Wireshark MCP (Model Context Protocol)

A Model Context Protocol (MCP) server for integrating Wireshark network analysis capabilities with AI systems like Claude. This implementation provides direct integration with Claude without requiring manual copy/paste of prompts.

What is Wireshark MCP?

Wireshark MCP provides a standardized way for AI assistants to access and analyze network packet data through Wireshark. It bridges the gap between low-level network data and high-level AI understanding by implementing the Model Context Protocol.

The server provides tools for:

1. Capturing live network traffic
2. Analyzing existing pcap files
3. Extracting protocol-specific information
4. Summarizing network flows

Quick Start

Installation

# Clone the repository 
git clone https://github.com/sarthaksiddha/Wireshark-mcp.git 
cd Wireshark-mcp

# Install dependencies
pip install -e .

Running the MCP Server

# Run with stdio transport (for Claude Desktop)
python mcp_server.py --stdio

# Run with SSE transport (for other MCP clients)
python mcp_server.py --host 127.0.0.1 --port 5000

Configuring Claude Desktop

To configure Claude Desktop to use the Wireshark MCP server:

1. Open Claude Desktop
2. Go to Settings > Developer > Edit Config
3. Add the following configuration:

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "wireshark": {
      "command": "python",
      "args": [
        "/path/to/wireshark-mcp/mcp_server.py",
        "--stdio"
      ]
    }
  }
}

Replace /path/to/wireshark-mcp with the actual path to your repository.

Available Tools

The Wireshark MCP server provides the following tools:

• capture_live_traffic: Capture live network traffic using tshark
• analyze_pcap: Analyze an existing pcap file
• get_protocol_list: Get a list of supported protocols

Example Usage in Claude

Once configured, you can use the Wireshark MCP server in Claude with queries like:

• “Capture 30 seconds of network traffic on my system and show me what’s happening”
• “Analyze my network.pcap file and tell me if there are any suspicious activities”
• “What protocols can I focus on when analyzing network traffic?”

Key Features

• Packet Summarization: Convert large pcap files into token-optimized summaries
• Protocol Intelligence: Enhanced context for common protocols (HTTP, DNS, TLS, SMTP, etc.)
• Flow Tracking: Group related packets into conversation flows
• Anomaly Highlighting: Emphasize unusual or suspicious patterns
• Query Templates: Pre-built prompts for common network analysis tasks