mcp-proxy

MCP server that bypasses Claude Desktop sandbox network restrictions.

Claude Desktop runs in a restricted sandbox that blocks many network operations and CLI tools that need internet access. This MCP server provides three tools that run outside the sandbox, enabling Claude to:

• Fetch any URL (API calls, web scraping, downloads)
• Execute network-capable CLI tools (yt-dlp, curl, ffmpeg, etc.)
• Read files created by those tools (subtitle files, downloads, etc.)

Installation

Quick Install (via GitHub)

Add to ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "proxy": {
      "command": "npx",
      "args": ["-y", "github:CodefiLabs/claude-desktop-skills-proxy"]
    }
  }
}

Restart Claude Desktop for changes to take effect. The server will be automatically downloaded and run.

Local Development

git clone https://github.com/CodefiLabs/claude-desktop-skills-proxy.git
cd claude-desktop-skills-proxy
npm install
npm run build

Then configure Claude Desktop to use the local build:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "proxy": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/claude-desktop-skills-proxy/dist/index.js"]
    }
  }
}

Tools

proxy_fetch

Make HTTP requests to any URL. Supports all common HTTP methods.

Parameters:

Example - Simple GET:

{
  "url": "https://api.github.com/users/octocat"
}

Example - POST with headers:

{
  "url": "https://api.example.com/data",
  "method": "POST",
  "headers": {
    "Content-Type": "application/json",
    "Authorization": "Bearer token123"
  },
  "body": "{\"key\": \"value\"}"
}

Example - Approve new domain:

{
  "url": "https://newsite.com/api",
  "approve": "always"
}

network_exec

Execute CLI commands that require network access. Uses secure spawn() instead of shell execution.

Parameters:

Example - Download video with yt-dlp:

{
  "command": "yt-dlp",
  "args": ["--output", "video.mp4", "https://youtube.com/watch?v=dQw4w9WgXcQ"],
  "cwd": "/Users/kk/Downloads",
  "approve": "always"
}

Example - Fetch with curl:

{
  "command": "curl",
  "args": ["-s", "https://api.ipify.org?format=json"],
  "approve": "once"
}

Example - Convert video with ffmpeg:

{
  "command": "ffmpeg",
  "args": ["-i", "input.mp4", "-c:v", "libx264", "output.mp4"],
  "cwd": "/Users/kk/Videos",
  "timeout": 300000
}

read_file

Read files from the host filesystem. Useful for reading files created by network_exec (e.g., subtitle files from yt-dlp).

Parameters:

Example - Read subtitle file:

{
  "path": "/tmp/video.en.vtt"
}

Example - Read binary file as base64:

{
  "path": "/tmp/image.png",
  "encoding": "base64"
}

Workflow for yt-dlp subtitles:

1. Download subtitles with network_exec:

   {
     "command": "yt-dlp",
     "args": ["--write-auto-sub", "--skip-download", "-o", "/tmp/%(id)s", "VIDEO_ID"],
     "approve": "always"
   }

1. Read the subtitle file with read_file:

   {
     "path": "/tmp/VIDEO_ID.en.vtt"
   }

Blocked paths: Sensitive files like ~/.ssh/*, ~/.aws/*, /etc/shadow, .env files, and credential files are blocked for security.

Approval Flow

When accessing a new domain or running a new command, the tool returns a needs_approval status:

{
  "status": "needs_approval",
  "domain": "example.com",
  "message": "Domain \"example.com\" is not in your allowlist. To proceed, call proxy_fetch again with approve: \"once\" for this request only, or approve: \"always\" to remember this domain."
}

Approval options:

• "once" - Allow for this single request only
• "always" - Add to allowlist and remember for future requests

Once approved with "always", subsequent requests to that domain/command work automatically.

Security

Blocked Domains (SSRF Protection)

The following domains are always blocked to prevent Server-Side Request Forgery attacks:

• localhost, 127.0.0.1, ::1 - Loopback addresses
• 169.254.169.254 - AWS metadata endpoint
• 10.*, 172.16-31.*, 192.168.* - Private IP ranges
• fe80:*, fc00:*, fd00:* - IPv6 private/link-local

Blocked Commands

These commands are blocked for security:

• Destructive: rm, rmdir, del, mv
• Privilege escalation: sudo, su, doas
• Permissions: chmod, chown, chgrp
• System: mkfs, fdisk, dd, format
• Package managers: apt, brew, yum, etc.
• Shells: bash, sh, zsh, etc.
• Network abuse: nc, netcat, telnet

Argument Validation

Shell operators are blocked in command arguments to prevent injection:

• ;, |, &&, || - Command chaining
• >, < - Redirects
• $(, ` `, ${` - Command/variable substitution

Rate Limiting

Requests are rate-limited to prevent abuse:

• 60 requests per minute per domain/command
• Automatic cooldown with retry-after information

Configuration

Configuration is stored at ~/.config/mcp-proxy/config.json:

{
  "allowedDomains": ["api.github.com", "example.com"],
  "blockedDomains": ["localhost", "127.0.0.1", "..."],
  "allowedCommands": ["yt-dlp", "curl", "ffmpeg"],
  "blockedCommands": ["rm", "sudo", "..."]
}

The file is created automatically on first use. User-approved domains/commands are added to the allowlists. Security blocklists cannot be overridden.

Development

# Build
npm run build

# Watch mode
npm run watch

# Test with MCP Inspector
npx @modelcontextprotocol/inspector node dist/index.js

License

MIT