proxyman-mcp-setup

name	proxyman-mcp-setup
description	Connect an AI coding agent to Proxyman MCP. Use this skill when Proxyman is installed but the agent cannot see Proxyman MCP tools, the user asks to set up Proxyman MCP, configure Codex, Claude, Cursor, VS Code, Copilot, or troubleshoot missing Proxyman MCP tools, handshake errors, or "tool not found" issues.

Proxyman MCP Setup

Configure an agent to talk to Proxyman MCP through Proxyman's bundled stdio bridge.

Operating Rules

1. This skill is shell-first. MCP tools may not be connected yet.
2. Do not use API-key or direct HTTP MCP configuration. Proxyman MCP uses a local stdio bridge executable.
3. Proxyman must be installed, running, and have Settings > MCP > MCP Server enabled before verification can pass.
4. Preserve existing MCP server entries in agent config files. Add or update only the proxyman entry.
5. Prefer the exact command shown in Proxyman Settings > MCP when the app exposes one.

Mental Model

Proxyman MCP has two local pieces:

1. The AI agent launches Proxyman's bundled mcp-server executable over stdio.
2. The bridge reads mcp-handshake.json from Proxyman's app data folder.
3. The bridge forwards tool calls to the running app at http://127.0.0.1:<ephemeral-port>/mcp with a bearer token from the handshake file.

Do not hardcode the HTTP port or token. The app regenerates them.

Common handshake locations:

Platform/build	Handshake folder
macOS native app	Proxyman Application Support bundle folder, including regular and Setapp bundle IDs
Windows Electron app	%APPDATA%\Proxyman
Linux Electron app	${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/Proxyman

Do not edit the handshake file. If it is missing or stale, restart Proxyman and re-enable Settings > MCP.

Step 1: Verify Proxyman Is Installed

macOS

if [ -d "/Applications/Proxyman.app" ]; then
  echo "INSTALLED: /Applications/Proxyman.app"
elif mdfind 'kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier == "com.proxyman.NSProxy"' | grep -q "Proxyman.app"; then
  mdfind 'kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier == "com.proxyman.NSProxy"'
else
  echo "NOT_INSTALLED"
fi

Windows (PowerShell)

$installed = Get-ItemProperty `
  "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*",
  "HKCU:\SOFTWARE\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*",
  "HKLM:\SOFTWARE\WOW6432Node\Microsoft\Windows\CurrentVersion\Uninstall\*" `
  -ErrorAction SilentlyContinue |
  Where-Object { $_.DisplayName -like "*Proxyman*" }
if ($installed) { "INSTALLED" } else { "NOT_INSTALLED" }

Linux

if command -v proxyman >/dev/null 2>&1 || ls "$HOME"/Downloads/Proxyman*.AppImage "$HOME"/Downloads/proxyman*.AppImage >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  echo "INSTALLED"
else
  echo "NOT_INSTALLED"
fi

If Proxyman is not installed, stop and use proxyman-download-setup.

Step 2: Launch Proxyman And Enable MCP

macOS

open -a "Proxyman"
sleep 10

Windows (PowerShell)

$candidates = @(
  "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\Proxyman\Proxyman.exe",
  "C:\Program Files\Proxyman\Proxyman.exe",
  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Proxyman\Proxyman.exe"
)
$proxymanExe = $candidates | Where-Object { Test-Path $_ } | Select-Object -First 1
if ($proxymanExe) { Start-Process $proxymanExe; Start-Sleep 10 }

Linux

if command -v proxyman >/dev/null 2>&1; then
  nohup proxyman >/dev/null 2>&1 &
else
  nohup "$HOME/Downloads/Proxyman.AppImage" >/dev/null 2>&1 &
fi
sleep 10

Ask the user to open Proxyman Settings > MCP and enable "MCP Server". If the MCP toggle is locked, the user must authorize the plan/license required by their Proxyman build.

Keep "Redact Sensitive Data Before Sending to AI" enabled unless the user explicitly wants raw headers, cookies, query strings, or bodies sent to the agent.

On Linux AppImage builds, launching Proxyman lets the app copy the packaged MCP bridge into a stable config path and mark it executable. If the bridge path below is missing, enable MCP in Settings, restart Proxyman, and check again.

Step 3: Resolve The Bridge Executable

macOS

Regular build:

BRIDGE_PATH="/Applications/Proxyman.app/Contents/MacOS/mcp-server"
test -x "$BRIDGE_PATH" && echo "$BRIDGE_PATH"

If the regular path is missing, search installed Proxyman apps:

mdfind 'kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier == "com.proxyman.NSProxy" || kMDItemCFBundleIdentifier == "com.proxyman.NSProxy-setapp"' |
while read -r app; do
  candidate="$app/Contents/MacOS/mcp-server"
  [ -x "$candidate" ] && echo "$candidate"
done

Windows (PowerShell)

The Windows Electron app copies mcp-server.exe beside Proxyman.exe. If no bridge is found, use the exact command from Proxyman Settings > MCP.

$exeCandidates = @(
  "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\Proxyman\Proxyman.exe",
  "C:\Program Files\Proxyman\Proxyman.exe",
  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Proxyman\Proxyman.exe"
)
$proxymanExe = $exeCandidates | Where-Object { Test-Path $_ } | Select-Object -First 1

$bridgeCandidates = @()
if ($proxymanExe) {
  $bridgeCandidates += Join-Path (Split-Path $proxymanExe -Parent) "mcp-server.exe"
}
$bridgeCandidates += @(
  "$env:LOCALAPPDATA\Programs\Proxyman\mcp-server.exe",
  "C:\Program Files\Proxyman\mcp-server.exe",
  "C:\Program Files (x86)\Proxyman\mcp-server.exe"
)

$bridge = $bridgeCandidates | Where-Object { Test-Path $_ } | Select-Object -First 1
if ($bridge) { $bridge } else { "NOT_FOUND: copy the path from Proxyman Settings > MCP" }

Linux

The packaged Linux AppImage copies mcp-server into Proxyman's config folder after launch. Prefer that stable copied path.

CONFIG_HOME="${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}"
BRIDGE_PATH="$CONFIG_HOME/Proxyman/bin/mcp-server"

if [ -x "$BRIDGE_PATH" ]; then
  echo "$BRIDGE_PATH"
else
  echo "NOT_FOUND: launch Proxyman, enable Settings > MCP, restart Proxyman, or copy the path from Settings > MCP"
fi

Set BRIDGE_PATH to the chosen executable path. It must be the stdio bridge, not the Proxyman app binary.

Step 4: Detect The Agent Config

Use environment variables first, then parent process, then filesystem markers.

[ -n "$OPENAI_CODEX" ] && echo "codex"
[ -n "$CLAUDE_CODE_ENTRYPOINT" ] && echo "claude-code"
[ -n "$CURSOR_TRACE_ID" ] || [ "$TERM_PROGRAM" = "cursor" ] && echo "cursor"
[ -n "$VSCODE_PID" ] || [ "$TERM_PROGRAM" = "vscode" ] && echo "vscode"
[ -n "$GITHUB_COPILOT_CLI" ] && echo "copilot-cli"

Fallback markers:

test -d "$HOME/.codex" && echo "codex"
test -d "$HOME/.claude" && echo "claude-code"
test -d "$HOME/.cursor" && echo "cursor"
test -d ".vscode" && echo "vscode"
test -f "$HOME/.copilot/mcp-config.json" && echo "copilot-cli"
test -f "$HOME/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json" && echo "claude-desktop"

If multiple agents are detected, ask the user which agent they want to configure.

Step 5: Add The MCP Server

Codex CLI

Preferred command:

codex mcp add proxyman -- "$BRIDGE_PATH"

Equivalent TOML:

[mcp_servers.proxyman]
enabled = true
command = "BRIDGE_PATH"
args = []

Config file: ~/.codex/config.toml.

Claude Code

claude mcp add proxyman --transport stdio -- "$BRIDGE_PATH"

Config file: ~/.claude.json.

Claude Desktop

Config file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Claude\claude_desktop_config.json

Server entry:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "proxyman": {
      "command": "BRIDGE_PATH",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

Cursor

Config file: ~/.cursor/mcp.json.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "proxyman": {
      "command": "BRIDGE_PATH",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

VS Code / GitHub Copilot

Config file:

• macOS: ~/Library/Application Support/Code/User/mcp.json or workspace .vscode/mcp.json
• Linux: ~/.config/Code/User/mcp.json or workspace .vscode/mcp.json
• Windows: %APPDATA%\Code\User\mcp.json or workspace .vscode\mcp.json

{
  "servers": {
    "proxyman": {
      "command": "BRIDGE_PATH",
      "args": [],
      "env": {}
    }
  }
}

GitHub Copilot CLI

Config file: ~/.copilot/mcp-config.json.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "proxyman": {
      "command": "BRIDGE_PATH",
      "args": [],
      "env": {},
      "tools": ["*"]
    }
  }
}

When editing JSON or TOML config manually, parse and merge with a real parser when possible. Never replace unrelated mcpServers or servers entries.

Step 6: Verify

Restart or reload the agent after changing config.

Verification sequence:

1. Confirm Proxyman is running.
2. Confirm Settings > MCP shows the server running.
3. Ask the agent to list MCP tools/resources/prompts if it supports discovery.
4. Call get_version.
5. Call get_proxy_status.

Successful setup means the agent can see Proxyman tools and get_version returns a Proxyman app/bridge response.

Tool availability can vary by platform and build. Treat the live tool list as authoritative. In particular, macOS system proxy control, Apple Terminal/iTerm/Ghostty injection, .app Electron injection, and bridge app-control tools are macOS-oriented; do not offer them on Windows or Linux unless that server exposes an applicable schema.

Troubleshooting

Error	Meaning	Action
Proxyman is not running or MCP server not started	Bridge cannot find mcp-handshake.json.	Launch Proxyman and enable Settings > MCP.
Invalid handshake file	Token or port is stale.	Restart Proxyman, then reload the agent.
Cannot connect to Proxyman	App is closed or MCP server stopped.	Open Proxyman and confirm MCP status.
Linux bridge path is missing	The AppImage has not prepared mcp-server in the config folder yet.	Launch Proxyman, enable Settings > MCP, restart Proxyman, then check ${XDG_CONFIG_HOME:-$HOME/.config}/Proxyman/bin/mcp-server.
Agent has no Proxyman tools	Config path is wrong or agent was not reloaded.	Re-check BRIDGE_PATH, config file, and restart the agent.
User sees no traffic after setup	MCP is connected but capture is not configured.	Use proxyman-traffic-debugging and start with get_proxy_status.

Next Step

Once get_version and get_proxy_status work, use proxyman-traffic-debugging for traffic inspection, setup diagnosis, rule creation, Compose, WebSocket debugging, certificates, and Proxyman MCP operations.