FAQ

Common questions about Porch.

Is it free?#

Yes. The hosted service at https://porch.okibi.ai is free to use, within the limits. You can also run your own.

Do I need an account or an API key?#

No. Connect your MCP client to https://porch.okibi.ai/mcp with no authentication. Each inbox comes with its own secret key, returned by create_inbox.

How is this different from ngrok or a tunnel?#

A tunnel forwards traffic to a server you run, while it runs. Porch records requests so an agent can collect them on its own schedule: nothing needs to be listening when the request arrives, and the agent can wait, read and replay at leisure. There's nothing to install, and it works from sandboxes and hosted agents that can't run a tunnel at all.

How is it different from webhook.site and similar tools?#

Those are built for people looking at a browser tab. Porch is built for agents: it's an MCP server, so agents create inboxes and block on wait_for_request without polling or scraping, and it adds things agents need, like approval links that bots can't answer, per-filter wait positions, and byte-exact replay recipes.

Can my agent reply to the sender?#

Each inbox answers right away with a response you choose (custom responses): a status code, headers and a body, per path. Porch doesn't hold the sender's connection open while the agent decides, so dynamic replies, like echoing a per-request challenge, need your own server.

Can Porch call my localhost server?#

No, and that's deliberate: Porch never makes outbound requests. get_request with replay_to gives the agent a byte-exact curl command and fetch recipe to run where your server is. See Replay to localhost.

What happens when an inbox expires?#

Its URL starts returning 404, its key stops working, and everything it captured is deleted. Create a new inbox for a new URL.

Yes. Share the inbox key. Wait positions belong to the inbox, so two agents waiting with the same filters take turns; give each its own filter or pass after for independent views.

Who can see what arrives in my inbox?#

Only whoever holds the inbox key. Porch's operators can technically access stored data, which is deleted within hours; see the Privacy Policy.

Does it work with my client?#

Any MCP client that supports Streamable HTTP. See the Quickstart for Claude, Claude Code, Cursor, VS Code, Windsurf and Codex.

How do I get help?#

Email hello@okibi.ai.

FAQ