Filesystem for AI Agents

SurrealFS provides a persistent, queryable virtual filesystem backed by SurrealDB. Designed for AI agents that need durable file operations, hierarchical storage, and content search across sessions.

Components

Component	Crate/Package	Language	Purpose
Core Library	surrealfs	Rust	Filesystem operations, CLI REPL, SurrealDB storage layer
AI Agent	surrealfs-ai	Python (Pydantic AI)	Agent interface with tool integration, HTTP hosting

Rust Core -- Commands

The surrealfs crate provides a REPL with POSIX-like commands:

Command	Description
ls	List directory contents
cat	Display file contents
tail	Show last lines of a file
nl	Number lines of a file
grep	Search file contents
touch	Create empty file
mkdir	Create directory
write_file	Write content to file
edit	Edit file contents
cp	Copy file
cd	Change directory
pwd	Print working directory

Supports piping from external commands: curl https://example.com > /pages/example.html

Storage backends:

• Embedded RocksDB (local)
• Remote SurrealDB via WebSocket

Python AI Agent

Built on Pydantic AI with tools that mirror the filesystem commands.

from surrealfs_ai import build_chat_agent

# Create the agent (default LLM: Claude Haiku)
agent = build_chat_agent()

# Expose over HTTP
import uvicorn
app = agent.to_web()
uvicorn.run(app, host="127.0.0.1", port=7932)

Features:

• Default LLM: Claude Haiku
• Telemetry via Pydantic Logfire (OpenTelemetry) -- see Security section for opt-out
• All filesystem operations available as agent tools
• HTTP hosting (default port 7932, bound to 127.0.0.1)
• Path normalization: virtual FS root / is isolated; paths cannot escape to host filesystem

Quick Start

# Install the Rust core
cargo install surrealfs

# Start the REPL with embedded storage
surrealfs

# Or connect to a remote SurrealDB instance
surrealfs --endpoint ws://localhost:8000 --user root --pass root --ns agent --db workspace

# Install the Python agent
pip install surrealfs-ai

# Run the agent HTTP server
python -m surrealfs_ai --host 127.0.0.1 --port 7932

Use Cases

• Persistent workspace for AI agent sessions
• Hierarchical document storage with metadata queries
• Multi-agent shared file access with SurrealDB permissions
• Content strategy and knowledge management
• Project scaffolding and template management

Security Considerations

Credentials: Remote SurrealDB connections require --user/--pass. Use dedicated, least-privilege credentials scoped to a specific namespace/database. Never use root credentials in shared or production environments.

Telemetry: The Python agent uses Pydantic Logfire (OpenTelemetry). To disable telemetry, set: export LOGFIRE_SEND_TO_LOGFIRE=false or configure Logfire with send_to_logfire=False in code. Audit telemetry endpoints before enabling in environments with sensitive data.

HTTP binding: The agent binds to 127.0.0.1 by default. Do not expose to 0.0.0.0 or public networks without authentication and TLS. If running in a container, use network isolation.

Pipe commands: The Rust core supports curl URL > /path syntax for content ingress. This executes the pipe source command on the host. Use only with trusted URLs in controlled environments. Do not allow untrusted input to construct pipe commands.

Sandboxing: The virtual FS root (/) is a SurrealDB-backed abstraction, not the host filesystem. Path traversal (e.g., ../../etc/passwd) is normalized and rejected. However, pipe commands execute on the host -- run in a container or sandbox if accepting untrusted agent input.

Full Documentation

See the main skill's rule file for complete guidance:

• rules/surrealfs.md -- architecture, Rust core API, Python agent setup, SurrealDB schema, multi-agent patterns, and deployment
• surrealdb/surrealfs -- upstream repository