rustunnel MCP server

Let AI agents open and manage secure HTTP/TCP/UDP tunnels to local services over stdio.

Unverified

stdio (local)

API key

Rust

View repo 636 Website

Add to your client

Copy the config for your MCP client and paste it into its config file.

Install / run

brew tap joaoh82/rustunnel && brew install rustunnel

Paste into ~/Library/Application Support/Claude/claude_desktop_config.json

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "rustunnel-mcp-server": {
      "command": "rustunnel-mcp",
      "args": [
        "--server",
        "edge.rustunnel.com:4040",
        "--api",
        "https://edge.rustunnel.com:8443"
      ],
      "env": {
        "RUSTUNNEL_TOKEN": "<your-token>"
      }
    }
  }
}

Step-by-step guides: Add to Claude Desktop · Add to Cursor · Add to Windsurf

Before you start

A rustunnel auth token supplied via RUSTUNNEL_TOKEN (free signup at rustunnel.com, Dashboard -> API Keys, or a self-hosted admin/dashboard token)
The rustunnel-mcp binary on PATH (installed via Homebrew alongside the rustunnel CLI, or built from source with `make release-mcp`)
Access to a rustunnel server — either the hosted edge servers (e.g. edge.rustunnel.com) or your own self-hosted server

About rustunnel MCP server

rustunnel-mcp is the Model Context Protocol server bundled with rustunnel, a self-hosted secure tunnel server written in Rust. The MCP server speaks stdio and lets AI agents open and manage public tunnels to local HTTP/TCP/UDP services on demand — for example to test webhooks, share a local demo over HTTPS, or expose a service from a cloud sandbox. It works with any MCP harness (Claude Code, Claude Desktop, Codex, Cursor, Windsurf, Cline, and custom agents) and can target the hosted rustunnel edge servers or a self-hosted instance.

Tools & capabilities (6)

create_tunnel

Open a tunnel and return the public URL — supports HTTP/TCP/UDP, P2P, and load-balanced pools with health checks.

list_tunnels

List all active tunnels.

close_tunnel

Force-close a tunnel by ID.

list_regions

List available server regions.

get_connection_info

Return the CLI command for cloud/sandbox agents.

get_tunnel_history

Retrieve past tunnel activity.

When to use it

Let an AI agent expose a local HTTP service over a public HTTPS URL for webhook testing
Share a local demo with a public URL on request, then close the tunnel when done
Expose a local TCP service such as a database to a remote consumer
Open a tunnel from a cloud/sandbox agent and fetch the CLI command via get_connection_info
List and force-close active tunnels, or review past tunnel activity

Security notes

Authentication uses an API token supplied via the RUSTUNNEL_TOKEN environment variable (a rustunnel admin token, or a token created via the dashboard). Obtain a free token by signing up at rustunnel.com (Dashboard -> API Keys); the token is shown only once. The MCP server connects to the rustunnel control-plane and REST API over TLS (HTTPS). Tunnels expose local services to the public internet, so only tunnel services you intend to make publicly reachable.

rustunnel MCP server FAQ

What transport does the MCP server use?

stdio. The rustunnel-mcp binary implements the Model Context Protocol over stdio.

How do I authenticate?

Set the RUSTUNNEL_TOKEN environment variable to a rustunnel auth token. With it set once, the agent never has to pass a token on a tool call. Get a free token by signing up at rustunnel.com, or use your self-hosted admin/dashboard token.

Do I have to self-host a server?

No. The MCP server can connect to rustunnel's hosted edge servers (e.g. edge.rustunnel.com), which the default config targets, or to your own self-hosted rustunnel server.

How do I install the MCP server?

Install via Homebrew (`brew tap joaoh82/rustunnel && brew install rustunnel`), which installs rustunnel-mcp alongside the CLI client; or build from source with `make release-mcp`. There is also a Claude Code plugin (`/plugin install rustunnel`) that configures it automatically.

#tunnel #ngrok-alternative #reverse-proxy #webhook #self-hosted #rust #tcp #http

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