macos-networking

Purpose

This skill provides tools for managing macOS networking components, including WiFi, Ethernet, DNS, proxies, Tailscale VPN, and the pfctl firewall, to automate or assist in network configuration tasks.

When to Use

Use this skill when handling macOS-specific network operations, such as troubleshooting connectivity, configuring secure VPNs, managing DNS for applications, or enforcing firewall rules in scripts or user interactions.

Key Capabilities

• WiFi and Ethernet management via networksetup and airport CLI for connecting, scanning, or switching networks.
• DNS configuration using networksetup to set servers like Google DNS (e.g., 8.8.8.8).
• Proxy setup with networksetup for HTTP/SOCKS proxies, including authentication.
• Tailscale VPN integration for peer-to-peer networking, requiring Tailscale CLI and an auth key.
• Firewall control via pfctl for loading rulesets, enabling/disabling, and monitoring traffic.
• Airport CLI (part of macOS) for wireless diagnostics, like scanning networks.
• Specific tools: networksetup for most settings, tailscale for VPN, and pfctl for packet filtering.

Usage Patterns

Always run commands with elevated privileges using sudo where needed. For scripts, check if tools like tailscale are installed first. Use environment variables for sensitive data, e.g., export TAILSCALE_AUTH_KEY=$SERVICE_API_KEY before running Tailscale commands. Integrate with AI responses by generating bash snippets that users can copy-paste.