Connect a coding agent
Connect an authorized MCP client to the local investigation.
Use MCP when a coding assistant needs to ask a focused question about a capture on your Mac. Start with synthetic data and metadata; a complete capture is rarely the smallest useful input. For shell access instead, follow the CLI setup recipe.
Connect the client, not the network route
- Open MCP Management on the Mac and start the local server. The proxy listener, system routing and MCP server are independent; turning on MCP does not capture traffic.
- Configure the intended MCP client with the local endpoint displayed by the app. Enroll that client on the Mac. Review its requested capabilities and disclosure profile; choose metadata-only when that answers the question.
- To check the documentation connection without sharing a capture, use the documentation search tool to find help on a familiar topic such as recording fidelity. A returned documentation match establishes that query, not permission to inspect a response body.
- For a traffic investigation, route the actual target, make one synthetic request, then ask for only the relevant session’s status. Compare the answer with the inspector on the Mac.
First investigation: ask what still needs a person
Try this with an enrolled client: “I’m setting up an iPhone. Check the Mac’s runtime and the iPhone’s readiness. Tell me the next manual step; don’t change settings or read response bodies.”
Start with runtime_status for the host, then setup_readiness for the intended target. A running Mac listener and an enrolled client do not establish that a phone installed a profile. Complete the next device step yourself, generate one request, and compare the agent’s traffic evidence with the session in JoesProxy. Finish with client_cleanup_status to check for remaining effects, not to remove them.
Diagnose the first step that failed
| What you see | What to check next |
|---|---|
| The client never connects | Check the MCP endpoint shown on this Mac and whether MCP is running. The HTTP proxy listener serves a different purpose. |
| Documentation search works, but there are no recent sessions | Make a fresh request in the target app and look in Table. If it isn’t there, fix target routing before changing client permissions. |
| The request is visible on the Mac, but the client can’t read its contents | Check whether the session was inspected and the body retained. If it exists, review the enrolled client’s disclosure scope. More access cannot recover bytes that weren’t retained. |
| A change is pending | Review the requested effect on the Mac. After a decision, verify what happened on the next matching request; a proposal by itself changes no traffic. |
Interpret a refusal
A visible tool name is not a grant. If the client is connected but a read is refused, check the enrolled client, capability and disclosure scope. If a proposed traffic change needs approval, review it on the Mac. Do not broaden all permissions or assume retrying a denied proposal is approval. See permission troubleshooting.
Finish
Stop any active test rules or fixtures, verify the ordinary request again, then disconnect the client. Review standing grants separately; disconnecting a client is not proof a rule was removed. Consult the MCP reference before requesting additional access.
FAQ: can a local MCP server guarantee that the model receives nothing sensitive?
No. An authorized client may process the evidence it receives elsewhere. Filter to the relevant requests, review the disclosure scope, and avoid bodies or credentials unless explicitly needed.