# Live sharing

> Share a read-only, live view of Cloak Proxy's captured traffic with a colleague on the same network. They open a link in their browser; nothing goes through the internet and no account is needed.

Source: https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-proxy/sessions/live-sharing/

Added in Cloak Proxy 0.4.1.

Live sharing lets a colleague watch your traffic as it's captured, from their own computer, phone or tablet. You choose what they see with a query, such as `app:ShopApp -host:*.analytics.example`, and send them a link. They open it in any browser on the same network. They see the requests appear live and can open each one, but they can't change anything.

Nothing goes through the internet or through Subcloak: their browser connects straight to your Mac. There's no account, and the link stops working as soon as you stop sharing.

*[Screenshot: The Share Live Traffic sheet with one share on: a QR code, the name Checkout bug in ShopApp 4.2, its link, 1 viewer, the query app:ShopApp -host:*.analytics.example, secrets hidden, ends at 6:30 PM, and a Stop button; below it, a form for another share. A share in progress, with its link and QR code.]*

## Share your traffic

1. Choose **Proxy › Share Live Traffic…**.

2. Give the share a name. Your colleague sees it as the page's title.

3. In **Shows**, type a [query](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-proxy/inspect/query-language/) for what to share, or leave it empty to share everything.

   When the sheet opens, it suggests the query in your query bar, or the app or domain selected in the sidebar.

4. Choose the options. The line above **Start Sharing** sums up exactly what the link will show, with or without bodies and secrets, and until when. Click **Start Sharing**: the link is copied to the clipboard.

5. Send your colleague the link (in a chat, for example), or let them scan the QR code.

| Option | What it does |
|---|---|
| **Name** | The title of the viewer's page |
| **Shows** | Which requests the share includes, in the query bar's syntax. Empty: every request. A request that changes so it no longer matches leaves the share. |
| **Hide secrets** | On by default. Tokens, cookies, passwords and API keys, in headers, URLs and bodies, show as `REDACTED`, as in [redacted exports](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-proxy/sessions/redaction/). |
| **Include request and response bodies** | On by default. Off shares only the request lines and headers. |
| **Ends after** | 1 hour, 8 hours, 24 hours, or until you stop it. |

While a share is on, **Sharing** appears in the bottom bar, with how many people are watching. Click it to see the links or stop sharing. You can run several shares at once, each with its own query and link.

## What your colleague sees

The link opens a page in their browser with the requests on the left, newest at the bottom, and the selected one on the right: its request line, status, timing, headers and bodies, with JSON formatted. A filter field narrows the list by URL, method or status. New requests appear as they're captured. When you stop the share or it ends, the page says so.

> **The browser warns about the certificate:**
> The page is served over HTTPS with a certificate from Cloak Proxy on your Mac, which your colleague's browser doesn't know. It will say the connection isn't private. They can continue to the page (in Safari: **Show Details › visit this website**; in Chrome: **Advanced › Proceed**). Tell them to expect it, and to check that the address is your Mac's.

## How it works and what's protected

- **Local network only.** The page is served by the [web companion](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-proxy/devices/web-companion/)'s listener on your Mac (port 9093 unless you changed it). It starts while a share is on, even if the web companion is off, and stops with the last share. Your colleague must reach your Mac on that port: the same Wi-Fi or office network, and no firewall in between.
- **The link is the key.** It ends with a long random token after `#`, so the token never appears in server logs or Referer headers. Anyone with the link can watch while the share is on, so send it only to the people who should see it. Stop the share when you're done; an expired or stopped link shows "This share has ended".
- **Read-only.** A share answers only reads of its own requests. It can't send, repeat, change or delete anything, and it can't use your paired devices' access. Requests outside its query can't be opened, even by number.
- **No account, no servers.** Nothing is uploaded. When you quit Cloak Proxy, every share ends.

## Use from an AI assistant

| Tool | Does |
|---|---|
| `start_live_share` | Starts a share with a name, a query, and the options, and returns its links |
| `list_live_shares` | Shares that are on, with their links, viewers and end times |
| `stop_live_share` | Stops one share, or all of them |

## Related

  - [Query language](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-proxy/inspect/query-language/): Choose exactly what a share shows.
  - [Web companion](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-proxy/devices/web-companion/): Watch your own traffic from your phone or tablet.
  - [Redaction](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-proxy/sessions/redaction/): What hiding secrets removes.
  - [Publish to Gist](https://docs.subcloak.com/cloak-proxy/sessions/publish-to-gist/): Share a saved session instead of a live one.