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What is a Sandbox?

A sandbox is an isolated compliance checking environment that defines what violations to detect and how to handle them. Each sandbox has:
  • Type: What to check for (PII, bias, security, etc.)
  • Rules: Custom compliance rules
  • Regulations: Which regulations apply (GDPR, CCPA, etc.)
  • Alert Threshold: Minimum risk level to alert on
  • Guardian Action: How to handle pre-LLM detections

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Sandbox Types

Continum supports 15 specialized sandbox types:

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PII_DETECTION

Detects personally identifiable information:
  • Names, emails, phone numbers
  • SSN, passport numbers, driver’s licenses
  • Credit cards, bank accounts
  • Health data, biometric identifiers
  • IP addresses, location data
Use case: Customer support, user-generated content

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BIAS_DETECTION

Detects discriminatory content:
  • Racial, gender, religious bias
  • Age, disability discrimination
  • Sycophantic bias
  • Intersectional bias
Use case: HR applications, content moderation

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SECURITY_AUDIT

Detects security vulnerabilities:
  • SQL injection, XSS, CSRF
  • Secret leaks (API keys, passwords)
  • Dangerous instructions
  • Infrastructure exposure
Use case: Code generation, technical support

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PROMPT_INJECTION

Detects prompt manipulation:
  • Direct injection attacks
  • Jailbreak attempts (DAN, STAN)
  • System prompt extraction
  • Goal hijacking
Use case: All LLM applications

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AGENT_SAFETY

Detects unsafe agent behavior:
  • Infinite loops, resource exhaustion
  • Irreversible actions without confirmation
  • Scope creep, privilege escalation
  • Deceptive alignment
Use case: AI agents, autonomous systems

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HALLUCINATION_DETECTION

Detects false information:
  • Fake citations, fabricated papers
  • Invented statistics
  • False confidence
  • Expert impersonation
Use case: Research, education, professional advice

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CONTENT_POLICY

Detects harmful content:
  • Violence, sexual content
  • CSAM (zero tolerance)
  • Hate speech, harassment
  • Self-harm facilitation
Use case: Content platforms, social applications

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FINANCIAL_COMPLIANCE

Detects financial regulation violations:
  • Unlicensed financial advice
  • Insider trading facilitation
  • Market manipulation
  • Fraud enablement
Use case: Fintech, investment platforms Detects legal liability issues:
  • Unauthorized legal advice
  • Copyright infringement
  • Defamation risk
  • Privacy law breaches
Use case: Legal tech, content platforms

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FULL_SPECTRUM

Comprehensive checking across all categories. Use case: Production applications requiring maximum protection

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CUSTOM

Define your own rules and detection logic. Use case: Industry-specific compliance

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Creating a Sandbox

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Via Dashboard

  1. Navigate to Sandboxes in the dashboard
  2. Click “Create Sandbox”
  3. Choose a type
  4. Set a slug (e.g., my-sandbox)
  5. Configure options
  6. Save

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Via API

curl -X POST https://api.continum.co/sandboxes \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-continum-key: co_your_api_key_here" \
  -d '{
    "name": "My Sandbox",
    "slug": "my-sandbox",
    "sandboxType": "PII_DETECTION",
    "regulations": ["GDPR", "CCPA", "HIPAA"],
    "alertThreshold": "MEDIUM",
    "guardianAction": "REDACT_AND_CONTINUE",
    "customRules": [
      "No medical advice",
      "No financial recommendations"
    ]
  }'

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Sandbox Configuration

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name

Human-readable name for the sandbox: 
{
  "name": "Customer Support PII Protection"
}

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slug

Unique identifier used in API calls: 
{
  "slug": "my-sandbox"
}
Must be lowercase, alphanumeric, and use underscores.

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sandboxType

The type of compliance checking: 
{
  "sandboxType": "PII_DETECTION"
}
Options: PII_DETECTION, BIAS_DETECTION, SECURITY_AUDIT, PROMPT_INJECTION, AGENT_SAFETY, HALLUCINATION_DETECTION, CONTENT_POLICY, FINANCIAL_COMPLIANCE, LEGAL_COMPLIANCE, FULL_SPECTRUM, CUSTOM

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regulations

Which regulations to check against: 
{
  "regulations": ["GDPR", "CCPA", "HIPAA", "EU_AI_ACT"]
}

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alertThreshold

Minimum risk level to alert on: 
{
  "alertThreshold": "MEDIUM"
}
Options: LOW, MEDIUM, HIGH, CRITICAL

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guardianAction

How Guardian handles pre-LLM detections: 
{
  "guardianAction": "REDACT_AND_CONTINUE"
}
Options:
  • ALLOW_ALL: Log but don’t redact
  • REDACT_AND_CONTINUE: Redact and continue
  • BLOCK_ON_DETECT: Block LLM call

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customRules

Additional rules specific to your use case: 
{
  "customRules": [
    "No medical diagnoses",
    "No investment advice",
    "No legal conclusions"
  ]
}

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region

Geographic region for compliance: 
{
  "region": "EU"
}
Options: GLOBAL, US, EU, UK, APAC

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active

Enable or disable the sandbox: 
{
  "active": true
}

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Using Sandboxes

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With SDK

const continum = new Continum({
  continumKey: process.env.CONTINUM_KEY,
  openaiKey: process.env.OPENAI_API_KEY
});

// Use default sandbox
const response1 = await continum.llm.openai.gpt_4o.chat({
  messages: [{ role: 'user', content: 'Hello' }],
  sandbox: 'sandbox-one'  // Specify sandbox
});

// Override sandbox for specific call
const response2 = await continum.llm.openai.gpt_4o.chat({
  messages: [{ role: 'user', content: 'Generate code' }],
  sandbox: 'sandbox-two'  // Different sandbox
});

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With API

curl -X POST https://api.continum.co/audit/ingest \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-continum-key: co_your_api_key_here" \
  -d '{
    "sandboxSlug": "pii_strict",
    "provider": "openai",
    "model": "gpt-4o",
    "prompt": "Hello",
    "response": "Hi there!"
  }'

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Plan Limits

Sandbox limits vary by plan:
PlanSandboxesAudits/Month
DEV11,000
PRO10Unlimited
PRO_MAX25Unlimited
ENTERPRISEUnlimitedUnlimited

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Best Practices

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Naming Convention

Use descriptive slugs: 
✅ Good: my-sandbox, support-sandbox, code-gen-sandbox
❌ Bad: sandbox1, test, my_sandbox

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Multiple Sandboxes

Create sandboxes for different use cases: 
// Customer support
defaultSandbox: 'support-sandbox'

// Code generation
defaultSandbox: 'code-sandbox'

// Content moderation
defaultSandbox: 'content-sandbox'

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Testing

Test sandboxes before production:
  1. Create a test sandbox
  2. Run sample audits
  3. Review signals in dashboard
  4. Adjust configuration
  5. Deploy to production

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Monitoring

Monitor sandbox performance:
  • Signal volume per sandbox
  • Risk level distribution
  • False positive rate
  • Processing time

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Next Steps

Signal

Understand audit results

Guardian

Configure pre-LLM protection

API Reference

Sandbox API documentation

Dashboard

Manage sandboxes