README - SharkMCP by kriztalz

SharkMCP - Network Packet Analysis MCP Server

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server that provides network packet capture and analysis capabilities through Wireshark/tshark integration. Designed for AI assistants to perform network security analysis, troubleshooting, and packet inspection.

This server was thought for situations where you want your agent to debug a program that sends requests and verify the packet traffic, allowing the following workflow:

Start recording packets
Run tool or perform request
Stop recording and analyze results

Architecture

SharkMCP provides a simple, local development-focused architecture:

┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│                    SharkMCP Server                      │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  MCP Protocol Layer                                     │
│  ├─ start_capture_session                               │
│  ├─ stop_capture_session                                │
│  ├─ analyze_pcap_file                                   │
│  └─ manage_config                                       │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  tshark Integration Layer                               │
│  ├─ Cross-platform executable detection                 │
│  ├─ Process management                                  │
│  └─ Output parsing (JSON/fields/text)                   │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│  Host System Integration                                │
│  ├─ Local tshark installation                           │
│  ├─ Direct network interface access                     │
│  └─ Native file system operations                       │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘

Features

Async Packet Capture: Start background capture sessions with configurable filters and timeouts.
PCAP File Analysis: Analyze existing packet capture files
Flexible Output Formats: JSON, custom fields, or traditional text output
SSL/TLS Decryption: Support for SSL keylog files to decrypt HTTPS traffic
Reusable Configurations: Save and reuse capture/analysis configurations

/!\ Packet information can be very extensive. Make sure to use a scoped display filter not to overload the context of your conversation.

Prerequisites

System Requirements

Wireshark/tshark: Must be installed and accessible
Node.js: Version 18+
pnpm: Package manager (recommended)

Installing Wireshark/tshark

macOS (using Homebrew):

brew install wireshark

Ubuntu/Debian:

sudo apt update
sudo apt install tshark wireshark-common

Windows: Download from wireshark.org

Installation

Clone the repository:

git clone https://github.com/kriztalz/SharkMCP.git
cd SharkMCP

Install dependencies:

pnpm install

Build the project:

pnpm run build

Run the server:

pnpm start

Testing

SharkMCP includes comprehensive integration tests that verify packet capture functionality.

Running Tests

# Run all tests
pnpm test

Configuration

MCP Client Setup

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "sharkmcp": {
      "command": "node",
      "args": ["/path/to/SharkMCP/dist/index.js"],
    }
  }
}

SSL/TLS Decryption (Optional)

To decrypt HTTPS traffic, export the SSLKEYLOGFILE environment variable:

export SSLKEYLOGFILE=/path/to/sslkeylog.log

Then configure your applications to log SSL keys to this file. Many applications support this automatically when the environment variable is set.

Then pass the log file pathname to the MCP server in the stop_capture_session tool.

Usage

Available Tools

start_capture_session: Start background packet capture
stop_capture_session: Stop capture and analyze results
analyze_pcap_file: Analyze existing PCAP files
manage_config: Save/load reusable configurations

Basic Examples

Start a capture session:

Interface: en0
Capture Filter: port 443
Timeout: 30 seconds

Analyze captured traffic:

Display Filter: tls.handshake.type == 1
Output Format: json

Save a configuration:

{
  "name": "https-monitoring",
  "description": "Monitor HTTPS traffic",
  "captureFilter": "port 443",
  "displayFilter": "tls.handshake.type == 1",
  "outputFormat": "json",
  "timeout": 60,
  "interface": "en0"
}

Development

Project Structure

SharkMCP/
├── src/
│   ├── index.ts              # Main server setup
│   ├── types.ts              # TypeScript interfaces
│   ├── utils.ts              # Utility functions
│   └── tools/                # Individual tool implementations
│       ├── start-capture-session.ts
│       ├── stop-capture-session.ts
│       ├── analyze-pcap-file.ts
│       └── manage-config.ts
├── test/                     # Test files
│   └── integration.test.js   # Integration tests
├── package.json
└── README.md

Development Commands

# Development mode with auto-reload
pnpm run dev

# Build for production
pnpm run build

# Run tests
pnpm run test

# Type checking
pnpm run build

Security Considerations

Network Permissions: Packet capture requires elevated privileges
File Access: Temporary files are created in /tmp/
Docker Security: Container runs as non-root user
SSL Keylog: Sensitive SSL keys should be handled securely

Troubleshooting

Common Issues

"tshark not found":

Ensure Wireshark is installed and tshark is in PATH
Check installation with: tshark -v

Permission denied for packet capture:

On Linux: Add user to wireshark group or run with sudo
On macOS: Grant Terminal network access in System Preferences
On Windows: Run as Administrator

No packets captured:

Verify network interface name (ip link on Linux, ifconfig on macOS)
Check capture filter syntax
Ensure traffic is present on the interface

Contributing (Very welcome!)

Fork the repository
Create a feature branch
Make your changes following the existing code style
Add tests for new functionality
Submit a pull request

License

MIT License

Issues / Suggestions

Feel free to open an issue with any question or suggestion you may have.