diff --git a/nemo_skills/evaluation/evaluator/livecodebench.py b/nemo_skills/evaluation/evaluator/livecodebench.py
index 8879303233..2de6489ca8 100644
--- a/nemo_skills/evaluation/evaluator/livecodebench.py
+++ b/nemo_skills/evaluation/evaluator/livecodebench.py
@@ -92,25 +92,32 @@ async def execute_in_sandbox_with_retries(
 
 async def is_sandbox_available(sandbox_config: dict) -> bool:
     """
-    Checks if the sandbox service is running and accessible by sending a test request.
+    Checks if the sandbox service is running, accessible, and can execute commands.
+
+    This function verifies sandbox availability by:
+    1. Establishing a connection to the sandbox service
+    2. Executing a test command ("true") to ensure the sandbox can process requests
+    3. Verifying the command completes successfully
 
     Args:
-        sandbox_config: The configuration dictionary for the sandbox.
+        sandbox_config: The configuration dictionary for the sandbox service.
 
     Returns:
-        True if a connection can be established, False otherwise.
+        True if the sandbox is accessible and can successfully execute commands,
+        False if connection fails, command execution fails, or any error occurs.
     """
     LOG.info(f"Attempting to connect to sandbox with config: {sandbox_config}")
     try:
         async with sandbox_context(sandbox_config) as sandbox:
-            await execute_in_sandbox_with_retries(sandbox, 1, "true", language="shell", timeout=5)
-        LOG.info("Sandbox connection successful. Sandbox is available.")
-        return True
-    except httpx.NetworkError as e:
-        LOG.warning(f"Sandbox is unavailable due to a network error: {type(e).__name__} - {e}")
-        return False
-    except Exception as e:
-        LOG.warning(f"An unexpected error occurred while checking sandbox availability: {e}")
+            result, _ = await execute_in_sandbox_with_retries(sandbox, 1, "true", language="shell", timeout=5)
+            if result.get("process_status") != "completed":
+                LOG.warning(f"Sandbox responded but command failed: {result.get('stderr')}")
+                return False
+
+            LOG.info("Sandbox connection successful. Sandbox is available.")
+            return True
+    except (httpx.NetworkError, Exception) as e:
+        LOG.warning(f"Sandbox is unavailable or errored: {e}")
         return False