MCP Snitch
MCP Snitch is a macOS application that intercepts and monitors MCP server communications, providing security analysis, access control, and audit logging for AI tool usage.
What is MCP Snitch?
MCP Snitch is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that allows AI assistants like Claude, Cursor, and VS Code to mcp snitch is a macos application that intercepts and monitors mcp server communications, providing security analysis, access control, and audit logging for ai tool usage.
MCP Snitch is a macOS application that intercepts and monitors MCP server communications, providing security analysis, access control, and audit logging for AI tool usage.
This server falls under the Security category on MCPgee, the world's largest MCP server directory with 33,000+ servers.
Features
- MCP Snitch is a macOS application that intercepts and monito
Use Cases
Maintainer
Works with
Installation
Manual Installation
npx mcp-snitchConfiguration
Configuration Details
claude_desktop_config.json
Performance
Response Metrics
Resource Usage
How to Set Up and Use MCP Snitch
MCP Snitch is a macOS security application that acts as a transparent proxy between AI clients (such as Claude Desktop or Cursor) and any MCP server, intercepting all stdio and HTTP MCP traffic so you can inspect, approve, or block tool calls before they execute. It provides real-time audit logging, AI-powered threat analysis via GPT-3.5 to flag suspicious operations like credential access or sensitive file reads, and per-server trust management stored in a local SQLite database. Security engineers and privacy-conscious developers use it to maintain visibility and control over what actions AI agents take on their system.
Prerequisites
- macOS (the application is a native Swift macOS app)
- Claude Desktop, Cursor, or another MCP client already installed and configured
- An OpenAI API key (stored securely in macOS Keychain) for AI-powered threat analysis
- Administrative permissions to install applications from the Releases page
Download and install MCP Snitch
Go to the Releases page at https://github.com/Adversis/mcp-snitch/releases and download the latest DMG file. Open the DMG, drag MCP Snitch to your Applications folder, and launch it. Grant the necessary system permissions when prompted.
Grant required permissions
MCP Snitch needs permission to monitor local processes and network traffic to intercept MCP communications. Follow the macOS permission dialogs carefully — without these the app cannot intercept stdio-based servers.
Add your OpenAI API key
Open Settings in MCP Snitch and enter your OpenAI API key. The key is stored securely in the macOS Keychain and is used by the Block mode to perform AI-powered analysis of suspicious tool calls before blocking them.
Select a GuardRails mode
MCP Snitch offers three protection levels: Off (passthrough, monitoring only), Approve (every tool call requires your manual approval before execution), and Block (AI analysis automatically blocks calls that match threat patterns for credentials, system files, or sensitive directories like /etc and /System).
Monitor and review activity
Once active, MCP Snitch automatically detects Claude Desktop and Cursor configurations and begins intercepting their MCP sessions. Use the live message viewer to watch real-time communications, and the audit log to review historical tool call activity for compliance or forensics.
MCP Snitch Examples
Client configuration
MCP Snitch works as a transparent proxy — no changes to your existing MCP client configuration are needed. It intercepts traffic automatically after installation. For reference, a typical MCP server entry that Snitch will monitor looks like this:
{
"mcpServers": {
"filesystem": {
"command": "npx",
"args": ["-y", "@modelcontextprotocol/server-filesystem", "/Users/yourname/Documents"]
}
}
}Prompts to try
After installing MCP Snitch, use your AI client normally and observe interception in action.
- "Read the file at /etc/hosts" (Snitch will flag this as high-risk in Block mode)
- "List all files in my home directory" (will appear in real-time audit log)
- "Write a new config file to ~/.ssh/config" (SSH directory access triggers credential detection)
- "What tool calls has MCP Snitch blocked in the last session?"Troubleshooting MCP Snitch
MCP Snitch does not intercept traffic from Claude Desktop
Ensure MCP Snitch is running before launching Claude Desktop. The app must start first to establish the proxy. Also verify that you granted all required macOS process monitoring permissions in System Settings > Privacy & Security.
AI threat analysis is not working in Block mode
Check that your OpenAI API key is correctly entered in Settings and is active. MCP Snitch uses GPT-3.5 for analysis — ensure your OpenAI account has available credits. The key is stored in Keychain; if you rotated it, re-enter it in Settings.
App crashes or fails to build from source
For source builds, run './build.sh' from the cloned repository root which handles all Xcode dependencies. Ensure you have Xcode Command Line Tools installed: 'xcode-select --install'. Use './run.sh' to launch after a successful build.
Frequently Asked Questions about MCP Snitch
What is MCP Snitch?
MCP Snitch is a Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that mcp snitch is a macos application that intercepts and monitors mcp server communications, providing security analysis, access control, and audit logging for ai tool usage. It connects AI assistants to external tools and data sources through a standardized interface.
How do I install MCP Snitch?
Follow the installation instructions on the MCP Snitch GitHub repository. Clone the repo, install dependencies, and add the server config to your AI client.
Which AI clients work with MCP Snitch?
MCP Snitch works with all major MCP-compatible AI clients including Claude Desktop, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code (GitHub Copilot), Windsurf, and Cline.
Is MCP Snitch free to use?
Yes, MCP Snitch is open source and available under the GPL-3.0 license. You can use it freely in both personal and commercial projects.
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