TCP Viewer Open Source and GPL License

TCP Viewer is open source. You can read the code, build the app, report issues, and propose changes in the ProxymanApp/TCPViewer repository.

1. Source license

TCP Viewer is distributed under GNU GPL version 2 or any later version (GPL-2.0-or-later). The app links to GPL-covered Wireshark libraries, so TCP Viewer is distributed under compatible GPL terms as a whole.

The repository includes:

• LICENSE — a short license summary and SPDX identifier.
• COPYING — the full GPL version 2 text.
• THIRD_PARTY_NOTICES.md — dependency versions, licenses, and notice paths.
• SOURCE_CODE_OFFER.md — how binary users can obtain corresponding source.

This page is a plain-language overview, not a replacement for those files.

2. Main open-source components

Component	Use in TCP Viewer	License
Wireshark libraries	Deep packet dissection and capture-file support	GPL-2.0-or-later
HexFiend	Embedded packet hex viewer	BSD-2-Clause
Model Context Protocol Swift SDK	MCP server used by the bundled tcpviewer-mcp tool	Apache-2.0 and MIT transition terms

TCP Viewer also ships pinned runtime libraries needed by these components. The full list and required notices are kept in the source repository and in the app bundle's OpenSourceLicenses folder.

3. Build from source

The project requires macOS 15 or later, Xcode 16 or later, Git, and native build tools. Clone submodules, copy the local configuration template, and bootstrap the pinned Wireshark source before building:

git clone --recurse-submodules https://github.com/ProxymanApp/TCPViewer.git
cd TCPViewer
cp Config/TCPViewer.local.xcconfig.example Config/TCPViewer.local.xcconfig
./scripts/bootstrap-wireshark.sh
xcodebuild -project TCPViewer.xcodeproj -scheme TCPViewer build

Local signing, release, crash-reporting, and upload values must stay outside Git. Follow the repository README for the current setup and test commands.

4. Get the source for a binary release

The complete corresponding source is available from the published source archive for the same release, including the pinned Wireshark source and bundled non-system runtime dependencies. If source was not supplied with a binary, contact tcpviewer@proxyman.com. The written source offer remains valid for at least three years from the date the binary was received.

5. Contribute or report a problem

• Search or open a GitHub issue.
• Keep bug reports free of private packet data, tokens, credentials, and license keys.
• Make changes focused and easy to review.
• Build the app and run the relevant tests before sending a pull request.
• Disclose AI-assisted work and review it yourself before submission.

For private logs, capture files, or security-sensitive details, use email support instead of a public issue.